Category: News

NCBA to Recognize Charlotte Triage Pro Bono Partnership at Annual Meeting

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Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy is proud to announce that the North Carolina Bar Association has selected the Charlotte Triage Pro Bono Partnership as the 2020 recipient of the Outstanding Pro Bono Collaborative Service Award.

This award is presented annually to a law firm, local, district or statewide bar organization whose members have engaged in significant and notable legal services or have contributed outstanding support for pro bono legal services for low-income individuals.

The Charlotte Triage Pro Bono Partnership collaborates with Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy and Legal Aid of North Carolina-Charlotte to bring together local law firms and legal departments and address some the most critical legal problems impacting economic mobility in our community.

At least 71 percent of low-income residents in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region experienced at least one civil legal problem in the last year, but only 14 percent were able to get the legal help they needed.

The Triage project began two years ago to expand access to legal assistance in key areas of need for our community. Through this project, every client referred has received legal assistance.

Over the past year, attorneys have been working in the key areas of eviction defense, healthcare access, cleaning up criminal records and human trafficking—with the goal of increasing safety, financial security and family stability for all in our community.

“This award recognizes a commendable team of dedicated volunteers,” said Brandy Haynes, pro bono and community engagement specialist for the Advocacy Center. “With Triage’s support, our organizations are able to serve more of our neighbors with essential legal services.”

The N.C. Bar Association plans to recognize the Charlotte Triage Pro Bono Partnership during the NCBA Annual Meeting Awards Dinner June 25, in Charlotte.

Project partners include Bank of America, Duke Energy, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, K&L Gates, King & Spaulding, McGuireWoods, Moore & Van Allen, Parker Poe, Robinson Bradshaw and Wells Fargo.

Special thanks to the individual Triage champions leading each legal effort: Angela Zimmern and Todd Stillerman; Mark Kinghorn, Nader Raja and Brett Shockley for housing; Lara Nichols, Fern Patterson and Chris Fernandez for expunctions; John Grupp, Chelsea Corey and Emma Merritt for health care; and Sarah Byrne and Sakeenah Thompson for human trafficking.

Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy launches new projects to support COVID-19 relief

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The need is everywhere. That’s why we’re here.

Now more than ever, our community needs a champion to ensure equal access to justice for ALL during these challenging times. Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy is here to help anyone facing issues of safety, financial security and family stability during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

The Advocacy Center is still providing services in the areas of consumer protection, domestic violence, ex-offender re-entry, healthcare access, home preservation, immigration, income security and tax disputes, while working to ensure vulnerable populations, such as children, immigrants, people living with disabilities, seniors and veterans have the assistance they need during this critical time.

As needs continue to evolve, the Advocacy Center has been adapting its services to effectively serve the community, launching three new COVID-19 specific initiatives to help those in need:

Unemployment Insurance Assistance

Thousands of North Carolinians have lost their jobs due to COVID-19 and are seeking financial assistance through the state’s Unemployment Insurance Program.

The overwhelming volume of applications paired with implementing new assistance programs under the federal CARES Act has caused significant delays, making the process more confusing for applicants trying to apply.

The Unemployment Insurance Project helps people who have lost work due to COVID-19 understand their eligibility and navigate the application process to receive unemployment benefits.

While Advocacy Center staff cannot help applicants fill out the necessary paperwork, they can answer questions about the process.

How to apply for unemployment benefits:

Anyone needing assistance can call the Unemployment Insurance COVID-19 Response Project hotline, 980-256-3979 and leave a message to receive assistance in English or Spanish.

Learn more about the project.

Help Understanding the Economic Impact Payments (Stimulus Checks) from the CARES Act

Many people anticipate receiving the CARES Act’s Economic Impact Payments (Stimulus Checks) as additional financial support. Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy wants to make sure they have the necessary information to know what to expect and how to get a payment.

Anyone with questions about how to get their payment or any other tax issues can contact our N.C. Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic by calling 980-202-7329 or filling out an online assistance request.

Check out our list of FAQs regarding the payments.

Watch our latest Facebook Live discussion on what people can expect as the government issues payments.

CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program Support for Local Non-Profits

Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy recognizes the important role that our community nonprofits are playing in Coronavirus response while at the same time being heavily impacted by the pandemic. That’s why the Advocacy Center, along with its pro bono partners, is providing free assistance to help Charlotte-area 501(c)(3) organizations understand the process and apply to get federal aid.

