Every year, New Hampshire’s legal aid programs serve over 20,000 low-income and elderly people who have urgent legal problems impacting their most basic day-to-day needs. These are some of our programs that are offered through the Legal Advice and Referral Center (LARC), the Pro Bono Referral Program (Pro Bono) and New Hampshire Legal Assistance (NHLA) to help those in need of legal assistance.
Housing
Housing Hotline (LARC) Advocates help clients avoid illegal evictions by providing them with self help instructions by telephone. In 2008 LARC helped more than 1000 clients with housing issues.
Housing Justice Project (NHLA) Advocates help promote equal access to housing by preventing illegal evictions, challenging discriminatory housing practices, and engaging in community outreach. Also addresses the underlying causes of homelessness and seeks to prevent or ameliorate the devastating consequences of homelessness.
Swift Working Attorneys for Tenants Project (“SWAT”) (Pro Bono) Designed to provide legal representation to low-income tenants and their families who face an unlawful or unjust eviction. Volunteer attorneys are provided training about state landlord-tenant law and, in turn, agree to handle case referrals that require immediate representation and action.
Health Care
New Hampshire Health Law Collaborative (NHLA) Combines the skills of two unlikely partners—doctors and lawyers—to improve the health and well-being of the low-income and elderly. NHLA advocates work at health centers as “sub-specialists” training medical staff to identify social and environmental problems that affect their patients’ health and provide legal assistance to resolve them.
Family Law & Domestic Violence
Divorce and Parenting Hotline (LARC) Coached by telephone on how to handle their own legal cases, more than 1000 families received assistance from LARC in 2008 in the areas of divorce, child support and parenting plans.
Domestic Violence Advocacy Project (Pro Bono and NHLA) Attorneys represent victims of domestic violence in restraining order proceedings and related divorce, child support, custody and visitation disputes.
Domestic Violence Emergency Project (“DOVE”) (LARC and Pro Bono) Eligible low-income victims of domestic violence are matched with volunteer attorneys for representation at final restraining order hearings.
Income Maintenance
Benefits Project (NHLA) Helps people obtain the assistance they need to stabilize their income and move toward self-sufficiency when possible. Also helps persons with disabilities obtain Social Security, SSI, and APTD benefits and access to health care through Medicare and Medicaid. Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LARC) Designed to provide outreach and education to English and second language persons regarding basic tax information, the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Volunteer Return Preparation Program which provides free filing of tax returns, and financial education.
Low Income Tax Payer Project (Pro Bono) Designed to provide education to Limited English Proficient persons regarding basic financial literacy and tax information, including the benefits of the Earned Income Tax Credit, Clinic advocates present at schools, places of employment, health care facilities and other places people congregate. The LITC program directs taxpayers to the Volunteer Return Preparation Program which provides free filing of tax returns
Seniors
-
Senior Citizens Law Project (NHLA) Provides legal services to people 60 years of age or older in cases involving Social Security, SSI, Medicaid, Medicare, nursing home residents’ rights, elderly housing, mobile home park residents’ rights, nursing homes and hospitals.
Youth
-
Youth Law Project (NHLA) Provides civil legal services for delinquent and at-risk youth to ensure they receive needed educational, mental health and other services to prevent and avoid delinquent behavior and involvement with juvenile justice system.