Brevard County Commission Tuesday honored the nonprofit Community Legal Services for 60 years representing low-income Florida families and at-risk individuals who wouldn’t otherwise afford legal representation in civil matters.
“Human safety, right to shelter, food, these are basic human rights, and oftentimes people have to walk across across the street to the courthouse to address certain issues involving those rights, and we’re here to make sure people aren’t alone in court,” said Joe Colombo, a Melbourne attorney representing CLS told commissioners Tuesday after commissioners approved the proclamation.
CLS was founded in 1966 as Volusia County Legal Services. Since 2004, it has grown to provide civil legal assistance to residents of Brevard, Citrus, Flagler, Hernando, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Putnam, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties, making it one of the largest nonprofit law firms in Florida.
The proclamation notes:
“Thank you so much for what you do for our community,” said County Commission Chairman Thad Altman. “It’s so important to help those who can’t afford an attorney, and our society’s so much based on the ability to have representation.”
According its website, CLS’s primary funding comes from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), individual donors, law firms, businesses and state and local governments.
Waymer covers environment and government. Contact him at (321) 261-5903 or jwaymer@floridatodaycom.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard honors nonprofit for 60 years of legal assistance
Reporting by Jim Waymer, Florida Today / Florida Today
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By Jim Waymer, Florida Today | USA TODAY Network