The Paycheck Protection Program of the CARES Act made $350 billion available in small business loans. While most of this money has already been distributed, Congress will likely pass additional funding for small business loans as soon as this week.

Many 501(c)(3) organizations are eligible for these loans, and a significant portion of the loans to nonprofits can be forgiven if certain criteria are met. If you think your nonprofit organization may qualify for a loan and want help understanding the rules governing eligibility, repayment and forgiveness for the loan, we may be able to provide free legal advice for you.

Call Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy at 980-256-3791 for assistance.

Student Borrower Advocates Call for Canceling Student Debt to Tackle Economic Fallout

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Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy has joined advocates from across the country in calling on Congressional leaders to address student loan debt issues being exacerbated by COVID-19.

Here is the letter addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer:

Download a PDF version of this letter

April 13, 2020

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader McCarthy, and Minority Leader Schumer:

The 66 undersigned community, civil rights, consumer, and student advocacy organizations thank you for taking swift action to pass the CARES Act to begin to grapple with the ongoing economic fallout caused by the coronavirus. However, much more must be done to ensure that student loan borrowers and the economy recover when this crisis ends. We urge you to include student debt cancellation in the next coronavirus package, and for those who will still have federal student debt, to extend suspension of those payments through March 2021.

We are concerned about the increasingly grim predictions we hear about the state of our economy. Without a comprehensive long-term solution, the CARES Act suspension of federal student loans for eighty percent of borrowers merely kicks the problem down the road to this fall, when jobless claims are predicted to exceed Great Depression-era levels, and the financial crisis will have severely deepened. The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, James Bullard, predicted the U.S. unemployment rate may hit 30% in the second quarter, a level five percent greater than was reached during the Great Depression. Goldman Sachs is projecting a record-breaking 24 percent drop in GDP for the second quarter of 2020, and that the world economy is expected to contract by 1 percent this year—which would be a greater worldwide contraction than the one following the 2008 financial crisis. And the downturn is expected to last well beyond this year: Morgan Stanley predicts that GDP in developed markets won’t return to pre-virus levels until the third quarter of 2021.

The student debt relief in the CARES Act fails to address this looming economic crisis. First, the six-month suspension on federally-held federal student loans leaves out an estimated one in five borrowers who owe on commercially-held FFEL loans or Perkins loans. Second, even for the eighty percent of borrowers who benefit from a six-month suspension, many will face the daunting prospect starting in October of choosing between paying for necessities including food, medical care, and rent, or making their student loan payment.

The next stimulus package must take the necessary steps to ensure economic recovery down the line: this means federal student debt cancellation, so the hardest hit don’t struggle, and an extended federal student loan payment suspension that is expanded to all borrowers to at least March 2021, so those who will continue to have payments will have more breathing room to get back on their feet. Without taking these additional steps, the CARES Act sets up millions of federal student loan borrowers to face the daunting prospect of trying to find the means to pay their student loans in the middle of economic devastation.

Cancelling federal student debt would bring impactful relief to 43 million Americans and their families. Loan cancellation would provide the greatest benefit to many struggling low-income borrowers who would likely see their debt extinguished. For those who would still have a balance, suspending payments until the end of the year would prevent them from facing yet another financial shock when the CARES Act federal student loan suspension expires in October. An extended payment suspension would enable many economically distressed borrowers to focus on recovering from a once-in-a-lifetime national emergency and free up extra dollars to inject into the economy. It would also strengthen the finances of student loan borrowers and their families over the long term by ensuring that tens of millions of borrowers come out of this crisis with lighter debt burdens.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating economic impact, it is crucially important to include student loan debt cancellation as a part of any economic stimulus. We support the proposals that Senate and House Democrats have put forward to cancel student debt by establishing a program to make principal and interest payments on outstanding federal student loans throughout the duration of this crisis. Such a program would ensure that loan balances go down throughout the duration of the crisis, putting millions of households in a better position to deal with the long-term economic fallout this crisis will create. We also support the Student Debt Emergency Relief Act by Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Ilhan Omar to cancel a minimum of $30,000 in federal student loans.

Cancelling student debt would ensure that, come fall, borrowers are able to shoulder the ongoing costs of food, supplies, and medications if they, like many workers, face layoffs or smaller paychecks (due to reduced hours or slower business) because of the pandemic. And at a time when student loan servicers are shuttering call centers or reducing capacity, student loan cancellation would ensure there is less need for borrowers to take time out of their days to chase down their servicers and try and secure changes to, or help on, their student loans.

