The Phones Keep Ringing Off The Hook At Legal Aid As "Key To The Courthouse" For The Poor Left Imperiled By Budget Shortfall

In southeastern Pennsylvania, The Intelligencer reports:

• More people are turning to Legal Aid to stop foreclosures and file bankruptcy, but budget cuts mean there's less money to help. As the economy plummets and jobs disappear, the phones at Legal Aid are ringing off the hook. An increasing number of those calls are from people seeking help to avoid foreclosure or file bankruptcy.

• But the organization, which provides free or reduced-price legal services to the poor, is having its own financial crisis, and many calls are going unanswered. "It has gotten to the point where people cannot get through," said Elizabeth Fritsch, co-executive director of Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

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• Fritsch said the shortfall is hurting the most vulnerable members of society. "This is about equal justice, about everyone having a key to the courthouse," she said. "Everyone, no matter how much money they have, is entitled to have their say."

For more, see Economic woes putting legal pinch on poor.