Archives: Projects

Description.

Archives: Projects

About the Project

Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Second Chance Project offers assistance with expunction and driver’s license restoration, helping individuals gain financial stability and reducing recidivism.

Find Help

Call the Helpline

If you are a potential client who is looking for help from the Second Chance Project, you can apply via phone during one week each month. You must call during the weeks listed below to be considered.

Legal Aid NC Helpline

If you wish to contact Legal Aid NC for disaster-related legal issues, call our Helpline:

Toll-Free: 1 (866) 219-LANC (5262)

8:30 AM – 4:00 PM, Monday – Friday

For all other calls, our helpline is open:

8:30 AM – 1:30 PM, Monday – Friday
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM, Monday & Thursday

Apply for free help with civil (non-criminal) legal issues.

New Hanover County Residents

Thanks to funding from New Hanover County and the New Hanover Community Endowment, we have a satellite office in Wilmington, dedicated to providing expunction and driver’s license restoration services to New Hanover County residents. The Second Chance Wilmington office is on the 5th floor of The Harrelson Center, located at 20 N. 4th St., Wilmington, NC.  In addition to applying through the Helpline (detailed above), New Hanover County residents can apply in-person in our Second Chance Wilmington office.

Wake County Residents

Thanks to funding from the Capital Area Workforce Development, we are offering monthly workshops at Wake County NCWorks about how to expunge dismissed charges from your record. Preregistration is required. If you are interested in attending one of these workshops, please contact Shanae Artis at shanae.artis@wake.gov or Dennis Gaddy at 919-614-2369.

Durham County Residents

Thanks to funding from Durham County, the Durham Expunction & Restoration Program (DEAR) program provides expunction and driver’s license restoration services to Durham County residents. Durham County residents must apply in-person in the DEAR office, located in the Durham Courthouse.

Learn more about DEAR here.

Community Organizations

If you are a community organization who is interested in partnering with the Second Chance Project for an expunction event in your area, please reach out directly to our Project Director, Emily Mistr, at emilym2@legalaidnc.org.

Archives: Projects

← Back to Healthcare Access

During April 2021, Legal Aid of North Carolina initiated a new statewide project, the Medicaid Appeals Technical Team (MATT), that is tasked with serving the legal needs of the 1.7 million Medicaid beneficiaries in North Carolina who have been enrolled into Prepaid Health Plans (PHPs) during the State’s transition from a fee-for-service model of healthcare delivery to a capitated managed care model.   

MATT’s inaugural work during 2021-2022 was funded by grants from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust.  MATT works collaboratively with our legal and community partners in North Carolina and nationally to achieve our goals of enforcing Medicaid beneficiaries’ rights, monitoring systemic issues through our appeals work to ensure that the interests of beneficiaries are centered in the State’s transition to managed care, educating community partners about beneficiary rights to insure that beneficiaries are connected to resources to address issues in a timely fashion, and bringing a health justice and equity lens to our legal advocacy work to address inequities in our healthcare system, particularly systemic barriers created by structural racism and other forms of oppression.     

Our Services

Advice and Consultation:

  • Medicaid eligibility issues;
  • Access to Medicaid services;
  • Beneficiary billing issues.

Representation in State Fair Hearings:

  • Denials of Medicaid eligibility and terminations of coverage;
  • Denials or reductions of medically necessary care and services;
  • Denials of requests to disenroll or change plans.

Archives: Projects

← Back to Housing

About

​The Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina works to eliminate housing discrimination and to ensure equal housing opportunity for all people in North Carolina through education, outreach, public policy initiatives, advocacy and enforcement.​

Visit the FairHousingNC.org website to learn more.

News

Wilmington housing complex settles criminal-record discrimination case

RALEIGH—Legal Aid of North Carolina announced today that it has settled a housing discrimination complaint…

Legal Aid team honored for racial justice and health equity work in Rocky Mount

High court win for Legal Aid client to benefit all NC public housing tenants

"The Color of Law" author, Richard Rothstein, to give public lecture to raise funds for tenants facing eviction

DURHAM—Richard Rothstein, the acclaimed author of The Color of Law (2017), will give a free…

Housing discrimination case in Greenville continues after one defendant sentenced to 28 months in federal prison for racial harassment

