Funding for local legal aid nonprofits is now partially dependent on a federal lawsuit.
President Donald Trump’s Jan. 27 cut to funding grants applies to grants to local housing protection and veteran disability programs.
Trump’s order would cause Legal Aid Riverside to cut its office by a third if the injunction halting it were to be removed, said Adam Reed, Legal Aid Riverside Executive Director.
LAR started in 1982, and gives aid to 3,000 people annually.
“Our ability to serve eviction protection to undocumented and indigent individuals, that is tied to this funding. Without it, we simply will not be able to do it. There are no alternatives for 2025,” Reed said.
LAR’s eviction protection program had previously been funded by the State Bar. When that grant was running out, Reed applied to a Department of Housing and Urban Development grant to cover the nonprofit’s eviction protection program. The federal grant kicked in Jan. 15, and covers 40% of their revenue.
On Jan. 27, Reed had found himself locked out of the funding. Even though it has been restored, he worries the injunction can be removed and the funding fully cut.
““No, I really don’t have peace of mind. There’s a piece of me that’s saying at any time we can get that cut,” Reed said.
Reed said he was worried both for Legal Aid’s staff of around 20 employees, and people throughout Riverside County that need legal aid protection.
Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino, a nonprofit unaffiliated with Legal Aid Riverside, is less dependent on federal grants, because that funding would prevent them from helping undocumented litigants. This nonprofit helped 2,763 people between November and January. Executive Director Pablo Ramirez said his biggest concern with Trump’s order is the loss of future funding sources.
“The potential to impact our work is pretty high. We’re expanding a lot more undocumented, planning on serving more undocumented families. The funding sources for these programs are getting tighter and tighter with the new administration,” Ramirez said.
LASSB had been receiving funding from a HUD grant—but HUD had chosen another recipient of the grant, and Ramirez had prepared for it. Some of the nonprofit’s funding is from the federal government, but indirectly through the State Bar. Its biggest funding sources are the State Bar, fundraising efforts, foundations, cities and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.
Inland Counties Legal Services, another legal aid organization that serves both Riverside and San Bernardino counties, has a staff of 165, including 65 attorneys. Last year, they assisted 24,000 individuals through 9,375 cases. The nonprofit has programs specifically tied to federal grants. Those programs help veterans apply for disability, and help people negotiate back around $25,000 in dispute with the Internal Revenue Service.
“Those services are supported 100% between (federal grants), and supplemental funds,” said ICLS Executive Director Tessie Solorzano.
“So, (a freeze) would really wipe away those services,” she said.
For a day, ICLS was unable to access federal funding sources, she said.
ICLS will attempt to fundraise to make up a potential future loss if the freeze resumes, Solorzano said.
“One of the important things to remember when we talk about legal service organizations, civil legal aid in particular, the services are critical to a thriving community. It is to the benefit of everyone to ensure access to justice. It’s not just about a person facing food insecurity, which is incredibly challenging, but it is also about stable housing, it’s about asserting your rights to immigration relief, particularly for those that are abused, or have been victims of horrible crimes. It’s the senior citizens who are facing an act of fraud due to a trusted family member that they gave power of attorney to. If they want to see improvement in the community to continue, to support and invest in legal aid, now is the time to make sure that those critical supports are there,” she said.
ICLS put out an emergency fundraising email on Jan. 28, asking people to donate money to avoid future financial uncertainty.
