“The case for investment in early childhood development is settled, really. Now, it becomes a matter of convincing state leaders to make the investment and to make it wisely.”
Tag: Pisgah Legal Services
Showing 1-18 of 18 results
Pisgah Legal Services leads local movement to protect Obamacare
In an effort to emphasize the importance of access to affordable health insurance coverage for North Carolinians, Pisgah Legal Services held a press conference Tuesday in partnership with the North Carolina Justice Center. Speakers included political and legal advocates for the ACA, as well as residents who offered stories about their experiences with affordable care and health insurance.
Nonprofits scramble to adjust to new overtime requirement
A new federal regulation requiring employers to pay workers earning less than $47,476 per year time and a half for overtime could have an outsize impact on the nonprofit sector. Traditionally, many nonprofits have relied on folks who were more interested in following their passion than in earning top dollar or keeping track of hours.
Asheville Council to review more building projects citywide, especially hotels
Asheville City Council set itself up for a heavier workload with its decision to move forward on changing city ordinances to reduce the size of development projects Council will review. If the current pace of development continues, more projects will come before Council for approval. Council also signaled its intent to review all but the smallest hotel projects in response to concerns that hotel development has gotten out of hand.
Family Justice Center provides one-stop resource for domestic and sexual abuse victims
Buncombe County’s new Family Justice Center will be a one-stop resource for victims of abuse. However, the Asheville area hasn’t always been as intentional about helping victims escape abuse.
Falling through the cracks: NC’s failure to expand Medicaid has left many uninsured
Though more Buncombe County residents now have health insurance than ever before, many of the poorest are still falling through the cracks.
Letter writer: Who has their hands on local housing crisis?
“This is a crisis of epic sadness that a city that supports tourism is not willing to support its residents!”
Conscious party: weakening the link between poverty and illness
Proceeds from the fifth annual Poverty Forum — featuring healthcare innovator Rishi Manchanda as keynote speaker — will help Pisgah Legal Services continue to represent WNC citizens who cannot afford an attorney.
Affordable housing catch up: special coverage essays, all parts
The quest for affordable housing: an introduction to the essay project and the Bowen study showing the problems Asheville and surrounding communities face on the affordable housing question, by Tracy Rose. The following essays are part of a series in which local experts were asked: “What would it take to solve the Asheville area’s affordable […]
Affordable housing essay: How badly do we want it?
“The solution to the affordable housing problem is political and community will.”
DA-sponsored expunction clinic serves a different brand of justice
People in search of renewed opportunity flowed into the auditorium at Pack Memorial Library in Asheville on Wednesday, July 8, when lawyers and interns from Pisgah Legal Services and Legal Aid of North Carolina helped clients seek expungements of criminal records.
Giving back: Volunteering opportunities for 2015
Volunteers come in all shapes and sizes, with skills ranging from data entry to hair and makeup design. Whatever your interests, talents or passion, there’s likely a nonprofit or community group in WNC that could use your help. To get you started, Xpress has rounded up 10 area groups seeking volunteers for 2015.
‘Nun on the Bus’ author and advocate speaks at Pisgah Legal’s Poverty Forum
Activist, attorney, Roman Catholic nun and executive director of progressive Catholic lobbyist group Network, Sister Simone Campbell lead a discussion of “how poverty affects us all” as she delivered the keynote address at Pisgah Legal’s Poverty Forum in the Diana Wortham Theatre on Monday, Oct. 6.
Breaking the mold: complaints spotlight Asheville’s rental housing issues
Multiple complaints about mold, rot, and other woes at a Merrimon Avenue apartment complex earlier this year casts doubt on the ability of local governments to deal with what many see as a serious health issue, leaving tenants feeling powerless to get their grievances addressed. And with the Asheville area having some of the highest housing costs in the state and one-third of its working population earning low wages, many local renters face similar issues.
Picking winners: Buncombe County budget calls for increase in nonprofit spending
After months of debate, Buncombe County Commissioners are poised to give local nonprofits slightly more money overall than last year, but much less than they want.
Cuts threaten to end legal help for 2,200 domestic violence victims
A $330,000 reduction in Pisgah Legal Services’ state and federal funding could leave more than 2,200 local domestic-violence victims without legal assistance. The Asheville-based nonprofit is scrambling to close the gap but may reduce services.
The high price of poverty
As the economic downturn wears on, more and more people are finding they lack the money to access basic legal assistance in connection with issues ranging from foreclosure to domestic violence. Meanwhile, Pisgah Legal Services has seen its caseload increase massively, even as its funding has dried up. Since last year, the nonprofit law firm’s […]
Local Matters: Russell drops from City race, poverty legal aid and Asheville as a “cesspool of sin”
In this edition of Local Matters — the Xpress weekly news podcast — reporter David Forbes talks about City Council member Bill Russell dropping out of his bid for re-election, Pisgah Legal Services efforts to increase access to legal help for the poor, and the recent claim by NC State Sen. James Forrester that Asheville is a “cesspool of sin.”