Reports show that cancelling student debt would also boost the economy for everyone in the medium-to-long term. It would boost GDP by up to $108 billion a year, and add up to 1.5 million jobs per year. Research by the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that federal student debt cancellation increases borrowers’ incomes by about $3,000 over a three-year period.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States was facing a student debt crisis: outstanding student debt surpassed $1.6 trillion, over 9 million borrowers were in default on their federal student loans, and another borrower goes into default every 26 seconds. The burden of default falls particularly hard on communities of color. Black students must borrow at higher rates and in larger amounts due to racial inequities in incomes and wealth. Additionally, women hold two-thirds of the country’s student debt and on average borrow $3,000 more than men to attend college—yet because of the wealth and wage gap, women find it harder to repay their loans. Three million Americans over the age of 60 still have student debt. More than 40,000 people over 65 have their Social Security payments, tax refunds, or other government payments offset or garnished because they have fallen behind on their student loan payments. According to a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) Snapshot report, older borrowers are more likely than those without outstanding student loans to report that they have skipped necessary health care needs such as prescription medicines, doctors’ visits, and dental care because they could not afford it.

Now more than ever, we must ensure that all people prioritize the health and economic wellbeing and that of their families and neighbors. Federal student debt cancellation is an essential factor in making that possible, and we strongly urge you to include this relief in the next COVID-19 package.

Sincerely,

National organizations:
Allied Progress
American Federation of Teachers
Americans for Financial Reform
Association of Young Americans (AYA)
Center for Digital Democracy
Center for Economic Integrity
Center for Justice & Democracy
Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
Center for Responsible Lending
Center for Survivor Agency and Justice
Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF)
Economic Opportunity Institute
The Education Trust
EMPath
Hildreth Institute
NAACP
National Association of Consumer Advocates
National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA)
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients) National Women’s Law Center
The Midas Collaborative
OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates
Public Citizen
Public Justice Center
Public Law Center
Student Action
Student Borrower Protection Center
Student Debt Crisis
Young Invincibles

State and local groups:
ACTION – Allied Communities of Tulsa Inspiring Our Neighborhoods
Alaska PIRG
Arkansans Against Abusive Payday Lending
Arkansas Community Organizations
Bucks County Women’s Advocacy Coalition
Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy
Convencion Bautista Hispana de Texas
Delaware Community Reinvestment Action Council, Inc.
East LA Community Corporation
Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition
Faith Action Network – Washington State
Georgians Against Predatory Lending
Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County, TN
Just-A-Start Corporation
Lawrence CommunityWorks
Maine Center for Economic Policy
Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition
Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance
Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance
Michigan League for Public Policy
Michigan Poverty Law Program
Montana Organizing Project
New Jersey Citizen Action
New Jersey Tenants Organization
PathWays PA
Pennsylvania Council of Churches
PHENOM (Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts)
Project LIFT
SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center
Tennessee Citizen Action
Tzedek DC
Virginia Citizens Consumer Council
VOICE OKC
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
WV Citizen Action Group

Release from Americans for Financial Reform

COVID-19 Stimulus Payments: Protect Yourself from Scams

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From Arthur Bartlett, director of the N.C. Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic:

WARNING: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is warning the public not to fall victim to a COVID-19 scam in which scammers are trying to intercept COVID-19 stimulus payments meant to provide financial support for Americans during the pandemic.

For most people, payments will be made as a direct deposit into their bank accounts, but some will receive a paper check.

Criminals and scammers may try and take advantage of you by having you:

  • Sign over part of or your entire Stimulus Check over to them.
  • “Verify” your filing information in order to receive your stimulus payment.
  • They may also try to obtain and use your personal information, including your Social Security Number, to file a false tax return to claim your stimulus payment.

Please know, the IRS will not call, text, or email you to “verify” your payment details. Do not give out your personal information, like a bank account, debit account or PayPal account information to anyone claiming to be from the IRS.

If you do receive a call, do not engage with the scammers or thieves, just hang up.

If you receive texts or emails claiming that you can get your money faster by sending personal information or clicking on links, delete them.

