Grandmother Anna Schastlivets doesn’t speak English and couldn’t defend herself from the swift eviction she faced from her Lynnwood apartment.
She found no sympathy with housing officials who canceled her rent contract, nor with her landlord who threatened to call police.
It wasn’t until her daughter-in-law called a legal hotline for the poor and the elderly that the scales of justice tipped her way.
“We didn’t know who to turn to,” said Luba Schastlivets of Mill Creek. “When we asked the housing authority what we could do, they said ‘You can go to (the) shelter.’ “
Legal advocates for the poor and the elderly stepped in to help, part of Alliance for Equal Justice, which was praised on Wednesday in 17 cities across Washington state.
Washington Supreme Court Justice Mary Fairhurst marked the second annual Equal Justice Day at the Snohomish County Superior Courthouse. There, she spoke to a gathering of volunteer attorneys, judges and officials who take on cases or donate to cover costs.
Public defenders work only on criminal cases, Fairhurst said, while thousands of poor people face time in court over civil matters without the benefit of public attorneys.
“Eighty to 90 percent are forced to proceed without any legal help,” said Fairhurst, a Supreme Court justice since 2003.
The poor face wrongful evictions and need protection from domestic violence, predatory lenders and consumer fraud, advocates said.
They also need legal advice to seek divorces, health care and other services to which they are entitled. Often, they are unaware of their rights or legal safety nets meant to maintain access to health care and housing.
Attorney Michelle Raiford of the Northwest Justice Project took the Schastlivets case in August 2005 and worked for months with the housing authority to reinstate the woman’s housing voucher.
As a result, Anna Schastlivets, 77, never had to leave her apartment, Luba Schastlivets said. “Thank you for Michelle,” she told the group Wednesday.
More than 2,000 calls were placed to the free statewide legal hotline from Snohomish County, Fairhurst said.
“There are many, many people with legal problems and they don’t have anywhere to turn,” said Threesa Milligan, executive director of Snohomish County Legal Services.
Her group has 200 volunteer attorneys to help field such cases. In all, that group gave 3,300 hours of free legal help last year and took on 189 cases.
“We recognize we can’t do it all and need all the help and support we can get,” Milligan said.
The poor and the elderly might fear the legal system, can’t afford an attorney or don’t speak English, all barriers to full protection under the law, Fairhurst said.
She implored attorneys to take on one free case a year or give an hour a week to advise those in need.
“Justice for all is everyone’s business,” Fairhurst said.
Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.
Legal help
The Northwest Justice Project offers legal help for the poor and people older than 60.
Low-income people can call 888-201-1014.
Those older than 60, regardless of income, can call 888-387-7111. TTY users can call 888-201-9737.
Phones are answered weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Tuesday afternoons from 3:30 to 6:15 p.m. Help is available online at www.nwjustice.org.
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