Proper documents can be life changing for some families, potentially leading to positive impacts on income, housing stability, health and education.

Proper documents can be life changing for some families, potentially leading to positive impacts on income, housing stability, health and education.

These resources can lead to educational and employment opportunities, and the odds of being employed increased over time for those who were civically engaged.

These barriers that Legal Aid can help with may include things like obtaining a photo ID or maintaining stable housing and even buying a house.

Families interviewed by The Center for Community Solutions shared some of their thoughts on how educational stability benefitted from Legal Aid’s help.

Not only did help from Legal Aid for school related problems result in more educational and financial stability, many people with children said Legal Aid’s help with a housing problem allowed them to keep their children in a school of their choice.

After help from Legal Aid, a positive educational outcome can lead to improvements in both family and housing stability.

The space between homelessness and permanent housing is familiar to many low-income individuals and families, and that space can have long lasting ripple effects.

Nearly 40 percent of folks who got help with housing problems saw improved housing stability and 14 percent saw improved financial stability.

Nearly 40 percent of folks who initially got help for housing issues reported an increase in housing stability and 14 percent reported an increase in financial stability.

During this survey, many clients reported an immediate improvement in mental health, most often via a reduction in anxiety.

The connection between resolving family problems and health stability is stronger than any other non-health problem area.

A quarter of clients surveyed who saw improved health stability also saw progress in family AND financial stability.

It is generally easier to create order, routine and tradition (the markers of family stability) when the physical space where family members gather is safe, secure and stable.

Fifty-three percent of Legal Aid clients surveyed by The Center for Community Solutions who received help with family problems experienced an overall positive change in stability, more than a third experienced an increase in family stability and 20 percent also indicated increased health stability.

In the survey of former Legal Aid clients, 15 percent of respondents reported an increase in family stability overall, but this impact appears to only grow with time. While 11 percent of clients from less than two years ago reported an increase in family stability, 24 percent of clients who worked with Legal Aid 10 or more years ago reported increased family stability.

Clients reported improved financial stability including better jobs, higher wages or the ability to make ends meet. Some financial problems that needed help saw a more direct impact, like a resolved tax issue, but other impacts were more indirect, like health improvements.

Many studies have linked increased income or access to public benefits with improvements in other aspects of well-being, including health, educational success and social inclusion. Low-income families with little to no savings likely receive the greatest immediate benefit from a legal intervention that prevents income disruption for the family.

No matter the original legal issue a client sought Legal Aid’s help for, a quarter of all survey respondents reported an increase in financial stability. This impact peaks six to 10 years after case resolution.