Douglas County splits $40,000 pilot for tenant-eviction legal services between two providers after debate

The Douglas County Commission voted 3–2 May 13 to split a $40,000 pilot award for tenant-eviction legal services, awarding $20,000 to Kansas Legal Services (KLS) and $20,000 to Kansas Holistic Defenders (KHD). The pilot is intended to test whether providing legal representation and expanded intake can reduce evictions and produce measurable outcomes useful to county policymakers.

Staff presented an RFP evaluation (Jill, assistant county administration) that rated KLS higher on the scored criteria and its existing data-reporting system — an approach modeled on a Topeka eviction-defense program. Commissioners expressed concern that awarding the full amount to KLS could duplicate or disrupt an existing Friday answer-docket system run by KHD, which already provides intake and brief services in Douglas County.

KHD (Sam) described its answer-docket operations: KHD staff interview every person who appears at the weekly eviction answer docket, provide brief advice and then triage for full representation capacity. Sam said KHD already collects client intakes and has a grant that funds weekly staffing; he said a cooperative triage process with KLS could allow both organizations to expand full representation without duplicating work.

KLS (Brynn) argued their Topeka model has robust metrics and outcome reporting and that the organization can produce the data the commission requested. Both applicants told commissioners they are open to collaboration and referral protocols to address conflicts and overlapping client need, but each said standing up a tightly integrated joint model under the rushed timeline would be challenging.

Several public speakers — including tenants and housing advocates — urged the commission to fund organizations with existing local capacity; many noted that legal services alone do not supply the rental assistance needed to pay back rent, but they argued for more access to counsel as a stabilizing tool. One commissioner flagged the importance of including self-help center staff in any intake/data plan to prevent duplicative work and to manage referrals.

After a short recess to allow the applicants to consult, the commission approved a motion to split the $40,000: $20,000 to KLS and $20,000 to KHD, with staff directed to finalize contracts and work with both organizations and the self-help center to align intake forms, data metrics and referral procedures for the pilot period. Commissioners said they expect periodic reporting on outcomes and recommended continued exploration of a longer-term and better-funded collaborative model if the pilot shows impact.