About Us

The best way to understand how our services impact the lives of so many children and adults is to hear actual client stories or read letters we receive from grateful clients. These stories and letters illustrate how legal assistance can change a life, lift a person out of poverty, or remove an obstacle to a better future.

Nancy* is 16, had failed one grade, was about to fail another, and was on the path to dropping out. She came before Juvenile Court due to truancy and was referred to Legal Aid. Nancy admitted to her attorney that she was not attending school because she is ashamed of how poorly she was doing. Legal Aid set up a meeting with Nancy’s father, school personnel and her probation officer.  Legal Aid negotiated Nancy would receive tutoring and extra time to complete assignments. Her father and her Probation Officer agreed to proactively monitor Nancy’s progress. Nancy is now doing much better in school. She was promoted to the next grade and is on the road to getting a high school diploma.

Carey is a low-income, working, single mom with two children. In order to work, Carey needs childcare and she depends on help from Ohio’s Childcare Voucher program. This program helps her meet her monthly childcare costs. Cary was told by a local agency that funding cuts were ending her childcare assistance. Legal Aid investigated and helped Carey and 15 other Brown County families retain their childcare vouchers, and so they were able to retain their jobs and support their families.

Five low-income working families were living in turmoil because their water was cut off when their landlord did not pay the water bill. In frustration the tenants came to Legal Aid for help. Legal Aid won a court case for the tenants.  Rent money the tenants had set aside was turned over to Cincinnati Water Works. The water was turned on and living conditions for the families returned to normal.

Ms. Brady, a 35-year-old mother of four, was referred to Legal Aid by United Way, after the lending agency that held the mortgage on her Price Hill home claimed she was delinquent on her payments. The lender was about to foreclose on the family’s home. Ms. Brady’s mortgage agreement stated that she would pay her own taxes, which she had. The mortgage company had mistakenly been paying her taxes and subtracting this amount from her payments. Even though Legal Aid pointed out this error, the mortgage company insisted that Ms. Brady owed money and that foreclosure was the next step. After Legal Aid filed court papers on behalf of Ms. Brady, the lender finally admitted its error. Ms. Brady and her children now live in their home without the threat of foreclosure.

Yasmine is a veteran who was displaced by Hurricane Katrina. She left New Orleans and found housing in Cincinnati through a program of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The apartment complex where Yasmine was placed had strict rules regarding the condition of automobiles permitted in their parking lot: cars with dents were not allowed. Yasmine’s car had dents so the landlord threatened eviction. Legal Aid intervened on Yasmine’s behalf and negotiated a settlement so that Yasmine, after the trauma of Katrina, did not have to move again, and was able to retain her car which she needed to get to work.

*Out of respect for our client’s privacy, names have been changed in each of these true-life situations.