Each year, our organization, Community Legal Services, provides legal assistance to thousands of individuals who otherwise could not afford counsel. Our work, and that of the volunteer attorneys who support us, is essential in helping people navigate matters as simple as signing a lease or as complex as obtaining an injunction against an abusive spouse.

The vast majority of those we help are female (74%), and more than half of the households have a minor child at home. The issues they face are those that have the greatest impact on families—housing, safety and income stability. In these times, when both schedules and budgets are stretched thin, it is more important than ever to remind our communities, both professional and personal, of the overwhelmingly positive impact legal aid has on society.

Families face daunting challenges

To understand the impact, though, we must first look at the unique challenges families face, as reported by the National Women’s Law Center and other sources:

  • Twenty-three percent of all households are led by a single parent, and 80% of single-parent homes are led by mothers.

  • Two-thirds of single-parent families have children under 12, and 51% have children between 12 and 17.

  • Thirty percent of single-parent families live below the federal poverty level.

  • In 2021, 11.1 million children lived in poverty, and nearly half of those lived in extreme poverty.

  • According to the National Institutes of Health, one in four women and one in nine men will experience some sort of domestic violence in their life.

  • Domestic violence is widely considered to be a leading cause of family homelessness in America.

  • In 2024, the number of families with at least one unemployed family member increased by 485,000 to 4.5 million.

  • The Center for American Progress reports that single mothers’ annual income is the lowest of any segment of full-time working parents.

Day in and day out, we see the effects these challenges have on communities. A missed rent payment, a broken custody agreement or the loss of a job create outsized implications for our clients.

For example, an eviction or denied lease renewal can force a move, displacing the breadwinner from employment access and the children from their school. Or worse, a misunderstanding of the legal responsibilities could lead to homelessness. In fact, most civil matters we handle are in one way or another linked to housing insecurity.

Legal aid’s impact begins with families

Legal aid organizations focus on helping vulnerable individuals navigate processes and transactions that have legal repercussions. Supporting the most vulnerable of our community is central to our mission.

The issues most common to families—such as tenant/landlord transactions and other housing issues, family law and financial advocacy related to debt—are at the heart of our work. We’ve found that when we solve family issues, we benefit the entire community.

Housing’s role in individual stability

One of the most essential elements of individual security and family stability is housing. Our nationwide shortage has exacerbated the crucial need for affordable housing and makes our work to stabilize a client’s current housing essential.

Legal aid helps individuals understand and navigate often confusing landlord-tenant agreements. We represent clients who face eviction, prompting both parties to resolve misunderstandings and enforcing legal obligations. We also educate first-time homebuyers, helping them find the resources and grasp the potential issues and responsibilities that go with homeownership, laying the foundation for success after closing.

Family matters are community matters

Family law services are crucial to the stability and financial well-being of parents and caregivers for their children. From divorce proceedings and child custody issues to nonpayment of alimony or protection from domestic violence, the counsel legal aid organizations provide has a direct impact on families.

As advocates in what can be a very confusing legal environment, our attorneys help clients successfully reach outcomes that boost not only their ability to create stability for their children but also their overall well-being. Legal aid helps connect individuals in the community with resources necessary to address potentially dangerous domestic situations. Living without fear enables a person to be present and participate in ways that extend beyond their immediate family.

Financial advocacy beyond employment

One of the direct risks of housing instability is employment status. A sudden change in housing location could very well mean the loss of reasonable access to a job. A move across town or a brief period of homelessness jeopardizes the ability to build a gainful employment history. We counsel clients on their workplace rights and help them ensure they are receiving the wages to which they are entitled. For families to thrive, income security is a foundational component.

There are several other areas related to consumer finance where legal aid has direct impact. Often families fall behind in paying their bills due to medical issues, loss of job, changes in household income or other family dynamics. We educate them on their responsibilities in terms of debt collection. We counsel clients on their rights when confronted by debt harassment. By leveling the playing field, legal aid provides an opportunity to reach resolutions while promoting equal access to justice.

Legal aid benefits lawyers and the legal system

For attorneys, pro bono work via legal aid many times underlines the reasons they entered the legal practice in the first place: to help people. In our organization, as well as in other legal aid groups, we match pro bono attorneys with clients based on the attorneys’ areas of expertise, desired level of involvement and ability to complete the matter. We see our volunteers working on simple transactions and advice, as well as taking on civil litigation through a full trial. Legal aid provides mentoring and networking opportunities not found in traditional firm environments.

Our work not only helps families, but it provides essential services that alleviate inefficiency and congestion in the legal system. Individuals who are represented by counsel are more likely to have positive outcomes than those who are not. A Harvard Law School study of divorces in Philadelphia found this is especially true in divorce matters.

It is not only appropriate but essential that we recognize legal aid as a defining part of our profession’s history, as well as our future. By advocating for families and communities, legal aid organizations empower and educate individuals of all ages—creating meaningful, life-changing outcomes for those who cannot afford representation in the critical areas including housing, education, safety and income stability. Supporting legal aid strengthens communities, boosts professionalism and provides equal access to justice—a core tenet of our American democracy.

Danielle Harris is the chief program officer at Community Legal Services, an Orlando, Florida-based full-service civil legal aid law firm serving nearly 10,000 Central Florida residents each year. As director of advocacy at Community Legal Services, Morgan Cardinal creates advocacy strategies that address current and future legal issues in the community.

ABAJournal.com is accepting queries for original, thoughtful, nonpromotional articles and commentary by unpaid contributors to run in the Your Voice section. Details and submission guidelines are posted at “Your Submissions, Your Voice.”