Tough Times for Legal Aid Everywhere, But Especially in Hawaii

"As reported in Honolulu Civil Beat, Hawaii’s legislators allocated $600,000 in 2016 to civil legal aid groups that offer services to people with low incomes who could not otherwise afford the help. In 2017, the amount was increased to $750,000. How much in this year’s budget, which started July 1st? Zip, as in zero.

The cut comes at a time when legal aid groups in Hawaii and throughout the nation are already facing more demand for their services than they can meet. In an interview with Civil Beat, Sergio Alcubilla, director of external relations for the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, said that the nonprofit serves between 8,000 and 10,000 clients out of 20,000 calls for help it receives. The organization is the largest public interest law firm in the state."

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