By John Shimer
Staff writer
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On Monday, Andover Country Club will play host to the Second Annual Neighborhood Legal Services Golf Tournament, a fundraising event for one of the state's foremost free public legal services.
An outlet for full service civil legal assistance serving low-income clients in Essex and Middlesex counties for 42 years, Neighborhood Legal Services provides assistance in housing, public benefits, family law and domestic abuse prevention, employment, tax, elder law, health care access and legal support. NLS's organizational goals are to increase economic opportunity, safety and family stability, and to promote fairness and equity for the area's low-income households. NLS handles both individual representation and major systemic and institutional reform cases. NLS services more than 4,000 legal matters per year
"We provide free civil legal services to the poor," said Neighborhood Legal Services executive director Sheila Casey. "Really what that encompasses is a whole range of services like helping people who are losing their homes due to foreclosures or with eviction, people who lose their income and need unemployment benefits, elders in nursing homes or people with Mass Health Care with long-term care insurance issues."
A few of the bigger success stories over the past year include providing assistance through the Housing Court Mediation Project to more than 1,110 families facing eviction, helping nearly 250 families file income tax returns with refunds reaching nearly $300,000, and filing a successful challenge to a state regulation that disqualified workers from receiving unemployment compensation if they were only able to work part time when their previous job had been full time.
However, coinciding with the collapse of the economy, the demand for free public legal services like the ones NLS offers have gone up dramatically by 30 to 35 percent, according to Casey.
But at the same time, NLS itself has been hit hard, losing more than $10 million statewide, as many funding resources have dried up, resulting in cutbacks on staff by 25 percent and needing to find new creative methods to raise money in order to continue to fight for their clients, people who are struggling to pay mortgages or continue to pay for health insurance benefits.
"Statewide, we're only able to meet 10 to 15 percent of the legal needs of the poor," said Casey, an Amesbury resident. "We're struggling all the time to do what we can do because there is so much desperation out there."
Through the tournament, which includes a cookout before golf, a 1:30 p.m. shotgun start with several contest holes (closest to pin, longest drive men/women), a prime rib dinner and several more opportunities to donate via sponsorships or buying of raffle tickets, NLS hopes to raise approximately $25,000.
"The money allows us to continue to provide advocacy for people every day," Casey explained. "It goes into playing our operation costs, litigation expenses and pays to fund our organization for low-income people in our community."
Tournament organizer and NLS fundraising chairwoman Cathy Willard said individual and foursome spots are still available. To reserve a spot, visit www.neighborhoodlaw.org or call 781-244-1404 for further information.