There are companies that are targeting unhoused individuals specifically. We have heard that houseless people have been approached by companies that say they will help someone register for their economic impact payment but take $399 or other amount from the payment. They have the person sign a contract (which you can read on this example company’s website – https://www.docuprepllc.com/) and tell them to come back on a certain date to get the remainder of their payment. You do not have to pay for their EIP and do not need to pay for help accessing it. The only site you should use to claim your stimulus payment is IRS.gov

In addition, if you receive a “check” for an odd amount or a check that requires you to verify the check online or by calling a number, it’s a fraud.

Retirees have been highlighted as a group particularly vulnerable to scams. From the IRS:

“The IRS also reminds retirees who don’t normally have a requirement to file a tax return that no action on their part is needed to receive their $1,200 economic impact payment. Seniors should be especially careful during this period. The IRS reminds retirees – including recipients of Forms SSA-1099 and RRB-1099 − that no one from the agency will be reaching out to them by phone, email, mail or in person asking for any kind of information to complete their economic impact payment, also sometimes referred to as rebates or stimulus payments. The IRS is sending these $1,200 payments automatically to retirees – no additional action or information is needed on their part to receive this.”

Read more about the warning issued by the IRS

Additionally, economic impact payments belong to the recipient, not nursing home or care facilities: “The payments are intended for the recipients, even if a nursing home or other facility or provider receives the person’s payment, either directly or indirectly by direct deposit or check. these payments do not count as a resource for purposes of determining eligibility for Medicaid and other federal programs for a period of 12 months from receipt. They also do not count as income in determining eligibility for these programs.”

We’re here to help: If you have any questions, please reach out to Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy’s N.C. Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic by calling 704-376-1600 (Mecklenburg County), 800-438-1254 (Outside Mecklenburg County), 800-247-1931 (Linea de Español), or by submitting a contact form.

COVID-19 Update

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Mecklenburg County has established a website for local updates on COVID-19.

Update March 16, 2020:

Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy has been closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic across our community and the nation. We are following guidelines that protect the health and well-being of our staff and their families, our partners, and the people we serve while maintaining our role as a champion for those in need and a resource for the community during this historic time.  

Our staff will largely be working remotely from home until further notice. We have encouraged our staff to limit in-person meetings to only necessity and instead meet with clients and community partners through telephone or video conferencing. While we currently are not able to take walk-in clients, our community intake line is operating normally. 

Anyone needing assistance should contact 704-376-1600 (English), 800-438-1254 (residents outside Mecklenburg County) or 800-247-1931 (Spanish) or contact the Advocacy Center staff member you are working with directly by phone or email. 

Some court schedules have been adjusted. Please find more information here: Mecklenburg County Courthouse, Charlotte Immigration Court or contact the Advocacy Center staff member you are working with directly. 

This pandemic is unprecedented and impacts each of us but affects vulnerable members of our community in particularly intense ways.  

Our individual and policy advocacy work will continue to support those we serve in the coming days, weeks and months. You will see us continue to serve clients, albeit in different ways. And we will engage in local, state and federal policy measures that will support our most vulnerable community members who currently face financial insecurity and instability. We invite you to join us in this work and will share recommendations in the days to come. Please stay connected with us through this email platform and our social media (find links at the bottom of this message) for the most current information.    

More than ever, we need to advocate for individuals and communities in a way that ensures safety, security and stability for everyone through access to healthcare, secure housing, paid sick leave, adequate unemployment insurance and support for all of the basic needs impacted by the justice system.

Please take care of yourselves and each other. 

Update March 13, 2020:

All Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy offices are currently open, but we discourage in-person contact with us unless absolutely necessary. 

Applicants for our services and existing clients are encouraged to communicate with us by phone: 704-376-1600, 1-800-438-1254 or 800-247-1931 (Linea de Español). Existing clients should expect to hear from us by phone, mail, email or text message.

On March 13, North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Cherie Beasley directed that local courts postpone most cases in district and superior court for at least 30 days. Read more here.

Please do not come to Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy if you have any symptoms – no matter how mild. Advocacy Center staff will not maintain any scheduled client meetings if we are experiencing symptoms. We will do our best to accommodate any client who needs our services and cannot travel to our offices.

Members of the public who are experiencing fever, cough or shortness of breath and traveled to an area where COVID-19 is spreading, or have been near or touched someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, should call their health care provider.

Update March 12, 2020:
COVID-19, sometimes referred to as the coronavirus, is on everyone’s minds today, including ours. Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy is closely monitoring the virus’ spread to North Carolina and Mecklenburg County.

