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Reaching New Heights: Rising To The Challenge Of The Current Economic Recession

Reaching New Heights: Rising To The Challenge Of The Current Economic Recession. Neal S. Dudovitz, Executive Director of Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County. $19 Billion State Budget Shortfall Drastic Cuts for Social Services Glendale Unemployment Rate 11.3%.

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Reaching New Heights: Rising To The Challenge Of The Current Economic Recession

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  1. Reaching New Heights: Rising To The Challenge Of The Current Economic Recession Neal S. Dudovitz, Executive Director of Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County

  2. $19 Billion State Budget Shortfall Drastic Cuts for Social Services Glendale Unemployment Rate 11.3% Current State of Affairs

  3. Fully Funded Federal Programs • NLSLA has identified four federally funded federal programs which are under accessed by our low income clients focusing on Income Security • Supplemental Security Income (SSI) • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/ Food Stamps • Unemployment Insurance Benefits • Earned Income Tax Credit

  4. Income Security: G.R. to S.S.I. • Mentally and Physically Disabled are unable to obtain SSI Benefits • General Relief funding $221 a month is not sufficient to transition out of homelessness • Many SSI Applications initially denied but, approved upon Appeal • SSI Benefits can be as high as $700 per month and Medi-Cal entitlement

  5. S.S.I. Enrollment Barriers Solutions • Marshalling the Medical Evidence • Completing the Application Process • Chronic Homelessness • Pro-Bono Attorney Assistance • Gathering Medical Evidence • Training Doctors • >75% of GR recipients qualify for SSI when provided assistance Moving 4,000 people from GR to SSI would save LA County $50 Million a year

  6. Food Security: SNAP/Food Stamp Enrollment • Only 48% of eligible Californians are receiving Food Stamps • Every $1 of Food Stamps generates up to $1.84 in local economic activity • If all of those eligible for Food Stamps were enrolled it would generate $2.4 Billion in economic activity for LA County

  7. SNAP/Food Stamp Enrollment Barriers Solutions • Fingerprinting Requirement • Public Charge-Immigration Concerns • Face-to-Face Enrollment • Co-Location of DPSS • Food Stamp Screening • Increasing Farmer’s Market use of EBT • Use of One-E App and Family Source Center • NLS Sun Valley Project enrolled 75 families resulting in: • $320 average monthly benefit • Generating approximately $500,000 in economic activity annually

  8. Unemployment Insurance Benefits (UIB) • Lengthy and Difficult Application Process • Severe Delays in Appeals Process • Average UIB are $200-$400 a week • $350 Million in UIB were paid out in LA County in July of this year • NLS Worker Rights Clinics identify claimants who require assistance either with filing UIB Claims or with the Appeals Process • NLS hopes to increase the number of successful applications in the 1st instance and appeals

  9. Earned Income Tax Credit • In 2009 256,449 households that could have received the EITC but did not file • $370 Million Dollars were lost in LA County due to unfiled EITC • California will has lost out on $1.4 Billion in Sales due to the $1.2 Billion of unclaimed EITC refunds • NLS EITC Clinics resulted in 184 returns • Average individual tax return $1,436 • Total amount of tax refunds claimed $264,279

  10. Questions and Answers

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