Yuba Sutter Legal Center offers free services and support for older adultsby Stacy Brandt<\/p>\n
Legal topics such as eviction, advanced directives and restraining orders are intimidating for most people. They can be even more overwhelming as we get older.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why the Yuba Sutter Legal Center (YSLC) provides free legal services and community education to those 60 and older in Yuba and Sutter counties.<\/p>\n
Funding for that support comes in part from Agency on Aging Area 4, which serves aging adults, adults with disabilities, and the people who care for them in Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeniors are the ones that are taken advantage of the most, and they\u2019re the ones that may urgently need the most help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pam Epley, Paralegal, Yuba Sutter Legal Center<\/p>\n
It\u2019s this kind of support from the legal center that helped Sherry Hoffman stay in her home. The center\u2019s experts were able to negotiate expedited payment from the sale of a relative\u2019s property so Hoffman received the money the day she needed it to prevent getting evicted.<\/p>\n
Preventing evictions is a top priority for the center.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvictions are scary, especially if they are low-income,\u201d says Pam Epley, who has worked as a paralegal for the center for more than two decades.<\/p>\n
To help get the word out, Epley and others with YSLC give talks at senior centers and other locations that older residents frequent. Experts also conduct outreach and home visits for people who lack reliable transportation.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of the seniors don\u2019t know what is available out there,\u201d Epley says. \u201cSeniors are the ones that are taken advantage of the most, and they\u2019re the ones that may urgently need the most help.\u201d<\/p>\n
The YSLC has served seniors since 1977, helping about 300 people annually. In addition to eviction, the legal center prioritizes elder abuse cases. The Center can help with most legal topics important to the area\u2019s seniors such as health care, fraud, and social security payments. However, the center doesn\u2019t provide trust or probate services.<\/p>\n
For many clients, without the support of the legal center they would face high attorney fees\u2014or be forced to go without legal support.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would go to them in a heartbeat again,\u201d says Shirley Lienert, who received free aid from the center last year. \u201cThey helped me resolve my issue and I don\u2019t think I could have done it alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tim Teske recently got help from the legal center in obtaining a restraining order and says he was pleasantly surprised with the level of service.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just asked them to look over the paperwork to see if it was good before I filed,\u201d he explains. \u201cI did not expect to have somebody say, \u2018we\u2019ll go ahead and take your case.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
He says having the free services helped him not only financially, but also emotionally since he was able to focus more on other issues, including his health.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very comforting to know that they\u2019re there,\u201d he says. \u201cIt took a load off my mind.\u201d
Epley says seniors should reach out\u2014even if they\u2019re not sure what kind of help they need.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can guide them,\u201d she says. \u201cWe want to help every senior we can.\u201d<\/p>\n