Individual AmeriCorps members will help with various projects that can include: helping seniors, veterans, and low-income Iowans get legal help; enhancing the unified client intake system; increasing outreach to underserved veteran, minority, disabled and immigrant groups; advancing legal self-help education and financial literacy, helping seniors and people with disabilities get services to live independently, enhancing Iowa Legal Aid’s website; marketing and public relations activities.
Service Activities
Full-Time AmeriCorps members will:
1. Perform community legal education presentations to economically vulnerable Iowans to increase their financial literacy;
2. Under the supervision of an attorney, help conduct intake interviews with new clients, and assist with case preparation, including research, client and witness preparation, and document preparation;
3. Help with marketing and public relations activities for Iowa Legal Aid through building
relationships in the local communities, including with individuals, faith-based organizations,
and community organizations;
4. Enhance Iowa Legal Aid’s Pro Se (civil self-representation) projects, through promotion and outreach, and/or organizing Clinics to serve low-income Iowans;
5. Enhance development and improvement of Iowa Legal Aid’s Website, www.iowalegal.org through promotion, identification of areas where new content is needed, and helping with research or other tasks needed to produce new content;
6. Help older adults and people with disabilities get legal and other support services needed to help them live independently, leading to increased social ties and social support;
7. Members with superior bilingual skills in languages used by low-income Iowans (e.g. Spanish, Arabic, Bosnian, Chinese, Vietnamese) will provide interpretation/translations services.
Community Need Addressed
AmeriCorps members help Iowa Legal Aid ensure that more low-income Iowans have better access to justice through the civil legal system, through education, legal advice, and representation. Improved access to justice helps low-income Iowa families and individuals increase their economic security, enhance their access to health care and education, avoid homelessness, and maintain safety. Members serve in Iowa Legal Aid's 10 regional offices, located in Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque, Iowa City, Mason City, Ottumwa, Sioux City, and Waterloo.
Position Outcomes
During the 2015-16 Project Year --
Client service: members will assist in a wide range of legal service support, enabling Iowa Legal Aid to provide critical help to more underserved Iowans, both from within their offices, and offsite in a wide variety of places, including community health centers, senior centers, high schools, veterans centers, and domestic abuse support centers, in urban and rural, remote communities. Members with bilingual skills will help interpret and translate for clients with limited English proficiency. As a result of the Project, at least 3,200 underserved, low-income Iowans will get needed legal help to get income supports and debt relief, and combat fundamental problems like domestic abuse and homelessness.
Outreach: members will perform community legal education presentations (CLEs) to provide financial literacy training to 2,000 underserved Iowans statewide. As a result, CLE audience members will learn important information to support financial literacy that will enable them to become more financially secure.
Independent Living: members will help 300 older adults or people with disabilities get legal and other support services needed to help them live independently, leading to increased social ties and social support.
Volunteer Generation: members will recruit and manage volunteers, focusing on community members and skills-based volunteers such as attorneys, law students, interpreters, and paralegals, to increase economic opportunity and safety for underserved Iowans.
Benefits
Childcare assistance if eligible, Education award upon successful completion of service, Health coverage, Living allowance, Student loan forbearance, Training
Skills you will gain
Through service, members will learn or enhance their skills in public speaking, project management, conflict resolution, plain language writing, event planning, conflict resolution, volunteer recruitment and management, understanding the civil justice system, being sensitive to needs of low-income community members, enhancing partnerships, and using technology. Members with bilingual skills in one or more languages used by low-income Iowans will learn how to interpret and translate in a law office setting.
Competencies You Will Develop
Communication
Demonstrate sensitivity and empathy, Lead group discussion, Listen to and consider others' viewpoints, Maintain open lines of communication with others, Speak clearly, in precise language and in a logical, organized and coherent manner, Turn taking, Write cleary and effectively
Creativity & Problem Solving
Able to identify and define the problem, Capable of generating possible solutions, Communicate the problem to appropriate personnel, Improvise, Provide relevant expertise, Select and implement well-considered solution
Teamwork
Derive consensus, Establish a high degree of trust and credibility with others, Interact professionally and respectfully with supervisors and co-workers, Stay positive and outcome oriented, Use appropriate strategies and solutions for dealing with conflicts and differences to maintain a smooth workflow
Decisions
Accepts responsibility, Anticipate the consequences of decisions, Identify and prioritize the key issues involved to facilitate the decision making process, Involve people appropriately in decisions that may impact them, Quickly respond with a back-up plan if a decision goes amiss
Tools
Carefully consider which tools or technological solutions are appropriate for a given job, Consistently choose the best tool or technological solution for the problem at hand, Operate tools and equipment in accordance with established operating procedures, safety standards, and ethical guidelines, Seek opportunities to improve knowledge of tools and technologies that may assist in streamlining work and improving productivity
Planning
Able to prioritize various competing tasks, Create environment of contribution, Create plan of action, schedule tasks so that work is completed on time, Demonstrate the effective allocation of time and resources efficiently, Drive decision making, Effectively delegate tasks, Facilitate group planning, Set goals
Service
Be pleasant, courteous, professional and respectful when dealing with internal and external customers or clients, Evaluate customer or client satisfaction, Honor the privilege of being able to work with and for those being served, Provide personalized, prompt, and efficient service to meet the requirements, requests and needs of customers, Recognize the importance of maintaining privacy and confidentiality of those being served, Understand and anticipate the needs of others, Understand the importance of one's role in the functioning of the organization, Understand the significance of maintaining a healthful and safe environment