Our priority is to ensure the safety of our clients, visitors and staff while continuing to serve our community. We are considering appropriate measures to limit exposure for both clients and staff.

Be sure to check this post and follow Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy on its social media platforms for the latest information regarding our operations during this outbreak.

Fighting Fear with Facts: Helping Families Understand Public Charge

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As a member of the Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign, a national coalition of organizations fighting to protect immigrant family stability, Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy has been working to educate the community on the local impact of the Trump administration’s new Public Charge rule.

The rule, which went into effect Feb. 24, expands the types of benefits considered in the “public charge” immigration test administered to immigrants entering the country or seeking permanent residency to determine if they will become primarily dependent on the government for financial support. 

This broader definition makes it harder for low-income immigrants to legally immigrate to the U.S. through family-based petitions or adjust their immigration status to become legal permanent residents (become green card holders).

Misinformation around the rule is also creating unnecessary fear for families who are not impacted. Immigrants without legal status do not qualify for most public benefits. Many immigrants with status who do qualify and all U.S. citizen family members are not subject to the rule.

Families are also scared to use resources that are not included in the rule such as Affordable Care Act Marketplace health coverage, local health programs, and school lunches programs.

That’s why families need to seek legal advice and understand their options before making any major decisions.

Medical-Legal Partnership coordinator Elizabeth Setaro has been leading the Advocacy Center’s efforts, appearing in local Spanish media and conducting presentations for families, healthcare providers and community groups that serve the immigrant community.

“Our goal is to help families fight fear with facts,” she said. “When families have the information they need, they can make informed decisions about what is best for their individual situations.”

Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy’s health insurance navigators also participated in a report released last week by the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) documenting the harm caused by the public charge rule before it was implemented. The report shows the chilling effect the rule has had on families using public benefits and seeking health care they are entitled to receive.

NILC interviewed health insurance navigators Andrea Mora and Johanna Parra, who provided firsthand accounts of the fear they have observed from families the Advocacy Center serves. Since the rule was proposed, Mora and Parra have had families who were not subject to the rule insist on withdrawing from benefits out of fear that continuing to use them would jeopardize their immigration status. 

The sad part of all this is that, mainly, all these consumers are already green card–holders. They are already residents, so some of them will apply for citizenship in a few years, some of them … have been given the green card …. [W]e have to explain, “You are already a resident, you won’t have any problem because this is a proposed rule that will affect from maybe when you are applying for residency, so that is not your situation.”

Quote from a Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy navigator featured in “Documenting through Service Provider Accounts Harm Caused by the Department of Homeland Security’s Public Charge Rule” published by the National Immigration Law Center.

This continues to happen even though the rule does not apply to most immigrants.

Now with concerns of COVID-19 spread, families may fear seeking testing or care if they worry about negative immigration impacts.

Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy continues to monitor the effects of this rule and is available to help families understand their options.

Learn more about Public Charge and its impact on our community:

Public Charge: What Families Need to Know
Ocho Cosas Que Debes Saber Sobre Carga Pública

Charlotte Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty for Filing False Tax Returns

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from WSOC TV:

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte tax preparer pleaded guilty in federal court Friday for filing false tax returns for her clients and for herself.

Andrivia Wells entered a guilty plea for three out of 35 counts, including aiding and assisting the filing of false tax returns and filing false tax returns for herself. She did not address a charge related to obstructing criminal investigators from the IRS.

From 2011 through 2019, Wells ran Rush Tax Service out of three locations: Beatties Ford Road, Nevin Road and North Tryon Street. Federal prosecutors say Wells prepared more than 6,000 tax returns and received more than $1.2 million in fees from her clients. Oftentimes, the tax fees were taken from the clients’ tax refunds and clients were unaware of how much they were being charged, which was frequently more than $500.

According to the indictment filed in 2019, Wells filed clients’ tax returns with fabricated items, including wages, filing status, American Opportunity Credits, education credits, Schedule C business income and losses and more. The clients did not know what Wells was doing until they were contacted by the IRS with questions about items on their returns.

Shortly after Wells was notified about the investigation, prosecutors allege she set her Beatties Ford Road office location on fire. It was the very same day her summons response was due. The fire destroyed client files, financial records, and computer hardware.

If you’d like to safeguard your filings this tax season and you make less than $56,000 a year, Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy attorney Arthur Bartlett said taxpayers should consider going to a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site. There are locations across Mecklenburg County, and it’s sponsored and funded by the IRS.

