Advocates for Basic Legal Equality Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Housing justice and community economic development: neighborhood stabilization, racial justice, business transactional legal services, entrepreneur legal support, cooperative law, land trust law, shared equity development models, food equity, fair housing, environmental justice, tenants rights, eviction defense, housing subsidy preservation, affordable housing preservation and location, foreclosure defense, lead poisoning prevention, returning citizens, mental health and housing, consumer rights.agricultural worker and immigrant rights: protecting and expanding the legal rights of agricultural workers and immigrant families by addressing unfair or discriminatory employment practices and civil rights violations, including racial or ethnic profiling; discrimination; unpaid wages & minimum wage claims; immigration; naturalization; civil rights; know your rights; immigrant detention representation; housing conditions; education; healthcare; snap and other government benefits; preserve family unity & stability; safety from domestic violence, other crimes, persecution, torture & human trafficking; combat unfair or discriminatory workplace practices; improve quality of life for immigrants, refugees & their families.fairness in education: education advocacy project partnering with parents and providing tools and knowledge to advocate for their children's education, collaboration with educators and community organizations to eliminate the disproportionate disciplinary measures experienced by bipoc and economically challenged students; department of justice civil rights litigation; legal advocacy for students with disabilities, disciplinary hearings, and due process proceedings; increasing opportunities for a free, appropriate public education for all children; legal advocacy for students in need of special education and english language learner services. Healthcare and economic stability: protection against unfair debt collection, occupational licensing for people with criminal records, securing medicaid benefits for individuals and families, securing access to critical food assistance (snap), employment and training opportunities for job seekers, removing barriers for people with disabilities, increasing opportunities so people can live independently in their homes and community with medicaid waiver funding, cash assistance benefits for families, social security benefits for adults and children with disabilities. Able represents clients in several areas of law, including housing, (public housing, eviction, foreclosure and housing conditions); community economic development, access to healthcare and government benefits, education, immigration, and the legal problems that agricultural workers, people with disabilities, veterans and senior citizens face. Each year able's experienced staff of attorneys, paralegals, and support personnel provide high quality legal assistance to thousands of individuals and groups throughout 32 counties in northwest and west central Ohio and to agricultural workers and immigrants throughout Ohio. We have offices located in dayton, toledo and defiance. We meet the legal needs of our clients working in conjuction with our partner law firm, legal aid of western Ohio, inc. (lawo). The services we provide benefit children, seniors, veterans, immigrants, persons with disabilities, survivors of domestic violence, persons without health insurance, families facing eviction and foreclosure, homeless children and families, children struggling to secure appropriate education services, mental health consumers, agricultural workers, and nursing home residents, among others. Our attorneys and advocates work in areas that private attorneys usually do not, including representation of tenants, low-income homeowners, agricultural workers, immigrants, veterans, people with disabilites and people seeking government assistance. Together able and lawo constitute the largest providers of free, comprehensive civil legal assistance

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 68.5%; rating input score 68
• Program expense ratio: 85.8%; rating input score 86
• Fundraising efficiency: $42 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 17.7%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.48; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.19; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 10.6%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 5% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings