Research Initiatives and Task Forces
The Effect of State & Local Laws on Evictions Study
Congress directed LSC to conduct an extensive study of the impact of state and local laws on evictions as part of the FY 2019 appropriations legislation. To date, the project has produced several products that analyze different aspects of the eviction crisis. In 2023, LSC continued to build on the study, releasing a brief in June that highlighted promising efforts to prevent illegal evictions and a July memo looking at the cost of providing representation to every low-income American facing eviction.
The brief noted that widespread layoffs during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented unemployment rates and increased eviction risk. Civil legal service providers developed collaborative programs and innovative initiatives to enable low-income people to overcome barriers to justice and prevent evictions. The memo found that the cost of providing counsel to all low-income Americans facing eviction would range from $3.3 billion to $4.1 billion. At the time of the analysis, 1.6 million low-income tenants were at risk of eviction. The memo also stated that 97% of renters are unrepresented in their eviction hearings and goes on to describe the immense impact that legal representation has on the outcomes of these cases.
LSC Task Forces
LSC continued to address some of the most widespread and urgent legal issues through its privately funded task forces. These initiatives brought a variety of leaders and experts together to examine and promote awareness of issues pertaining to access to justice for low-income Americans.
The Housing Task Force published a four-issue series, “Housing Insecurity in the United States and the Role of Legal Aid,” in 2023. Each brief in the series documented a specific challenge that lo-income tenants or homeowners experience and compiled relevant research and original interviews with experts.
The briefs also highlighted how civil legal aid and other interventions can help individuals and families achieve stability and housing security.
Read the briefs
Members worked closely with LSC staff in 2023 to implement the recommendations in the task force’s final report, most significantly developing a structure for conducting legal clinics to betterserve veterans. This framework focuses on pre-registrating veterans to identify collective needs, including Veteran Service Officers to expand the resources available, and providing a “warm handoff” to any other services that veterans might need.
The team organized two pilot clinics in conjunction with DLA Piper, the firm underwriting the task force, and local partners. Legal areas addressed at both clinics included wills, public benefits, consumer debt, discharge upgrades and VA benefits.
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The final report, slated for publication in 2025, will feature case studies to help illustrate the Task Force’s recommendations and model practices for expanding access to justice in these underserved communities.
In the lead up to the final report, LSC and partners are raising awareness of the Task Force’s efforts. In November, LSC facilitated a session on lessons learned from the Rural Justice Task Force at the National Legal Aid & Defender Association annual conference in Oakland, California.
Read final report
LSC staff are working to implement the Task Force’s recommendations and have prioritized training, raising public awareness of the civil legal issues faced by individuals affected by the opioid epidemic and securing funding for civil legal aid providers to assist individuals affected by the epidemic.
LSC contracted with ThinkingKap Learning Solutions, Inc. to develop a training series comprised of 10 short videos for LSC grantees, pro bono attorneys and members of the public to gain a better understanding of the impact of opioid use disorder (OUD) and the civil legal issues faced by individuals and families affected by OUD.
See tools and resources