The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutOshkosh Final submission1 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funding Application for Non-Profit Entities, Community Groups, and Neighborhood Associations Due Date: March 1, 2024, 4:30 PM Application must be completed in full to be considered. Submit complete application & budget sheet electronically to citymgr@oshkoshwi.gov -or- Mail - City Manager’s Office, 215 Church Ave – PO Box 1130, Oshkosh WI 54903-1130 -or- Place in City Hall Dropbox Attachments, brochures or other materials may be included as part of the application packet. Application Review Criteria The electronic version (including email message and all attachments) cannot exceed 10 MB GENERAL INFORMATION Phone: 1.Name of Project/Program: Legal Assistance for residents after COVID 2.Organization Name: Legal Action of Wisconsin 3.Address: 300 Ohio St., Oshkosh, WI 54902 4.Primary Contact Person: Katie Alft 5.Title: Managing Attorney 920-233-6521 6.E-mail: kja@legalaction.org 7.If applicable: Federal Tax Identification Number: 39-1077192 8.If applicable: DUNS number: GC2GT14GZY97 Provide Mission Statement/Purpose: Legal Action of Wisconsin's mission is to deliver exceptional civil legal services and structural change advocacy, free of cost, to those most in need. For this project, we will provide these services in the city of Oshkosh. PROPOSAL OVERVIEW – must match Budget Overview sheet Funds Requested Total Project Cost Annual Organizational Budget $ 60,000 $216,922 $16,436,096 PROGRAM/PROJECT APPROACH Legal Ac�on of Wisconsin (LAW) will use funding to pay for free civil legal aid for low-income Oshkosh residents needing housing, family law, public benefits, and barriers to employment representa�on. LAW is the only provider of free legal representa�on to Oshkosh residents, and these services remain more necessary than ever as people con�nue to recover from the devasta�ng financial and social impacts created during the pandemic. LAW has a track record of working effec�vely with the Winnebago County court system as well as individual social service agencies such as Chris�ne Ann Domes�c Abuse Services, ADVOCAP, and the Winnebago County Department of Human Services. These agencies don’t have atorneys available to assist with their clients’ legal needs and will o�en refer them to LAW for legal representa�on and advice. As indicated prior, this is an exis�ng program, though the needs con�nue to be greater than pre- pandemic. LAW will provide representa�on to low-income Oshkosh residents only with this funding. Family Law representa�on may include services such as obtaining protec�ve restraining orders, divorce, custody issues or access to child support. Housing issues such as help with subsidized housing, security deposit recovery, evic�on orders, etc. will be provided. Barriers to employment representa�on may include driver’s license recovery, expungements of criminal records and so forth. Helping residents obtain access to public benefits will be provided. Because LAW is the only agency providing free legal aid, there will be no duplica�on of services. In total, LAW an�cipates assis�ng 120 households with this funding, impac�ng an es�mated 180 individuals. The COVID pandemic had devasta�ng impacts on all people, but these impacts were greater on those with lower incomes. Some of these impacts simply cannot be resolved without legal interven�ons. In 2023, LAW assisted 441 clients who were residents of Oshkosh. PROJECT OUTCOMES LAW expects to provide legal assistance to 450 residents of Oshkosh in 2024. We an�cipate assis�ng the following number of Oshkosh residents in each area of law as discussed above: 1. Family Law - 40 clients 2. Housing Law - 30 clients 3. Barriers to Employment - 20 clients 4. Access to Public Benefits - 30 clients LAW’s programs meet mul�ple objec�ves of the Oshkosh’s Sustainability Plan. They will lead to a Safer and Healthier Community due to many residents needing family and housing law representa�on to provide them with safe and secure living situa�ons. LAW aid also will bolster Economic Development by providing access to public benefits and reducing barriers to employment. This will result in a healthier local economy as residents will have money to spend and the ability to obtain quality jobs. It is an unfortunate reality that underrepresented and marginalized groups experience a greater need for legal representa�on than others. Most of LAW’s clients are People of Color, and the agency is commited to providing equitable services to people from different backgrounds, including but not limited to race, gender iden�ty, sexual orienta�on, abili�es, and age. DESCRIBE THE AGENCY'S AUDITING AND FISCAL CONTROLS Case notes and billing records are kept in LAW’s database. LAW staff enter case and �me notes detailing date of service, descrip�on of service, who performed the service, and the length of �me the service took. A closing summary is entered in the database which iden�fies case outcomes. Any costs associated with delivering services are linked to each grant with a unique grant code. All costs, including atorney �me, are tracked under one code that is reviewed regularly by program and accoun�ng staff to ensure accuracy. CONTINGENCY PLAN Should LAW not be funded at full levels, we will reduce the number of clients we accept on an annual basis. We con�nue to seek addi�onal funding from alternate sources; however, many established funds are being cut. PROJECT BUDGET LAW’s primary cost is legal representa�on and thus, most of our request is for salary and benefits. A small amount of funding will be spent on direct costs related to the program itself. Addi�onal funding sources and expenditures outside of this funding are included in the budget. LAW will be able to spend $60,000 by the end of 2024 and could spend more if addi�onal funding is available. 3 BUDGET OVERVIEW / INCOME AND EXPENSES ORGANIZATION NAME: ____Legal Action of Wisconsin_______ REVENUE SOURCE PROJECTIONS Estimated Funding for this Project/Program Proposed ARPA Funding $60,000 Other Government Grants - list:LSC $32,600 ADVOCAP (subgrantee ARPA funding) $50,000 OAUW Funding $65,400 WisTAF TANF $8,922 TOTAL REVENUES $216,922 EXPENSES REGULAR OPERATING EXPENSES Project/Program Budget (PROPOSED) Salaries/Benefits $184,310 Occupancy $15,100 Professional Fees/ Contracted Services $1,860 Program/Office Materials $6,708 Marketing/Printing $943 Professional Development $5,578 Supplies/Materials (Court Fees) $2,423 Other – list: Other – list: Other – list: COVID RELATED EXPENSES (please identify) Other Other Other TOTAL EXPENSES $216,922 NOTE: Revenues and Expenses must balance 4 THE APPLICATION CERTIFIES TO THE BEST OF ITS KNOWLEDGE: 1.The information submitted to the city of Oshkosh (“City“) in this application, and substantially in connection with this application, is true and correct. 2.The applicant is in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, ordinances and orders applicable to it that could have an adverse material impact on the project. Adverse material impact includes lawsuits, criminal or civil actions, bankruptcy proceedings, regulatory action by a governmental entity or inadequate capital to complete the project. 3.The applicant is not in default under the terms and conditions of any grant or loan agreements, leases or financing arrangements with its other creditors that could have an adverse material impact on the project. 4.The applicant has to close, and will continue to disclose, any occurrence or event that could have an adverse material impact on the project. THE APPLICANT UNDERSTANDS: 1.This application and other materials submitted to the City may constitute public records subject to disclosure under Wisconsin’s Public Records Law. The applicant may mark documents “confidential” if the documents contain sensitive information. 2.Submitting false or misleading information in connection with an application may result in the applicant being found ineligible for financial assistance under the funding program, and the applicant or its representative may be subject to civil and/or criminal prosecution. YES NO (circle one) I certify that the requested funding is needed to ensure this project will happen in the City of Oshkosh. Signature Date Authorized representative of Applicant/Organization PRINTED NAME: TITLE OF APPLICANT: ORGANIZATION NAME: Mike Neumann 2/28/24 Grant Manager Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc.