Douglas County updates legal self‑help center; commissioners hear eviction, volunteer and data report

Brandy Nichols Brackovich, director of the Douglas County Self Help Center, told the Board of County Commissioners at a work session that the center opened to the public on May 1, 2023, and has recorded 1,420 completed intakes, including 268 intakes related to eviction matters.

The update, intended to introduce the center’s operations to newer commissioners and report progress to longer‑serving members, outlined staffing, volunteer support, grant funding and data limitations that affect how the county and partner agencies measure outcomes. Commissioners asked for more granular eviction data and clarification on which services are funded by county versus outside grants.

Brackovich said the center “was approved for funding during the summer 2022 budget cycle to begin for FY ’23.” She described a staffing mix that includes an eviction coordinator, Adelaide Mendoza, whose position was initially fully funded by a National Center for State Courts grant and has since been funded at 50 percent in subsequent budget years, and a VISTA member, Isabelle Hawkins, who coordinates volunteer schedules. Brackovich said retired and volunteer attorneys supplement center services; she named Marilyn Harp as a volunteer attorney who provides several appointments weekly.

The center provides guided interviews, forms assistance and limited legal information to people representing themselves in civil cases. Brackovich emphasized that the center does…