Advocates For Basic Legal Equality

Programs: Advocates for basic legal equality, inc. (able) is a non-profit law firm that provides high quality legal assistance in civil matters to help eligible low-income individuals and groups to achieve self-reliance, and equal justice and economic opportunity. Able is a law firm for low-income individuals and groups - those who have nowhere else to turn for legal assistance. Our mission is to help our clients, using our skills as lawyers and advocates, to achieve self-reliance, equal justice and economic opportunity; in essence, to help them build a better life for themselves and their families. When we accomplish our mission we literally help people pull themselves out of poverty and achieve independence. We exist because low-income individuals need lawyers. Lawyers can provide vital assistance to low-income persons as they encounter and seek to overcome serious, sometimes life threatening, challenges and obstacles in their daily lives. Able represents clients in several areas of law, including housing, (public housing, eviction, foreclosure, predatory lending, and housing conditions); access to healthcare and government benefits; debt collection defense; consumer fraud issues; education, immigration, and the legal problems that migrant farm workers, the homeless, and senior citizens face. Each year able's experienced staff of attorneys, paralegals, and support personnel provide high quality legal assistance to thousands of low-income individuals and groups throughout 32 counties in northwest and west central ohio and statewide for migrant farm workers. We have offices located in dayton, toledo and defiance. We meet the legal needs of our clients working in conjunction with our partner law firm, legal aid of western ohio, inc. (lawo). In 2014, lawo and able received 16,065 requests for help, 6,597 cases were opened, and 6,264 cases were closed. The services we provided benefited children, seniors, persons with disabilities, survivors of domestic violence, persons without health insurance, families facing eviction and foreclosure, homeless children and families, children struggling to secure appropriate education, persons who are mentally ill, migrant farm workers, and nursing home residents, among others. Our attorneys and other advocates work in areas that private attorneys usually do not, including representation of tenants, low-income homeowners, migrants, and persons seeking government assistance. What we do is critical to all members of the community. We provide powerful solutions to critical societal issues. Through our efforts, millions of dollars are returned to the community or saved for our clients. We conserve valuable community resources by addressing issues before they become a crisis and work with non-profit social service providers to provide a holistic safety net for low-income individuals and groups. Together lawo and able constitute the largest provider of free, comprehensive civil legal assistance to low-income persons in ohio. Nearly 25% of ohio's poverty population lives in our 32 county service area. Our administrative offices and headquarters are located in toledo at the center for equal justice.