OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (September 24, 2020) — Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Inc. (LASO) has been awarded funding from the Bob Woodruff Foundation to provide critical civil legal services to Oklahoma Veterans.

Devastation of the oil and gas industry, vital to Oklahoma, has cost Oklahoma Veterans employment. Lost employment raises issues about unemployment insurance, sick leave, Pandemic unemployment, stimulus funds and other ways to survive. Simultaneously, anxiety rises over how to pay rent/mortgage, how to pay consumer debt, and how to feed a family. In worse case scenarios, legal issues such as eviction, foreclosure, and debt collection eat away at a Veteran’s confidence, stability and self-worth.

To address these negative impacts on Oklahoma Veterans, LASO was awarded funding from the Bob Woodruff Foundation. The funding will allow for a LASO attorney to focus on the former oil field boom towns in rural Oklahoma now facing unemployment in excess of Depression-era levels. Through its existing network of 20 offices throughout the state, LASO’s holistic family advocacy will help Oklahoma Veterans with unemployment claims, assist in securing other available income for the individual/family from applicable income sources (sick leave, stimulus); will negotiate with landlords; will negotiate with mortgagors and creditors; will resist evictions, foreclosures and debt collections; and will assist with other matters that may arise that are COVID related, such as a need for advanced directives.

“The Bob Woodruff Foundation is well-known for funding projects around the nation that provide innovative solutions for the problems faced by our nation’s heroes,” said Michael Figgins, LASO’s Executive Director. “We are grateful that the Bob Woodruff Foundation chose to invest in justice for Oklahoma Veterans.”

While reporting on the transfer of power between U.S. and Iraqi security forces for ABC’s “World News Tonight,” on Jan. 29, 2006, respected journalist Bob Woodruff was gravely injured when the armored vehicle in which he was riding was hit by a roadside bomb. Thanks to the quick actions of brave soldiers, medics, and military medical professionals, Bob’s life was saved. Within a few days, he was brought to the Naval Hospital at Bethesda, Md. There, Bob spent 36 days in a medically-induced coma, and his wife Lee was introduced to the families of service members dealing with the impact of hidden injuries such as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) and depression. The experience inspired their family to do one thing: Ensure that our nation’s impacted veterans, service members, and their families have access to the highest level of support and resources. That inspiration resulted in the creation of the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing free civil legal services to low-income persons, elderly persons, survivors of Domestic Violence, and Veterans throughout Oklahoma. The mission of Legal Aid is to be a partner in the community, making equal justice for all a reality.

This program is made possible in part by a grant from the Bob Woodruff Foundation, which is dedicated to ensuring that impacted post-9/11 veterans, service members, their families, and their caregivers thrive long after they return home. Follow on Twitter @Stand4Heroes and Facebook