Kathy endured physical and emotional abuse by her husband for 24 years. When he finally left, she nearly lost her home to foreclosure. Terrified of becoming homeless, she turned to Legal Aid Chicago. With their help, Kathy was able to get a divorce, save her home, and create a stable life for herself. Watch Kathy’s story below:
Stories from the Civil Justice Crisis
A New Beginning
Share:
The Civil Justice Connection
A survivor of domestic violence that lasted more than two decades, Kathy nearly lost her home to foreclosure after her husband left her with nothing. Legal Aid Chicago’s staff helped Kathy get the divorce and a loan modification to stop the foreclosure on her home.
Effective legal representation is the single most important factor in whether survivors can escape the cycle of physical abuse and economic coercion. Yet fewer than 1 in 5 low-income survivors ever get to see a lawyer. Because funding is scarce, legal aid organizations must turn away half of the eligible people who seek their help. Reforming our civil justice system is key to ensuring all domestic violence survivors get legal help when they need it.
-
Share Your Story
If you’ve experienced a civil justice problem (for example, a threat of eviction, a suspicious demand for debt collection, or a disagreement about child custody), you’re not alone – and we want to hear from you. Share your story and join the campaign to fix our civil justice system so it works for everyone.
-
Explore Storytelling Resources
Reforming our civil justice system requires elevating the stories of people it hurts so no one can ignore everyday civil justice problems and solutions to them. Check out our digital storytelling toolkit to help you better tell the stories of people affected by the civil justice system.
-
Find the Untold Stories
Working on a story for media about a civil justice problem? Interested in telling one? Connecting with clients, lawyers, and advocates is the place to start. To find the civil justice angle and get connected to a source, click here to send us a note.