As the opioid epidemic grows, so does the number of seniors raising grandchildren who have been abandoned or neglected by their parents. In Idaho alone, nearly 11,500 grandparents are responsible for grandchildren who are living with them. Thousands more seniors care for an elderly parent or disabled relative living in their home.
Many of these seniors need legal representation but can’t afford it. A Community Strategies grant from Innovia Foundation will help Attorneys Northwest in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, provide reduced legal fees to low-income seniors who want to adopt or secure guardianship of their loved ones.
Attorneys Northwest’s senior legal program is part of the nonprofit firm’s mission to provide affordable legal services for low- or moderate-income individuals in Idaho who don’t qualify for state- or federally-funded legal aid programs.
“This innovative legal model has proven to be a sustainable one, and in our opinion, is the best way to bridge the gap in the unmet legal needs of modest means seniors and to enhance their quality of life and protect the future of their loved ones,” said Virginia McNulty Robinson, the attorney and founder of Attorneys Northwest.
