Pisgah Legal Services

Health and economic opportunity: provides affordable care act enrollment assistance to help people understand and purchase affordable health insurance in eighteen counties in western north carolina. This program additionally provides free tax return preparation to qualifying households in eighteen wnc counties with the goal of increasing the uptake in unclaimed tax credits in order to decrease child poverty.

Homelessness prevention: prevents families and individuals from losing their homes to eviction or foreclosure. Secures decent, affordable, and stable housing. 29% of cases closed in 2021 presented as housing issues.

Domestic violence and child abuse prevention Services: in 2022, the organization provided free Legal advice and representation to help more than 7,400 adults and children who were victims of domestic or sexual violence to escape abuse and rebuild their lives. Staff and volunteer attorneys help victims secure court protective orders to improve their safety, and also address barriers to independence, such as child custody, division of marital property, housing problems, income, and consumer protection so that victims can establish new lives apart from their abusers. The organization also collaborates with domestic violence shelters, law enforcement, and other community partners to reduce domestic violence in area communities and to improve Services for victims. 24% of the organization's closed cases involved Legal issues related to domestic violence and child abuse.

- Legal Services to the poor: helps low-income individuals address consumer protection issues, income shortfalls, and manage their limited resources. - elder law: helps seniors live independently in their homes as long as possible. Protects seniors from financial or physical abuse or harassment. Assists with end-of-life planning. 2022 expenditures: 275,784. - children's law project: helps disadvantaged children avoid home- lessness, access essential Services such as medical care and public education, and escape situations of abuse. 2022 expenditures: 241,669. - consumer law: obtains and protects public benefits for low-income people, including fns, medicaid, social security, and others. North carolina medicaid is undergoing significant change with the end of the covid-19 public health emergency , the recent transition to managed care medicaid and the imminent rollout of medicaid expansion and the Pisgah Legal Services advocates serve as advocates for both individuals and systemic change to protect medicaid members from wnc. 2022 expenditures: 229,028. - justice for all project: assists eligible immigrants with securing Legal immigration status or work authorization, and addresses other basic needs like safety and housing so that immigrants may lift themselves and their families out of poverty. This program serves 18 of the westernmost counties of north carolina. Some immigrants are served in other programs, including domestic violence prevention. 2022 expenditures: 343,698. - volunteer lawyers/hotline: recruits and trains a network of volunteer lawyers to provide pro bono Legal Services to the organization's clients. 2022 expenditures: 317,401 (not including 679,573 donated attorney professional time). - community economic development: increases jobs and affordable housing through Legal advocacy and partnership with other nonprofits, church groups, and local governments. 2022 expenditures: 317,686. - low-income taxpayer clinic (litc): this new program began on january 1, 2023. The litc program provides Legal assistance, community tax education and systemic advocacy to low-income taxpayers in eighteen counties in wnc. - north carolina medicaid ombudsman (ncmo): the ncmo program provides education about nc medicaid, advocacy to resolve issues medicaid members may experience, referrals and connection to community Services for member, and communication to the state regarding issues learned from medicaid members. This program is operated statewide in partnership with Legal aid of north carolina and charlotte center for Legal advocacy. All amounts above are adjusted to remove the value of donated Services not reported as income on form 990.