When people think about Legal Aid, they often picture an attorney helping someone facing eviction, navigating a divorce, or sealing an old criminal record. But some of our highest-impact work happens outside the courtroom entirely, supporting efforts that drive opportunity, stability, and growth in our communities.
Through LASCO’s Community Economic Development (CED) program, our attorneys help low-income entrepreneurs and community-based nonprofits build strong legal foundations. In just one recent 12-month period, that work generated an estimated $950,000 in economic value for the organizations and businesses we assisted.
This work is an important part of our mission because our communities need more than individual solutions to the challenges of poverty. They need opportunities for people to build wealth, create jobs and locally owned businesses, and develop organizations that respond to community needs. Although Ohio has a network of business financing centers and incubators, those resources cannot provide the legal advice and representation new businesses require. LASCO helps fill that gap—whether that means offering advice on choosing the right business structure, signing a commercial lease, obtaining nonprofit status, or developing sound governance policies.
The results can be seen across our 36-county service area. In Columbus, LASCO helped the founders of Holistic Pregnancy and Wellness establish a nonprofit providing prenatal, lactation and doula services to address disparities in maternal and infant health. We partner with the Columbus Metropolitan Library to help new entrepreneurs understand the legal side of starting and operating a business.
In Fairfield County, our attorneys helped Lancaster Fresh Market address SNAP and Produce Perks compliance issues, supporting continued access to fresh, local food for low-income families. And in Athens County, we helped formalize the Nelsonville Area Community Resource Center, a drop-in center serving people experiencing homelessness.
Our communities and their needs are constantly changing, and effective legal aid must change with them. CED is one example of how LASCO continues to adapt and expand our services in response—using civil legal assistance and advocacy not only to solve immediate problems, but to increase opportunity and help the people we serve build stronger futures.
