Legal Office At Your Service

Hillsborough and its surrounding counties have some of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation.

"Foreclosures in the county are through the roof," said Migdalia Figueroa, managing attorney for Bay Area Legal Services' Wimauma office. "The trouble with the economy is having a major impact on everything the housing industry does."

According to California-based RealtyTrac, the Tampa area is No. 2 in the country in foreclosures.

Bay Area Legal Services has been helping residents since well before the current economic recession.

Established in 1967, the nonprofit organization provides free legal services for low-income families in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. It began with four lawyers but now has five offices with almost 50 lawyers who help more than 16,000 people every year.

The Wimauma office, located on the same grounds as the Beth-El Mission at 18240 U.S. 301 S., first opened 14 years ago and has three lawyers who primarily focus on fair-housing issues.

In October 2007, Bay Area received a three-year fair housing grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Super Notice of Funding Availability.

"With most grants, you have to write a new one every year, but since this is a three-year-grant, we just have to make sure we perform at a high level so we get to keep it," Figueroa said. "Our grant was renewed a few months ago, so we're very proud of our work."

The grant provides about $235,000 per year, which will be used toward outreach and education programs.

"When people hear 'low-income' family, they assume we only work with the migrant population," Figueroa said. "Well, we work with documented members of the migrant population, but we really want to serve the community as a whole."

The lawyers at the Wimauma office recently increased their efforts to work with senior citizens and people with disabilities and other health issues.

"As soon as I got to this office, I was working with two or three of every different type of person within my first year," said lawyer Greg Grossman. The third lawyer in the Wimauma office is Dan Reigle.

On Dec. 14, Figueroa participated at an outreach event in Plant City.

"Our client base as a whole is south of the Alafia River," Grossman said. "But we'll obviously help anyone who comes to our office from another area, and we're more than willing to go outside our own area to help people or guide them to one of our other offices."

Figueroa hopes to continue doing enough good work to have the grant renewed next October.

"It's unfortunate to say we'll never run out of work," Figueroa said. "When people lose their homes, they lose their stability.

"The possibility that I can do anything to help keep a roof over their head is why I'm in this business."

FIND OUT MORE

Bay Area Legal Services' Web site has useful information about the organization's mission, how to apply for legal assistance, who is eligible, what services are offered - including help with family, elderly and housing law issues, and how to volunteer and donate money or in-kind services. The site's "self help" tab has how-to guides for dealing with domestic abuse, child support, fair housing, small claims and employment issues. Go to www.bals.org.

The agency has several offices in Hillsborough County:

Tampa

Riverbrook Professional

Center

829 W. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 2nd Floor

(813) 232-1343

The Spring of Tampa Bay

P.O. Box 4772

(813) 247-5433

Legal Information Center

George E. Edgecomb Courthouse

800 E. Twiggs St., Room 203

(813) 864-2280

L. David Shear Children's Law Center

100 E. Madison St., Suite 301

(813) 227-9050

Plant City

701 Tillman Place, Suite 300

(813) 752-1335

Wimauma

18238 U.S. 301 S.

P.O. Box 249

(813) 634-6044