Jonathan E. Selkowitz

Our Vision We believe that there should be fairness, justice and equality for all, and, that if we can instill more fairness in our society, there will be less poverty. Our Mission Our mission is to ensure that state and federal laws affecting poor people are upheld, while also addressing the systemic barriers to justice faced by Mainers with low incomes. Our Approach To achieve our mission, we provide free civil legal assistance in cases where it can make a difference in one’s ability to meet one’s basic human needs or in enforcing one’s basic human rights, including access to housing, food, income, safety, education, and healthcare. Our Priorities We continually assess the most pressing civil legal problems facing low-income Mainers. Our board of directors regularly reviews our program priorities. Our current priorities are: The preservation of housing and related housing needs; Maintaining, enhancing and protecting income and economic stability; Promoting safety, health, and well-being; Improving outcomes for Maine children and youth; Enforcing workplace opportunities, income and legal protections for low-wage workers; Meeting the legal needs of populations with other vulnerabilities; and Improving the delivery of legal services and justice for low - income Mainers statewide. Our Organization and Funding Pine Tree Legal Assistance is a nonprofit organization, recognized as a 501(c)(3) by the IRS and as a public charity in the State of Maine. Pine Tree receives funding from the Legal Services Corporation (federal appropriation), the State of Maine (including a general Appropriation, allocations from the Maine Civil Legal Services Fund, and State contracts), the Maine Justice Foundation (including IOLTA), the Campaign for Justice, United Ways, other federal grants, and generous support from foundations, corporations, and individual donors. To learn more about our organization, visit https://ptla.org.