Diocese of La Crosse gets $15,000 grant for civil aid

The Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation, Inc. (WisTAF) awarded $3.3 million in civil legal aid grants, that will be used by 19 non-profit organizations in all regions of Wisconsin, including the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of La Crosse, which serves Chippewa County. The $15,000 awarded to the diocese will be used to protect people’s safety, livelihood, housing and independence in the face of legal challenges.

The funds will be distributed in 2022 and 2023. “Think of grandparents raising their grandchild, but needing official guardianship,” said said April Rockstead Barker, chairperson of the WisTAF Board of Directors. “Or, consider a victim of domestic violence who wants to protect herself and her family.”

The grants are an example of civil legal aid, a strategy for addressing a longstanding hole in the justice system. While many people know of the Constitution’s guarantee of an attorney in criminal cases, there is typically no such guarantee outside of criminal law: an area broadly known as civil law.

However, civil law encompasses measures most people take for granted, such as protecting their fundamental housing, employment and medical care needs. A person who can’t afford a lawyer often struggles to navigate the legal system’s complexities.

This struggle makes justice and stability elusive, and often creates costs for taxpayers in the form of court room inefficiency, or the emergency services and public support needed when challenges fester.

“Landlords and tenants often want to negotiate better solutions than eviction,” said Barker. “These are cases handled regularly by Wisconsin civil legal aid providers.”