‘More people on brink of crisis,’ director says
HAMMOND | Uncertain circumstances triggered by the economy have brought record numbers of residents to the Hammond Legal Aid Clinic’s downtown offices for help.
The nonprofit agency just completed its fifth year of pro bono, or free, legal services, and applications for advice and demand for help with employment-related problems have increased, clinic director Kris Costa Sakelaris said.
Records the clinic keeps list more than 1,600 residents who have sought legal support since the clinic opened in 2004, with nearly 400 visiting the offices, 5261 Hohman Ave., this year.
People in the past have asked for help with family law, consumer finance and housing, Sakelaris said, but this year, problems relating to Medicare benefits, predatory lending and unemployment benefits top the list for applicants.
“It seems like we have seen more people on the brink of crisis than ever before,” Sakelaris said. “Many families are not only facing some legal problem but are worried about how they will keep a roof over their head or provide the next meal.”
Agreements with other institutions — the Valparaiso University School of Law and Calumet College of St. Joseph’s Paralegal Program — enhance the clinic’s staff. Also, lawyers who have contracts with Hammond provide pro bono hours at the clinic.
But there is still a very large gap between the needs of low-income residents and the free legal help that’s available, said Sakelaris, a former Lake Superior Court magistrate.
“The current state of the local and national economy has pressed people to their limits financially,” she said.
Funded through casino taxes, Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. created the clinic to help elderly and low-income residents. McDermott cited his externship experiences while attending the University of Notre Dame Law School as inspiration.
“Everybody needs some type of legal assistance,” McDermott said. “But not everybody can afford a private lawyer.”
The legal aid clinic received the Randall T. Shepard Award last year from the Indiana State Bar Association for excellence in pro bono work.
Named for Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard, the award recognizes contributions that ensure legal services are available to people who otherwise could not afford them.
The clinic can’t discuss its specific successes because of confidentiality rules, Sakelaris said, but many residents have expressed appreciation through letters and in surveys they filled out after they were helped.
For more information, call the Hammond Legal Aid Clinic at (219) 853-6611.