RALEIGH—Douglas Matthew Gurkins, 34, a Greenville resident, has been sentenced to 28 months in federal…

Builders, architects, owners of 5 NC housing complexes settle discrimination cases

RALEIGH · Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) announced today that it has settled housing discrimination complaints…

Fair Housing Project celebrates its 6th year, $5.25 million won for victims of housing discrimination

RALEIGH, April 28, 2017 – When fair housing advocates gather for Raleigh’s 14th Annual Fair…

Fidelity Bank settles fair housing complaint for $1M

RALEIGH, April 22, 2016​ – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced a…

Wake County settles complaint alleging disability discrimination in housing program

RALEIGH, December 5, 2017 – Legal Aid of North Carolina announced today that it has…

Legal Aid of N.C. and Universal Design Institute help hundreds of families obtain accessibility modifications

RALEIGH · May 15, 2018 – Over 250 low income families with disabilities in four states…

Archives: Projects

← Back to Healthcare Access

Legal Aid of North Carolina is the leader of the NC Navigator Consortium, a group of health care, social service and legal aid organizations​ that provides free, in-person help to North Carolina consumers seeking to enroll in affordable health insurance plans on HealthCare.gov, the Health Insurance Marketplace​ established by the Affordable Care Act.

Navigators are trained to help consumers understand the details of plans available on the Health Insurance Marketplace, determine which plan will best meet their needs, determine eligibility and apply for financial assistance, and complete the enrollment process.

Navigators meet with consumers in free, in-person, one-on-one, confidential sessions at convenient locations throughout the state. Strict security and privacy standards are in place to ensure that consumers’ personally identifiable information is protected.​

Thanks in large part to the efforts of the consortium, North Carolina has the third-highest number of enrollments out of the nearly 40 states that use the Health Insurance Marketplace. Only Florida and Texas, states with more than double the population of North Carolina, have more enrollments.

​The NC Navigator Consortium is funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.​​

Members of the consortium are Access East, Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, Council on Aging of Buncombe County, Cumberland HealthNet, HealthNet Gaston, and Legal Aid of North Carolina, which leads the consortium.

Schedule Your Appointment

News

ONLY 6 DAYS LEFT TO ENROLL OR UPDATE 2023 HEALTH COVERAGE!

HealthCare.gov Open Enrollment ends Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. Raleigh, N.C. – The NC Navigator Consortium urges all…

NC Navigator Consortium to Host Enrollment Events Ahead of Dec. 15 Deadline for Jan. 1 ACA Health Insurance Coverage

Raleigh, N.C. – In advance of the approaching Dec. 15 Open Enrollment deadline, the NC Navigator Consortium…

HealthCare.gov OPEN ENROLLMENT IS NOW OPEN THROUGH JAN. 15, 2023; HEALTH INSURANCE NAVIGATORS ARE STANDING BY TO OFFER FREE HELP

NC Navigator Consortium Receives $6.4M Award from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Grant is the second largest award given to 59 organizations across the country Raleigh – The NC…

HealthCare.gov Special Enrollment Period Helps Those 100% to 150% of the Federal Poverty Level Get Covered

Health insurance navigators are ready to help those eligible navigate HealthCare.gov Raleigh, N.C. – The health…

NC Navigator Consortium awarded $14.9M for Affordable Care Act enrollment

RALEIGH · August 30, 2021—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has awarded the NC…

Legal Aid team honored for racial justice and health equity work in Rocky Mount

Less than 1 week until Affordable Care Act open enrollment begins!

​​NC Navigator Consortium awarded $2.6 million to enroll consumers in health insurance through the Affordable Care Act

RALEIGH, September 2, 2015 – The NC Navigator Consortium, a group of 14 health care, social…

NC Navigator Consortium awarded $2.44 mil. for Affordable Care Act enrollment

RALEIGH, September 6, 2016 – The NC Navigator Consortium, a group of 13 health care,…

Archives: Projects

← Back to For Veterans

The Veterans Law Project is a statewide unit of Legal Aid of North Carolina that provides civil legal services to homeless Veterans and Veterans at risk for homelessness. “At risk” Veterans include those who (1) couch surf or live in someone else’s home due to finances, (2) have been given an eviction notice, (3) have moved two or more times in the last 60 days, (4) live in a hotel or motel, (5) are fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, or (6) have otherwise unstable housing.

