What does it mean to have access to low-cost legal aid services?
For some Macon and Jackson County residents, it means the difference between having a roof over their heads, or being able to file their taxes, or go to a doctor.
On Tuesday morning representatives from Pisgah Legal Services hosted an organizational breakfast at Highlands Country Club to inform supporters just how big an impact the organization is having in Highlands and Cashiers.
“I had a client who came to us at the last minute for legal representation because she needed a domestic violence protection order against her husband, who was abusing her,” Pisgah Legal attorney Patricia Caddell said. “I got the referral on Friday, we were in court on Monday, and she got her order. Then she asked if I could come back the next day to court because she was also facing an eviction. Her landlord was evicting them because her husband had punched holes in the wall, and they were behind on their rent.”
Caddell was able to negotiate an extension to give the woman and her children time to look for a new place to live and thus avoid homelessness.
“Over the next year, we helped her file for Section 8, helped her file her taxes, enroll in health insurance, and we made sure she would keep custody of her children apart from her abusive husband,” Caddell said. “She ultimately filed for divorce, and she’s now a self-sufficient single mother.”
Pisgah Legal Services operates out of two offices on the Plateau, one in Cashiers and one in Highlands. The organization is also active in the Asheville area, as well as several additional Western North Carolina counties.
“I got a message from Emily Wilmarth at the Presbyterian Church about the need for legal aid in Highlands and it got me thinking about how we could make that a reality,” former attorney Stell Huie said. “Well, I started by calling other attorneys I know in this area. At some point we all paid dues to a legal aid organization in our careers, so the idea was to bring a legal aid organization here in a similar setup.”
Huie was directed to Pisgah Legal Executive Jim Barrett, who has been at the helm of the organization in Asheville since 1993. Barrett, who is retiring this year, made note of how much the organization has changed in more than three decades.
“The biggest thing is how much our area has grown in the at time, and how many more people need our services now,” Barrett said. “In North Carolina, one-in-four children live in poverty. The average income of our clients is $18,000. Can anyone in this room imagine trying to live on $18,000 a year? Especially with a child, or more than one.”
Barrett noted that criminal public defenders are common, but legal aid for civil matters are tough to come by, which makes Pisgah Legal vital to less fortunate populations.
“We deal with domestic violence issues, custody issues, property disputes, tax problems, helping people enroll in healthcare, really any legal issue that isn’t a criminal matter,” Barrett said. “If you’ve never needed a lawyer before, and you are unsure about how you are going to pay for a lawyer, it can be intimidating. We want our clients to know they don’t have to go it alone in the legal system.”
Huie and Barrett presented a plaque to Ray and Dianne McPhail for their continued support of Pisgah Legal. Barrett added that there is little government funding for the services that Pisgah Legal provides, thus the organization is dependent on private donations to continue its work.
For more information about Pisgah Legal and the services they provide, or to make a donation, visit pisgahlegal.org or stop at either office location in Highlands and Cashiers.