10/4/24 Update
Pisgah Legal Services is hosting FEMA Application Assistance Free Walk-in Clinics on Monday, October 7, 2024 at our Asheville and Hendersonville offices. More information here.
10/3/24 Update
Know Your Rights: Renter Information – Pisgah Legal Housing Attorney David Bartholomew shared important information about the rights of renters with Blue Ridge Public Radio yesterday.
We will continue to provide more information on critical legal rights for people in WNC affected by Helene in the coming days in conjunction with area media and on our social media platforms.
Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) our YouTube Channel.
10/2/24 Update
We are relieved and happy to share that all our staff members are safe and accounted for at this time. Our thoughts are with everyone who is still anxiously awaiting word from their loved ones.
Our offices are officially closed this week, but know that we are still working to respond to our clients’ needs.
We have also established Pisgah Legal’s Hurricane Recovery Fund. If you are financially stable and want to help fund critical free legal services for the people of WNC, we welcome your support.
Pisgah Legal Services is built to help folks through hard times, as we experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of people will again be depending on us for essential aid that includes, but is not limited to:
- housing assistance (for both renters and homeowners)
- health insurance and Medicaid
- disaster employment benefits
- consumer scams
- and applying for FEMA assistance and other local and/or state aid.
Please join us as we stand for justice and dignity for the people of Western North Carolina. We will get through this together. Thank you for your support!
9/30/24 Update
Hello clients, friends, supporters and funders. We, like most of you, are working to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene. We have chosen to close our offices from 9/30 – 10/4, 2024. This is not easy, but we must prioritize the safety of our staff who live and work throughout Western North Carolina.
Please know that Pisgah Legal Services is in this for the long haul, and we will be working in the coming weeks, months, perhaps years to help people in our mountain region access local, state and federal resources to recover.
In the meantime, if you have access to the internet, please apply online. We will be back in touch as soon as possible, but keep in mind that delays are inevitable at this point in the recovery.
Specific things to note today:
Court Closings by County
AVERY – closed through 10/4
BUNCOMBE – closed through 10/4
HAYWOOD – closed through 10/1
HENDERSON – closed through 10/1
JACKSON – closed through 10/1
MACON – closed through 10/2
MADISON – closed through 10/4
MITCHELL – closed through 10/31
POLK – closed through 10/1
RUTHERFORD – closed through 10/1
TRANSYLVANIA – closed through 9/30
YANCEY – closed through 10/31
Chief Justice Newby of the NC Supreme Court has issued a ruling extending court deadlines from September 26 to October 14 in civil actions, criminal actions, estates and special proceedings for the following 28 counties: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey.
What does this mean? If you were supposed to file a document, including a small claims appeal, you have until October 14 in those counties.
It does not mean that your court date has been postponed. Please check with the Clerk of Court or nccourts.gov to see if your court case has been rescheduled or if your courthouse is closed as many of them are.
The Justice Forum, previously scheduled for October 10, has been cancelled. We will be prioritizing the urgent needs of our mountain communities.
We will share updated information online, via social media and through e-news as available. Stay safe!