Goal: To help low-income Veterans overcome the legal barriers preventing them from living self-sufficiently and seeking economic opportunity.

This program is made possible in part by funding from the Bob Woodruff Foundation, which is dedicated to ensuring that our nation’s veterans, service members, and their families — those who stood for us —have stable and successful futures.

Our services

VLP attorneys provide representation in matters involving:

  • VA Disability Compensation 
  • Discharge Upgrades 
  • Military Records Corrections

Through the VLP, staff in local LANC offices, as resources allow, represent veterans in legal matters such as:

  • Criminal Record Expunctions
  • Driver’s License Restoration
  • Public Benefits Appeals (SSA SSI/SSDI Medicaid, SNAP/Food Stamps)
  • Consumer Matters (Debt Collection, Bankruptcy, Deceptive Trade Practices)
  • Mortgage Foreclosures 
  • Housing (Evictions, Unsafe Conditions, Housing Subsidy Retention)

Get help

Veterans Law Project

Email veterans@legalaidnc.org (separately or through the form below)
or leave a voicemail on the VLP Hotline at (919) 850-5959.

Additional information about VA programs for homeless veterans can be found at this link.

Email Form

Lunch & Learn: Eviction Prevention and Landlord Tenant Issues

Lunch & Learn: Medicaid Expansion

Lunch & Learn: Estate Planning Docs, Wills, & POAs

News

Lunch & Learn: Medicaid Expansion

The Veterans Law Project is a statewide unit of Legal Aid of North Carolina that…

Contact the Veterans Crisis Line

VA Homeless Programs 2022 CHALENG Results

New command for Veterans Law Project attorney D.J. Dore

CHARLOTTE · June 18, 2019 – Congratulations to D.J. Dore, an attorney in Durham with our Veterans Law…

Archives: Projects

← Back to Education

Mission

The Right to Education Project (REP) is the statewide education justice project of Legal Aid of North Carolina that fights for students in the public education system to get access to the quality education they have a right to, and to end the school to prison pipeline.

How We Work

REP works through three main pathways to achieve greater education justice for students in North Carolina public schools.

Direct Advocacy

One-on-one advice, support, and/or legal representation for students and parents

Community Education

Presentations, trainings, and publications on students’ and parents’ rights related to education and public school

Community Lawyering

Advocacy in support of and in partnership with community groups & youth justice advocates to build parent and student power

Issue Areas

REP works to protect North Carolina public school students, including those in charter schools, who are experiencing the following forms of school push out:

Enrollment & Access

Denials of educational access, including situations where students are denied enrollment, and/or timely, appropriate access to a sound basic education. This can include a school environment that prevents a student from being able to learn.

Suspension, Expulsion, & Alternative School Placements

Direct school push-out by exclusionary discipline, including situations where students face unlawful and/or excessive out-of-school suspension, expulsion, or punitive placement in an alternative school or program.

Special Education & Disability-related Needs

Indirect school push-out as a result of a school’s failure to address a student’s disability-related needs, including situations where a student with a disability isn’t being given needed services and/or is excluded from the school environment or their non-disabled peers.

Discrimination & Harassment

Indirect school push-out as a result of a school’s maintenance of a hostile environment, including situations where a school creates and/or fails to take steps to address a discriminatory hostile environment.

I Need Help With

Suspension, Expulsion, & Alternative School Placements

Bullying & Discrimination

Enrollment

Special Education & Disability-related Needs

Attendance & Records

Truancy & Attendance Struggles Repeated Requests for Early Pick-ups Challenging Student Records & Unexcused Absences

I'm Looking for Resources For

Foster Care Families 

Limited-English Speaking Families

Parents & Youth

Parent Support Map Youth Mentorship & Tutoring Psychoeducation Resources

Other Resources

General Education Advocacy

Grievances and Complaints

Staff

Interim Managing Attorney

Carlton Powell

Staff Social Worker

Katie Haberman

Staff Attorneys

Crystal Ingram

Hetali Lodaya (EJW Fellow)

Paralegal

Tyler Fleming

Law Associate

Rebecca Cathcart

Contact

If you are seeking LEGAL SUPPORT FOR YOUR STUDENT, contact the Legal Aid NC Helpline:

Legal Aid NC Helpline

If you wish to contact Legal Aid NC for disaster-related legal issues, call our Helpline:

Toll-Free: 1 (866) 219-LANC (5262)

8:30 AM – 4:00 PM, Monday – Friday

For all other calls, our helpline is open:

8:30 AM – 1:30 PM, Monday – Friday
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM, Monday & Thursday

Apply for free help with civil (non-criminal) legal issues.