If you do have to pay someone to file your taxes, Bartlett said to remember this important tip.

“Make sure you know you’ve looked at the return as best you can and you’ve asked questions where it doesn’t make sense because ultimately the IRS is going to hold you responsible, very likely, if the one you looked at and signed is the one that’s filed.”

The Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy is assisting Wells’ victims. You can reach them at 704-376-1600.

N.C. Ranks 37th on Prosperity

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This release is from the group Financial Security CLT. Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy is a member.

Weathering a financial storm is essential for all families to build towards a stronger future. New data released this week about the financial health of our state highlights where disparities exist that prevent individuals and families from reaching economic freedom in five areas: financial assets and income, businesses and jobs, home ownership and housing, health care and
education.

According to the 2020 Prosperity Now Scorecard, North Carolina ranks 37th on prosperity for its residents. One in four households are unable to make ends meet while employed in low-wage jobs and working multiple jobs doesn’t ensure stability for many families. For example, 48% of renters across the state are cost burdened.

Racial economic inequality further limits opportunities to prosper, with North Carolina ranking 26th in racial disparity. For example, the homeownership rate of White households is 74% compared to 45% for Black households and 46% for Latino households. Additionally, over 60% of households of color are liquid asset poor in North Carolina as compared to 33% of White households. People of color throughout the state have more than double the uninsured rates than those of Whites. Evenly distributing resources to address racial wealth inequity is crucial.

North Carolina has adopted eight of 28 policies to support economic inclusion and mobility.

“This scorecard compels us to advocate for stronger policies so that families can thrive and prosper,” said Stephanie Cooper-Lewter, Executive Director of Financial Security CLT. “Working together to remove barriers to savings, earning, health and financial security, we can further boost resilience, opportunity and financial well-being for all.”

Member organizations of Financial Security CLT see first-hand the impact of these inequities which inspired the coming together of this coalition and vision to positively impact the racial wealth gap and improve financial security of Charlotteans. Our members include: Care Ring, Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, Communities in Schools, Community Link, Council for
Children’s Rights, Crisis Assistance Ministry, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, GreenLight Fund Charlotte, Latin American Coalition, Leading on Opportunity, Urban League of Central Carolinas and YMCA of Greater Charlotte.

About Financial Security CLT
Financial Security CLT is a coalition of nonprofit organizations working in Mecklenburg County who share a belief that financial security is the underpinning of economic mobility. The ability to weather financial emergencies, share equitably in economic opportunity, and plan for a brighter future is a vision shared by all coalition partners through our differing individual missions. We work collaboratively to help families get on and stay on a path to greater financial security through empowerment and asset building. Our vision is to improve the financial security and knowledge of residents of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, especially in communities of color, and create economic opportunity for all.

Supreme Court allows Public Charge rule to go into effect

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Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily lifted a nationwide court order blocking implementation of the Trump administration’s revised “public charge” rule. The 5-4 decision allows the rule to go into effect while legal challenges play out in lower courts.

This rule creates a discriminatory immigration system that only serves the wealthy. It targets immigrants legally seeking permanent resident status in the U.S., forcing them to choose between family unity and their ability to access basic needs such as food, shelter and health care.

“Public charge” has been a longstanding immigration test administered to immigrants entering the country or seeking permanent residency to determine if they will become primarily dependent on the government for financial support.

For more than 100 years, the U.S. government has recognized that social supports like health care and nutrition help families thrive and remain productive contributors to society. The government has long clarified that immigrant families can seek health and nutrition benefits for eligible families without fear of harming their immigration case.

Today, families no longer have that assurance.

Under the new rule, the definition of “public charge” is drastically broadened to consider whether a person is likely to use public benefits. This broader definition makes it harder for low-income immigrants to legally immigrate to the U.S. through family-based petitions or adjust their immigration status to become legal permanent residents.

While this rule directly affects a small number of people, fear surrounding it has already done considerable harm.

Last year, the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute’s Center for Children and Families reported that the U.S. saw its first increase in the uninsured rate for children in more than a decade. The Kaiser Family Foundation has also reported about half of community health centers reported people declining or withdrawing from coverage because of this regulation.

Locally Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy has helped families who fear punishment for using benefits they are legally eligible to receive MORE than the instability created by going without this support.

The rule is a dangerous departure from our country’s proud identity as a nation of immigrants seeking the American Dream’s promise of opportunity earned through persistence and hard work.

