From The Cleveland Plain Dealer:

A new report released by The Center for Community Solutions shows how clients that obtained civil legal assistance in housing cases saw marked improvements instability in at least one of five main areas: financial, family, health, housing and education.

The report is the result of a collaborative effort between The Legal Society of Cleveland and Community Legal Aid of central and northeastern Ohio to study the impact of legal services beyond initial client contact and resolution, to see how the experience affected the lives of clients and their families for years after.

The results were striking, with more than half the respondents (54%)  reporting that the assistance received from civil legal services led to an increase in stability in at least one of the five main areas, with significant percentages also reporting improvements to family stability and overall health.

This will coma as welcome news to other providers of civil legal services throughout the country. While advocates have long believed in the importance of their work as a significant part of demystifying the complex and often terrifying aspects of the legal system, now they have additional proof the work they do has a broader, and longer lasting, societal benefit as well.

Original article here: “Legal Aid ‘Securing Stability’ for Low-Income Clients, Report Says”

Click here to download the Executive Summary.

Click here to download the full report.