Mecklenburg County ups funding for Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy
Mecklenburg County commissioners agreed to send more money to a legal aid group after the organization said it addressed previous issues with how many people it helped.
Commissioners voted at a Thursday budget meeting to contribute an additional $258,000 to the Charlotte Center For Legal Advocacy. The group provides a variety of legal services to low-income residents.
County Manager Mike Bryant’s recommended budget for fiscal year 2027, which begins July 1, included $150,000 for the center. That’s the same amount the organization got from the county in the current fiscal year.
But leadership from the center asked commissioners at their budget public hearing last week to increase their county funding to $408,000, the amount they got from the county in previous years. Mecklenburg decreased the funding because it found some programs weren’t meeting their goals for how many people were served, according to data provided by a county spokesperson.
The center said internal leadership changes contributed to the concerns that led the county to reduce its contribution but that they’ve “course corrected.”
“I can tell you the agency is now functioning very well,” former executive director Kenneth Schorr said at the public hearing. “... They are in a position to deliver what they say they will.”
Schorr retired from the center after 34 years in 2022, and Toussaint Romain was named CEO at the time. Romain was fired in 2024. Current CEO Larissa Mañón took over from an interim leader in May 2025.
Leadership of the center noted the organization was heavily involved in the local response to U.S. Border Patrol’s November operation in Charlotte despite losing some federal funding.
“We were one of the first responders,” Mañón said at the board’s budget public hearing.
Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell, who introduced giving more money to the center at Thursday’s meeting, said the organization has addressed the issues that affected the previous budget.
“Things have changed a lot. Things are getting better there,” she said.
The added funding will go to assistance for veterans and survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence. The money will come from the county’s fund balance, which operates similar to a savings account, rather than funding for other county departments or operations.
“We deeply appreciate the County’s longstanding support of our work and its thoughtful responsiveness in addressing concerns related to this year’s funding disruptions by restoring support at prior levels, enabling us to continue supporting the greater community together,” Mañón told The Charlotte Observer in a statement after the vote.
More county budget adds
Commissioners also voted in favor of other adds to the new budget, including:
- $100,000 for Crisis Assistance Ministry to fund eviction prevention
- $128,600 for Sante Behavioral Health Mobile Crisis
- $25,000 for programming at the Harvey B. Gantt Center
- $340,000 for the Metrolina Association for the Blind
After debate at Thursday’s meeting, the board opted not to give additional money to Medic now to fund pay raises that would bring the emergency medical agency’s minimum wage in line with the county’s new minimum wage. The county provides a portion of Medic’s budget.
Commissioners did agree to revisit Medic pay after hearing the results of an ongoing study of the system sparked by divisions between Medic and area fire departments last year.
The board’s final vote to approve the budget is scheduled for June 2.
This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
