Free Legal Assistance for BP Oil Spill Claims

If you or someone you know needs help with, or has questions about, the GCCF claims process, free Legal Assistance is available to the public. Do you need assistance with:

-Help filing an Interim or Full Final Claim? 
-Deciding whether to accept a settlement offer from the GCCF? 
-Interpreting what the Release of Claims is and what happens when you sign it? 
-What the tax implications are if you accept a claim?

If you or someone you know is currently facing questions regarding the Oil Spill Claims Process please contact the free legal assistance providers. 

Representatives from Southeast Louisiana Legal Services will be available for consultations at the Community Center of St. Bernard every monday in February, from 10 am to 4 pm. Please call (504)-281-2512 for information about services through the Community Center of St. Bernard. 

How to Contact Legal Services about Oil Spill Claims: Please call: 1-800-310-7029Or Email your name, phone number, and description of issue to Oil.spill.info@laciviljustice.org 

Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, The Pro Bono Project, Louisiana Justice Institute, Moving Forward Gulf Coast, Inc., and the Louisiana Civil Justice Center have received a grant to provide free legal assistance to the residents of Louisiana affected by the Oil Spill. These legal organizations are not affiliated with the GCCF or BP, and all conversations with their staff and attorneys are confidential.  

www.slls.org

www.ccstb.org

 #### ABOUT SLLS ##### 

Free Legal Aid - Southeast Louisiana Legal Services

BP Oil Spill Outreach (504) 340-1381 ext. 29 

Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS) is a civil legal aid program. We provide legal help to low-income people. All services are free. All conversations with our staff and attorneys are confidential. Our services include legal advice and representation in civil cases. We do not handle criminal cases or personal injury lawsuits. Examples of cases we handle are: 

BP Oil Spill Problems 
Domestic Violence 
Family Law (Divorce, Custody, etc.) 
Bankruptcy/Consumer Debt 
Foreclosures 
Housing Problems 
Tax Issues 
Government Benefits 
Employment and Education 
Elderly Services 
Succession/Title Clearing

We currently have weekly outreach sessions at: Community Center of St. Bernard (1111 LeBeau St., Arabi, LA 70032) Mondays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m  

AmeriCorps VISTA Oil Spill Outreach Coordinators: 

Andy Fritzshall: afritzshall@slls.org

Meaghan Jerrett: mjerrett@slls.org 

(504) 340-1381 ext. 29

4051 Westbank Expressway Marrero, LA 70072

www.slls.org

Spanish: (504) 529-1000 ext. 239 // 

Vietnamese: (504) 529-1000 ext. 4

Benefits Raise more than $1,000 for the Community Center of St Bernard

The Community Center of St. Bernard's own AmeriCorps LDSC's,
Ben Trussell (left) and Alyssa Beck (right) collecting donations.

Arabi, LA – Music lovers enjoyed a real treat on Saturday, January 22, when acclaimed local artist Anders Osborne played a free live performance to a packed house at the Howlin’ Wolf. The concert, which was organized by Kevin Schultz as a birthday celebration to benefit WhyHunger local nonprofit partners Our School at Blair Grocery and the Community Center of St Bernard raised over $900 in donations and sales of promotional items.

In addition to the funds raised through the concert, the Neutral Ground Ensemble (www.neutralgroundensemble.org), featuring local St. Bernard resident Becca Chapman, offered several performances of Bertolt Brecht’s play, “The Exception and the Rule” at the Elm Theatre to benefit the Community Center. Known for their dedication to achieving the highest level of artistic excellence and for their original, powerful and affective theatrical performances, the Neutral Ground Ensemble raised more than $400 in just 4 days.

“We’re very grateful for the funds we’ve received from these benefit events,” said Iray Nabatoff, Executive Director of the Community Center of St Bernard. “2010 was a hard year in many ways, with so many new clients coming to us for help because of the Gulf Oil Spill. Our Food Pantry served over 2,100 families, and we had more than 200 people sign in to our Clothing Bank every week. And it looks like 2011 is going to be just as busy. This kind of community support is absolutely vital so that the Community Center will be able to provide the help that these struggling families so desperately need.”

The money from the benefit events will be used to fund essential services at the Community Center, including the food pantry, clothing bank, computer lab, financial literacy classes, and other programs. And as it approaches its 5th Anniversary on April 17th, 2011, the Community Center of St. Bernard is working on a capital campaign to acquire a larger facility so that it can better serve the more than 5,300 local residents who depend on it for assistance every year. For more information about the resources and services available at the Community Center, please visit: www.ccstb.org.

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Donations Needed!

The Community Center welcomes donations of canned foods, used clothing and books, personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies, and baby care items for free distribution to local residents through our Mustard Seed program. All items should be in good condition and food should not be opened or spoiled. For more information about making a donation, please contact Mustard Seed Distribution Manager Krystle Johnson at 504-281-2512.

Donations of new or used books are also always appreciated. And for those of you who have extra time, keep in mind that there are also many hands-on volunteer opportunities available at the Community Center in the office, kitchen, and distribution areas. To learn more, please go to www.ccstb.org/images/volunteers.pdf or phone the Community Center Office at 504–281–2512.

Finally, we are trying to obtain a donation of tshirts for volunteers and staff to wear during Community Center events so that visitors will know who to talk to if they have any questions or need assistance. We would ideally like to get 200 shirts in assorted sizes, with the Community Center logo on them. If you know of an organization or business that could donate these items, please let us know! We'll be glad to provide a receipt for tax deduction purposes.