LinkedinThe Difference One Day Makes - 2015
April 23, 2015
Contact: Kevin Ruegg (602)340-7235 
Print Press Release
Tuesday, April 14th … The phones started ringing early at legal aid agencies across Arizona and kept ringing as people also walked in and requested help via an online portal: 597 Arizona families were calling out for legal help in this one day.
In honor of Governor Doug Ducey’s proclamation declaring April “Access to Justice Month”, Arizona’s three legal aid agencies organized a “What a Difference a Day Makes” campaign to bring attention to the importance of and need for access to legal resources and assistance. For 24 hours, Community Legal Services, DNA People’s Legal Services and Southern Arizona Legal Aid tracked the activity related to individuals seeking assistance for crisis that only legal expertise can resolve. That Tuesday, Arizona’s legal aid organizations made an enormous difference:
• In the lives of 509 individuals who were offered help in their legal crisis
• With the 69 people given support in self-help legal clinics
• With the assistance of 25 volunteer attorneys donating their time and expertise free of charge.
Each day, the legal aid agencies across Arizona, are making a difference in the lives of those they serve and the communities where they live. These unsung heroes should be thanked… but you best send a note, because their phone lines will be busy with helping the next person in need.
In 2014:
The three Arizona legal aid agencies helped 31,605 Arizonans: 17,663 adults and 13,942 children. Legal assistance was provided to Arizonans in each of the state’s 15 Counties and Arizona’s 21 Native American tribes. Community Legal Services, DNA People’s Legal Services and Southern Arizona Legal Aid provide legal assistance on various areas of law, including: Family law with an emphasis on eliminative domestic violence, Consumer, Employment, Housing and Mortgage foreclosure, Individual Rights, Health/Medical related, and Public benefits (access to government benefits such as unemployment insurance and social security disability benefits).