Kristi and her son are rebuilding their lives away from their abuser. They had Legal Aid on their side.

For years Kristi’s husband, Daniel, beat her severely. He sexually assaulted her, ripped out her hair, and during the last beating, he gagged their young child. That night, the neighbors called 911. When the police arrived, Daniel told Kristi to pretend she was asleep and threatened to kill her if she opened the door. Despite…

Attorneys from two different teams worked together and obtained great results so Jeff can maintain his independence.

Jeff 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 also had an issue with his subsidized housing. One of Legal Aid’s housing team attorneys accepted the housing case.…

FAQ (English & Spanish)

Legal Aid of Western Missouri’s Urban Homesteading Program FAQ Preguntas frecuentes sobre el programa Urban Homesteading de Legal Aid of Western Missouri   What is the Urban Homesteading Program? ¿Qué es el Programa (Urban Homesteading)? A program for individuals who have the skills and resources available to rehabilitate an abandoned house through a partnership with…

Urban Homesteading #2

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO OPEN GALLERY This property is in the Indian Mound Neighborhood Association, one of our community partners. The neighborhood association chose a 60-year-old man with over two decades of construction experience to be the Urban Homesteader. He immigrated to this country from Cuba as a teenager and has been living here…

Urban Homesteading #1

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO OPEN GALLERY The current owner-occupant of this Neighbors United for Action property in Kansas City renovated it under the Urban Homesteader Project. The neighborhood association sought assistance from Legal Aid’s Adopt-A-Neighborhood Project in dealing with four vacant homes on the same block. Legal professionals from Kutak Rock law firm and…

Thanks to help from her Legal Aid Attorney, Anita has the income she needs to survive

Anita had worked retail and restaurant jobs her entire life. When she reached full retirement age, she began receiving her Social Security benefits. She could not live off of her retirement benefit alone, so she continued to work part-time at a local department store. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Anita’s doctor told her she should…