Alaska Legal Services tells commission it helped secure roughly $24,020 monthly in benefits for Fairbanks clients

Rachel Delahanty, an attorney with Alaska Legal Services based in Fairbanks, described the nonprofit's civil legal assistance to low-income Alaskans at the Health & Social Services Commission meeting March 15. Delahanty said the office helps residents with eviction defense, custody matters, wills and probate, and appeals of Division of Public Assistance (DPA) decisions — work that is especially active following reductions in pandemic-era supports.

Delahanty described two client stories she and colleagues pursued through appeals and fair hearings for SNAP and temporary assistance; she said some recertifications and new applications have experienced lengthy delays at DPA and that Alaska Legal Services files fair hearing requests to restore benefits. "Without Alaska Legal Services, these people would have nowhere to turn," Delahanty said, adding that in 2024 the office's lawyers resolved matters that resulted in $24,019.96 per month into the Fairbanks community.

Commissioners questioned Delahanty about volunteer and pro bono capacity. She explained local recruitment is limited by conflicts of interest in a small legal community and by attorney workloads; Alaska Legal Services relies on supervised non-attorney staff and contract native-law attorneys to handle specific case types such as child-in-need-of-aid tribal representation. Delahanty said non-lawyer staff (paralegals, community justice workers) are supervised by attorneys and covered under malpractice insurance.

Ending Alaska Legal Services will be notified of any grant award following final score confirmation and staff drafting of grant agreements.