‘More with less’: Funding freeze for NC legal services causes widespread impact

CHARLOTTE — Money helping to provide free legal services in North Carolina is now frozen and causing a ripple effect in and out of court.

Corinne Wiggins is a 12-year veteran of the U.S. Army. She has been going through a housing dispute for years, but struggled to afford legal presentation — that was until she found Charlotte Legal Advocacy.

“I’ve gone to court four times with this case,” Wiggins told Channel 9’s Eli Brand. “With them stepping in, I can see my ending.”

Charlotte Legal Advocacy is one of several organizations that provide free legal services to North Carolinians who can’t afford them. Much of their money comes from a state fund, called IOLTA, which helps organizations provide free legal services. However, issues arose last summer when the North Carolina General Assembly froze that money through June of 2026.

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“People who were anticipating having that funding, any of the organizations, in January, will not have that funding,” Charlotte Legal Advocacy’s CEO, Larissa Mañon Mervin, said.

She says 15% of their money comes from IOLTA.

“We have learned, people over the years who have been in this work, have learned to do more with less, so, we will continue providing the services that we provide,” she said. “It will just put more pressure on the staff.”

Other groups are being hit harder. Legal Aid of North Carolina says they were forced to close their office in eastern North Carolina, cutting off help to hundreds of people.

For some, such as State Rep. Grant Campbell from Cabarrus County, this pause is believed to be a necessary move.

“This grant program has kind of lost its way to some degree,” he said. “Some of the grants are going to organizations that are political activist organizations or their primary benefit is to residents that are outside the state of North Carolina.”

Campbell says he is for the vast majority of the work IOLTA supports but wants to make sure it goes to places that he says need it.

“The people that are legitimately getting these grants should be upset too,” Campbell said. “Honestly, if we do this the proper way, there is going to be more funding available for those legitimate programs.”

Campbell says he expects the funding to return. He does not know when, but he says he wants to het it open again as soon as possible.

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