Instead, of welcoming the “tired, poor, huddled masses” of the world to our country, this rule allows the wealthy to jump to the front of the line and cut off families who have waited years to reunite.

It punishes low-income people for wanting to legally live in the U.S. It denies vulnerable families the chance to even try to “pull themselves up by the bootstraps.”

Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy serves hardworking low-income immigrant families who deserve a fair shot at the American Dream.

Now that this rule will go into effect, we are certain that many more families will decline critical access to nutrition, healthcare and housing they are eligible to receive, creating more confusion for families who already live in fear and vulnerable to exploitation.

This chilling effect destabilizes families, and it will impact our community for years to come.

Building a strong community means helping families thrive. When families are too afraid to seek assistance to meet their basic needs, our whole community suffers. Family safety and unity should not have to come at the expense of stability.

From the Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign:

What we can do RIGHT NOW

This rule is scary for families and communities they live in. It’s important for us to remember that we must fight fear with facts.

Yes, the Supreme Court’s ruling allows the public charge regulation to take effect, but …

  1. This rule may not be in place forever. However, it is in place for now and needs to be considered when making decisions for your family.
  2. The Administration hasn’t said when the rule will take effect. Follow Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy for updates as we learn more from our national partners.
  3. The legal battle over this rule continues in the lower courts.


Fear is the Trump administration’s real weapon. Facts are families’ best defense against it:

  1. Most immigrants who are subject to public charge are not eligible for the programs listed in the rule. 
  2. Get the facts to do what’s best for your family.
  3. Anyone with questions about how this rule will impact their family can contact Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy.

The fight to ensure all families have the right to thrive isn’t over.

  1. This regulation goes against our national identity. We are a nation of immigrants and that’s what makes our country great. Everyone deserves a fair shot at the American Dream, not just the wealthy.
  2. Immigrant families and allies must fight this regulation on different fronts.
    • Get the facts to do what’s best for your family
    • Help the Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign take this fight to Congress
    • Participate in the 2020 Census to ensure a complete and honest count. Urge others to participate.
    • Make sure your state and local government officials understand how this rule hurts our community.

2020 Expunction Clinics Kick Off with Help of Triage Partners

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Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy kicked off its 2020 expunction clinics Jan. 22 with volunteers from the Charlotte Triage Pro Bono Partnership to help 15 Mecklenburg County residents apply to have their criminal records expunged.

An expunction (also called an “expungement”) removes minor offenses and misdemeanors on one’s criminal record that create significant barriers to economic stability and opportunity.

Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy helps low-income Mecklenburg County residents get their criminal records expunged allowing them to pursue a broader range of economic opportunities.

The expunction clinic was the first of six to be held this year.

“This is a breath of fresh air,” said Bernard, who had been working toward a new start before coming to the clinic for help.

He heard about the expunction clinic and registered through Running Works, a Charlotte nonprofit that empowers individuals and families to break cycles of abuse, abandonment, neglect, poverty and homelessness through running, career development services, counseling, group therapy and housing initiatives.

“What I needed the most was to clean up my record instead of giving up,” he said.

Now Bernard is waiting to learn if his application will be approved.

Bernard is one of more than 2 million North Carolina residents living with a criminal record. Too often, these individuals are automatically denied employment, housing, and other opportunities, based on past involvement with the criminal justice system, including dismissed charges and long-ago convictions.

As part of its 2020 Advocacy Agenda, the Advocacy Center supports legislative efforts to expand eligibility for expunctions, such as The Second Chance Act, which passed with bipartisan support in the N.C. Senate last year. We are hopeful that the N.C. House of Representatives will consider and approve this legislation this spring.

Through our individual representation and advocacy, the Advocacy Center seeks to help people with criminal records have a fair chance at productive citizenship.

Special thanks to Lara Nichols and Ann Warren of Duke Energy; Kevin Denny and Justin Knapp of McGuireWoods LLP; Abigail Williams of K&L Gates LLP; Katie Clarke and Fern Patterson of Parker Poe; and Chad Crockford of Wells Fargo for volunteering their time through the Charlotte Triage Pro Bono Partnership.

Wondering if you are eligible to clean up your criminal record?

Mecklenburg County residents can learn more and register for our upcoming clinics by calling 704-376-1600 ext. 510.

Registration is required to receive assistance. Applicants must not have any pending criminal charges.