- September 6, 2024
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While working for the Administer Justice office in Elgin, Illinois, Punta Gorda's Vicki Summers saw the power a justice center could have on one person.
As a client advocate at that church-based legal ministry office, Summers saw a client whose lower-level apartment flooded with sewage. Summers said the client visited Administer Justice at least 10 times to get the legal aid she needed to go back to the management of her apartment complex to fix the problem and also to help her replace her furniture.
After a year, Summers said the client was settled back into the apartment.
Seeing the impact Administer Justice had on the community, Summers said she felt God guiding her to start a branch at Oasis Church in Lakewood Ranch, where she's a member.
She and her husband, Gary, worked with the church to launch Oasis Gospel Justice Center May 18. The justice center is a branch of Administer Justice, a national legal aid ministry providing services to people who cannot afford an attorney.
They now will service as "justice champions" as the administrators of the justice center.
On the third Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to noon, Oasis Gospel Justice Center will open the doors of Building B at Oasis Church to welcome anyone who needs legal aid.
The justice center will have at least two attorneys available for a 45-minute consultation. A $30 fee will be required for the first appointment, but any follow-up consultations will be free.
"It's an opportunity for them to talk to someone and not be brushed off," Summers said.
Reservations for appointments can be made online, or walk-in appointments also are welcome.
The attorneys do not go to court for anyone, but they will provide guidance and prepare clients to represent themselves in court.
Oasis Gospel Justice Center does not handle criminal cases. Attorneys will be able to assist with family issues, housing issues, small claims, debt collection and consumer law, employment and criminal records relief and more. Family issues include parentage, visitation, child support and divorce.
"God speaks through the attorneys and speaks through the people there because it is what He wants for all of us, to be able to serve and help others and to bring justice for those who are being unjustly or unfairly treated," Summers said.
Summers said everyone will receive aid regardless of faith.
"If you're not a believer, it's OK," Summers said. "Please come and see us. Let us help you resolve what the conflict is and let us help you at least see what the gospel of Jesus is."
The justice center has client advocates that provide emotional and social support while making sure clients understand their next steps.
Summers said she wants to see Oasis Gospel Justice Center become a common community resource for anyone needing legal aid.
Summers said she looks forward to being able to make a difference in the community.
"It makes me glow from the inside out," she said. "It makes me so happy to know I can serve my God and we can show a solution to a situation that looked hopeless that it's not hopeless. There's always hope with God."
