1. What is your
mission (goals & objectives) at Guam Legal Services Corporation - Disability Law Center Services?
GLSC-DLC will provide legal assistance, and
will advocate and promote equal rights and equal access to justice for the
underserved communities of Guam.
2. What specific
services does Guam Legal Services Corporation - Disability Law Center provide?
Staff conduct intake
assessments, provide counsel and advice, provide representation at court
hearings or meetings, advocate for individual’s rights, investigate allegations
of abuse and make appropriate referrals.
3. Who is your target
audience?
Individuals with low income and individuals
with disabilities.
4. What are your hours
of operation and what is the best way for people to reach you that are
interested in assistance?
Monday through Friday 8:30am-4:30pm.
Closed on weekends and holidays.
5. In addition to
direct services, what resources does Guam Legal Services Corporation - Disability Law Center offer?
GLSC-DLC also developed interactive interviews
which are available on our website for issues such as guardianship and simple
divorces wherein an individual can go through the interactive interview and
answer questions which then create the legal documents necessary to file in
court without an attorney.
6. Thinking about
current events, how do you foresee recent events in your field of work affecting
your organization and its work?
Current events indicate that we will continue
to receive a large number of requests for assistance in domestic relations
matter and especially where protective orders are needed. Unfortunately
this is just the area where our funding was reduced in the last year. We thus
are continuing to search for other funding to meet these needs.
7. Can you discuss your community partnerships and how they contribute to the overall success of Guam Legal Services individually.
We have a large number of community partnerships because of the
numerous programs that we operate. In the area of domestic relations and
domestic violence, we work with VARO, the Guam Coalition Against Sexual Assault
and Family Violence, Office of the Attorney General- Victim Witness Ayuda
Services, the University of Guam Violence Against Women Prevention Program, and
with I Famagu-on'ta, Sanctuary Incorporated, the Family Court, Child Support
Enforcement, Guam Behavioral Health
and Wellness Center and many others. The partnerships are essential in
providing us with referrals for individuals needing our help and as places to
which we can refer individuals who need assistance from other organizations.
Our primary task is legal aid, so we are referring individuals for shelter,
income support, foster placement, treatment of injuries and trauma, parenting,
anger management and other needs.
8. Can you touch on
the history of Guam Legal Services Corporation - Disability Law Center and how the organization is set up?
GLSC-DLC is a non-profit organization established in 1978 and
opened its doors in 1981 to serve the low income community. In 1999 GLSC-DLC
was then designated as the Protection and Advocacy System for Guam. The
organization is funded primarily by federal grants and is made up of 9
different programs: Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Grant Program, Protection
and Advocacy Programs for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI), Individuals
with Developmental Disabilities (PADD), Individual Rights (PAIR), Assistive
Technology (PAAT), Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS), Traumatic Brain
Injury (PATBI), Voter Access (PAVA) and the Technology Initiative Grant (TIG)
program.
9. Any upcoming plans
or projects that our island community should be aware of?
GLSC-DLC is currently working on a project
through the Technology Initiative Grant program wherein interactive interviews
are being developed for the Protective Order, Restraining Order and Change of
Name process for individuals who are not able to receive services through
GLSC-DLC. When the interviews are developed, individuals will be able to create
the necessary documents to file in court just by answering questions on the
computer.
10. Why do you think
the work you do is important to our island community and the world at large
(very obvious question, but I feel this is extremely important to ask)?
We seek to assist individuals whose marriages
and other relationships have fallen apart and who do not know where to
turn. We help to protect their rights and to get them services and relief
that they need. Most of these individuals would have nowhere else to go
for legal assistance if we were not available.
11. Lastly, could you
please provide any current relevant statistics that you have.
In 2013, GLSC-DLC assisted
120 individuals who requested assistance with a Protective Order.
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