If you are looking for COMMUNITY EDUCATION, fill out the below form to learn more about trainings we can offer groups, and to request tabling, training, or office hours with our team.

Contact REP Community Education

The Right to Education Project's Newsletter

View Past Newsletters

Resources

Archives: Projects

← Back to Housing

The Durham Eviction Diversion Program is a partnership of our Durham office, Duke Law’s Civil Justice Clinic and the Durham Department of Social Services. The program uses tenant education, legal advocacy and rental assistance to prevent evictions and increase housing security for low-income renters in Durham County.

Durham Courthouse Clinic

Free Eviction Advice for Qualifying Tenants

Are you a Durham resident undergoing an eviction? Come to Legal Aid’s courthouse clinic to get connected with a free attorney.

Clinic Hours

Open Monday – Friday 9AM-12PM
3rd floor, Room 3200

Please Bring

  • Your court papers
  • Lease
  • Ledger

Contact Us

If you are an agency seeking to refer a community member facing eviction or housing insecurity, please email us. If you are an individual seeking immediate legal service from a trained professional, please call the number below:

984-212-4404 Open Mon-Fri 9 AM – 2 PM

The Durham Eviction Diversion Program relies on the support of community members committed to housing security. Each year, dozens of volunteers and interns commit hundreds of hours to helping our neighbors stayed securely housed. 

Volunteering could be downloading and distributing our fliers below to your communities. It could also mean working shoulder-to-shoulder with our staff on some of the following tasks: developing K-12 curricula; researching local and state policies; facilitating community relationships; working one-on-one with clients; and building websites like this. 

Interested in volunteering or interning to ensure that all people have a place to call home? 

Reach us by email at durhamhousingteam@legalaidnc.org or by phone at (984) 297-2016

Durham Evictions Mapping Project

The Durham Evictions Mapping Project tells the story of housing insecurity and eviction in Durham during the COVID-19 pandemic as experienced by clients of the Durham Eviction Diversion Program.

Click here to be taken to the full website for the Durham Evictions Mapping Project. 

History of Settlement and Housing in Durham

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the eviction crisis in Durham. Housing insecurity has long riddled the city. Read about the connections between past and present history of housing in Durham. 

Learn More

Download our Materials

Our Clients

Ms. Smith

“[When COVID-19 restrictions] were starting to be lifted to the point at which landlords can take people to court….I was able to talk to someone [at the Durham Eviction Diversion Program]…to get a few guidelines of what I could do or who I could turn to with this situation.”  

Ms. Gonzalez

The Durham Eviction Diversion Program “prevented me from being evicted and made it possible for me to pay my rent and be able still to do the things I needed to do for my children and pay the rest of my bills, so it was very helpful. I’m very appreciative…

A lovely woman at Legal Aid was very good too– she was on top of everything, she was easy to work with, she was efficient, it was all around good experience.” 

Mr. Brown

“If it was not for [the Durham Eviction Diversion Program] me and my children would probably not have anywhere to stay… I’ve just never seen a program move as fast as this program has…I’m just really grateful for it.” 

Our Community Partners

Walk in Ministry

“We have collaborated with Legal Aid throughout the pandemic.  Our Walk In Ministry financially serves some of the most vulnerable individuals in the community and Legal Aid has provided the legal protection that has kept many of these individuals and families from becoming homeless.  Legal Aid has been responsive to our referrals, has followed through with services, and has treated clients with respect.”  

Duke Memorial UMC

” Duke Memorial United Methodist Church was excited to join with Legal Aid just a year ago to assist our neighbors’ housing needs. Our congregation’s Good Samaritan Fund is operated by volunteers who respond to requests once a month so we recognize we do not have the resources to assist the huge need in our neighborhood. Legal Aid Eviction Diversion Program has a working relationship with clients which means they know the areas of greatest need and where our funds will have the greatest impact.  In the past six months we have helped 9 households with an average of $250 per household. We are thankful for this partnership.” 

