(BELLE GLADE, Fla.)- Florida Rural Legal Services, Inc. was pleased to celebrate the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new regional office in Belle Glade, Fla.
The event was held on-site at the 14-office facility that featured welcoming remarks by FRLS' Chief Operations Officer and comments by Belle Glade City Mayor Steve Wilson, South Bay City Mayor Joe Kyles, Palm Beach County Community Services Director James Green, Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County Executive Director Lisa Williams-Taylor, and FRLS' Executive Director Jaffe Pickett.
The building will be outfitted with a conference room, reception area, and offices for separate grant-funded programs.
FRLS's new Belle Glade office will provide free legal services to low-income and vulnerable residents who qualify. FRLS helps with family protection and residents needing assistance with victims services; tenants with rental assistance issues and in need of help making rental payments as a result of COVID-19.
We will also provide outreach services for migrant farmworkers through our partnership with Palm Beach County and we aid in receipt of rental assistance payments and those needing assistance with public benefits and individual civil rights.
“This was an amazing day representing our growth and expansion for our Belle Glade office! Thank you to the community leaders and residents who joined us at this wonderful celebration. We appreciate all of our partners and funders who make our work possible. I am especially proud of my Executive Leadership Team for helping to make my vision a reality. It’s always a great day at FRLS,” said Jaffe Pickett, Executive Director/CEO of FRLS.
Take a look back at the event. Click here to look through the event photo gallery.
Legal assistance is often the only lifeline available to people facing life-altering consequences, such as losing their home, employment, or custody of their children.
Legal aid programs help ensure fairness in the justice system. Almost 47 million people, and more than one in five children, live in or near poverty in the United States. Legal aid providers protect the rights of millions of Americans with low-income each year in areas such as housing, consumer, family, education and employment, and defend access to services for people of all backgrounds, including children, veterans, victims of domestic violence, the elderly, and those living with disabilities.