Randall was living in a homeless shelter. He has a history of mental illness along with a history of alcohol and substance abuse. Mental health and substance abuse issues ran in his family; Randall’s brother, who had been dealing with similar circumstances, had committed suicide a few years prior. Randall knew he had to change…
Arturo, who is legally blind and cannot work, struggled to get by on meager monthly payments he received under the Supplemental Aid to the Blind program. He contacted Legal Aid after receiving a notice from the Missouri Family Support Division that his Supplemental Aid to the Blind benefits were being terminated and he had been…
Although Roger served in the National Guard for five years, his service did not qualify him to receive medical care or benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Roger has ongoing mental health problems, some of which stemmed from being homeless for over 20 years. Roger was unable to obtain medical treatment because of his…
Frederick’s utilities were disconnected while he was hospitalized for a life-threatening liver condition. When he was released from the hospital, he had no power or water and the police refused to allow Frederick to stay in a home with no utilities. He was forced to get a hotel room that night. Frederick could not afford…
Joanna was tricked into buying the mortgage on a vacant and blighted home in Kansas City’s urban core by an investor who had purchased the property upon a prior foreclosure. Joanna is low-income but she was promised the investor would rent out the home and repay the mortgage with the revenue made by renting the…
Every year, Legal Aid of Western Missouri provides free legal assistance and representation on civil (noncriminal) matters to thousands of your neediest neighbors in our 40-county service area. When they have nowhere else to turn, low-income families and individuals, elders, and people with disabilities look to Legal Aid for help to secure the most basic necessities…
On November 30, 2017 Legal Aid began its Tenant Legal Help Clinic at the downtown Jackson County Courthouse. Housing attorneys Jane Worley and Maura Weber, with help from co-workers, are at the Courthouse every Thursday hosting the clinic. At the clinic, attorneys meet with low-income residential tenants who are being evicted by their landlords. Attorneys…
At the Tenant Legal Help Clinic, a Legal Aid attorney met with Meg, who was being evicted for allegedly not paying her rent. Meg maintained she had in fact paid all her rent, including late fees. The attorney explained to Meg what evidence she would need to submit to the Court in order to win…
Fred was referred to Legal Aid by a community partner. His Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments had been suspended for an unknown reason. While his Legal Aid attorney was investigating his SSI benefits, she learned he was also having an issue with his subsidized housing. One of Legal Aid’s housing team attorneys accepted the housing…
Weldon is a disabled man living on a small fixed income. He contacted Legal Aid after his home was foreclosed on and he faced imminent eviction. Due to his poor health, Weldon was unable to find appropriate housing quickly and needed to delay his eviction. In reviewing Weldon’s case, his Legal Aid attorney realized that…