Durham Congregations in Action

“Durham Congregations In Action has supported the work of Legal Aid for the past four years.  Their work on eviction prevention has been an essential resource for our network of faith-communities and nonprofit partners.  We’ve relied on Legal Aid’s analysis for educating faith-community leaders and identifying action steps to assist people in housing crisis.  Legal Aid’s partnership has provided housing advocates and faith-communities involved in homelessness intervention an additional avenue for keeping people housed.” 

News

Our new statewide Housing Helpline streamlines access to free legal aid for tenants

"Waste" author Flowers to give free lecture on housing and environmental injustice

DURHAM—Environmental justice advocate, MacArthur “Genius” Fellow and author of Waste: One woman’s fight against America’s…

We're suing top NC court officials to demand compliance with CDC eviction moratorium, Governor's order

RALEIGH—Legal Aid of North Carolina is suing state and county court officials to stop the…

Legal Aid NC gets $300k from Wells Fargo Foundation to keep renters in their homes

RALEIGH—Up to 40 million U.S. renters may face eviction by the end of the year…

Wells Fargo funding will help fight COVID-related eviction

RALEIGH—The Wells Fargo Foundation announced on September 24 that it had donated $5.4 million to…

Nellie Kearney series

Are you being evicted?

Time Out Communities creating eviction crisis in Robeson County

​Legal Aid clients threatened with eviction after appearing in exposé about skyrocketing rents in mobile…

Archives: Projects

← Back to Disaster Relief

​Visit the Disaster Relief section of our website for help and free legal education.

About the Project

Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Disaster Relief Project provides legal assistance and education to survivors of natural disasters in North Carolina and supports community economic development and equitable long-term recovery and resiliency in disaster-impacted communities.  

The Disaster Relief Project’s services include: 

  • Providing disaster survivors with information about their rights following a natural disaster
  • Advocating for clients when they are applying for recovery fund assistance and appealing decisions, when needed 
  • Standing up for disaster survivors who were victimized by fraudulent contractors or bad-actor landlords 
  • Connecting clients to community resources 
  • Clarifying title and property ownership, including providing wills and advanced directives for those who have been affected by a natural disaster 
  • Supporting local long-term disaster recovery organizations by writing bylaws, providing document templates, and helping groups incorporate as 501(c)(3) nonprofit 
  • Hosting disaster recovery education sessions and legal clinics 

The Disaster Relief Project is funded by a grant from the Legal Services Corporation and the Wells Fargo Foundation.  

Legal Aid NC Helpline

If you wish to contact Legal Aid NC for disaster-related legal issues, call our Helpline:

Toll-Free: 1 (866) 219-LANC (5262)

8:30 AM – 4:00 PM, Monday – Friday

For all other calls, our helpline is open:

8:30 AM – 1:30 PM, Monday – Friday
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM, Monday & Thursday

Apply for free help with civil (non-criminal) legal issues.

Check out our newsletters

News

Journey Across North Carolina: Exploring Disaster Relief, Economic Development, and Hidden Gems in the Heart of the State

Legal Aid to host disaster recovery legal clinics in October in WNC

Legal Aid of North Carolina is helping those recovering from the catastrophic flooding that occurred…

Legal Aid of North Carolina Receives $4.35 Million to Help Natural Disaster Victims  

This press release was published by the Legal Services Corporation. Click here to view the…

Free Legal Assistance Available for North Carolina Survivors of Tropical Storm Fred

A toll-free legal aid hotline is now available for survivors of Tropical Storm Fred in…

Hurricane Florence survivors can access estate planning services at expo

Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Disaster Relief Project will be on site at the Pender County Long…

Legal Aid NC events focus on disaster preparedness

To help ensure North Carolinians are prepared for this upcoming hurricane season, Legal Aid of…

Legal Aid assists with ReBuild NC applications and appeals

Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Disaster Relief Project is helping survivors of Hurricane Matthew and Florence…

Legal Aid NC to present information on clarifying homeownership during recovery

For North Carolinians that are still in the recovery process from a past hurricane and those preparing for the…

Legal Aid NC to offer free remote disaster recovery info sessions

As residents of Eastern North Carolina prepare for the current hurricane season, many are finding…

Legal Aid to Offer Disaster Relief Info Sessions

The 2020 hurricane season began on June 1, but many North Carolinians are still seeking…