LSNM receives $25,000 grant from Enhance Alexandria

By Echo Press staff report

March 18, 2023 at 8:12 AM

ALEXANDRIA — Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota has announce it is one of 10 Enhance Alexandria grant program recipients. The Alexandria City Council awarded grant funding in the amount of $25,000 to LSNM.

LSNM will use the Enhance Alexandria grant to fund the Housing Eviction Advocacy Law Project. The project will: 1) provide an attorney for legal representation and advice for low-income families in Douglas County; 2) develop strong connections with landlords and educate landlords about cost-effective and mutually beneficial alternatives to court evictions available for low-income families to avoid evictions; and 3) work with court administration and other stakeholders to create a Douglas County coordinated housing calendar.

Coordinated housing calendars offer remote eviction hearing on consistent days and times. Remote hearings eliminate the need for tenants to travel to court hearings, thereby removing barriers such as childcare, gas money, lack of transportation and missed work.

“This coordination allows LSNM to leverage a small legal staff to appear at every first appearance for the housing court calendars," LSNM Executive Director Anne Hoefgen said in a press release. "Instead of putting the burden on a family that is facing a housing crisis to find the resources, call, and apply for services, LSNM lawyers are available for legal advice and representation at the hearing. Giving tenants immediate access to legal advice aids the process, educates judges about housing law, increases the efficiency of the court hearings, ensures that the law if followed, helps landlords receive the rent owed to them, and importantly, avoids homelessness for low-income families and individuals.”

Stable housing is essential in maintaining the health, safety and well-being of individuals and families. With support from the Enhance Alexandria grant program, the HEAL Project can bring a right to counsel in housing cases in Douglas County and maintain housing stability for low-income families in Alexandria.

If you or someone you know is in need of civil legal help, call 1-800-450-8585, or visit www.lsnmlaw.org . For additional civil legal information, visit www.LawHelpMN.org .

By Echo Press staff report

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of "staff." Often, the "staff" byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.