The foreclosure crisis has swamped lawyers for the poor, reports USA Today, leaving thousands of low-income homeowners without legal assistance that could save their homes. Legal offices providing help to the poor are turning away many who have been hit hard by the economy. A new study by the Brennan Center for Justice found that many people now face complicated foreclosure proceedings with “no opportunity to obtain help from a lawyer.”
The problem is acute in places like Cleveland, Las Vegas, Washington, Phoenix and others. In Chicago, the number of people seeking help has more than doubled over the past two years. In Miami, so many people started seeking help that the local legal aid office now turns away everyone but people over 60 and families with children.