Iowa Legal Aid outlines eviction, benefits and disaster legal services to county supervisors

A managing attorney from Iowa Legal Aid told the Pottawatomie County Board of Supervisors that the nonprofit provides free civil legal services statewide, emphasizing eviction assistance, public-benefits appeals and disaster recovery support. The attorney, representing Iowa Legal Aid’s local office, said the office covers 10 surrounding counties and recently moved to a new, ADA-accessible site on the Lincoln campus that shares space with other human services. “We are very interested in helping create healthy and stable living environments,” the managing attorney said, explaining the office’s focus on evictions, foreclosures, substandard housing and utility shutoffs. Nut graf: The presentation matters because supervisors and county staff hear directly from the local legal-aid provider about rising eviction demand, veterans benefits work and disaster-response legal help — services county residents often need but cannot access privately. Iowa Legal Aid said evictions rose sharply during COVID and now account for nearly half of its caseload in the local office; before COVID they made up about 25–30 percent. The attorney said the office runs a locally funded eviction diversion project and daily courthouse assistance to try to prevent filings from progressing to eviction hearings. The office also pursues landlord engagement and uses continuance agreements — asking landlords to delay hearings while staff connect tenants with resources — to try to resolve arrears without forcible removal. The office also helps residents with public-benefits issues (SNAP, Medicaid, WIC), administrative appeals and consumer matters to stabilize household income. On family law, the presenter said the office’s family-law work is limited to people who are victims of domestic violence and that family-law cases made up about one-third of last year’s caseload for the office. The presenter described a veterans project that helps people seek VA benefits and, when appropriate, assist with discharge upgrades to restore eligibility. “Emily Reese in my office is almost full time on that,” the attorney said, noting she prioritizes veteran intakes for specialist review. On disaster recovery, the office maintains a small disaster team and operates a mobile “Justice Bus” — a camper equipped as a mobile office — to meet residents after disasters, help replace lost documents and navigate FEMA and contractor disputes. Supervisors and attendees asked about caseload numbers and funding. The attorney said the local office closed close to 300 cases in the most recent calendar quarter, covering roughly 600 household members, and that funding is roughly one-third federal (Legal Services Corporation), one-third state appropriations and one-third private fundraising and grants. When asked about staff size, the attorney said the office currently has four full-time staff attorneys plus the manager, who carries a limited caseload. Ending: The board took no formal action on the presentation; supervisors thanked the attorney and invited further coordination with county services.