Legal Aid Is Key to Fixing Pandemic-Damaged Lives in Washington State

The COVID-19 outbreak has shaken Washington State, exposing and widening gaps between people with resources and those without, and challenges in gaining protections that federal and state governments have deemed so essential to keep our society and economy, from spiraling out of control.

We were happy to see the recent allocation of $3 million in state COVID-19 emergency funding to help front-line civil legal aid providers address two critical needs: claiming unemployment insurance and protecting against eviction.

In Pierce County and the South Sound, front-line legal aid providers and volunteer lawyers at programs like the Northwest Justice Project and TacomaProBono are working to address the surge of COVID-19 related legal problems.

We encourage our federal, state, and local leaders to recognize the relationship between these front-line programs and inclusive and equitable recovery.

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