2022-2023 VOCALS MEMBERS -
VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION: CENTER FOR ARKANSAS LEGAL SERVICES

VOCALS Attorney of the Year Award (2023)- Karie Bryan

Congratulations to Karie Bryan of Ramsay, Bridgforth, Robinson, and Raley! We appreciate the hard work that Karie has done through our pro bono partnership.

Karie Bryan was the first recipient of the newly renamed Jean Turner-Carter VOCALS Attorney of the Year Award in May 2023. Karie has dedicated, in just the last year, pro bono services to multiple Arkansas Legal clients, providing dozens of hours of service, and using her legal skills to give them not only legal services but hope for the future. Karie represents the new generation of attorneys in our central Arkansas legal community who want to give back, particularly through volunteering as a VOCALS member. She’s a role model for all of us.

CENTER FOR ARKANSAS LEGAL SERVICES AWARDED $394K PRO BONO GRANT

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC), a national nonprofit organization founded by Congress, has announced that it is awarding a Pro Bono Innovation Fund grant of $394,344 to the Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS).

CALS, a nonprofit law firm that provides free civil legal services to low-income Arkansans, is one of 17 legal aid organizations receiving a grant. LSC is awarding a total of $5 million to support nationwide efforts to improve pro bono legal services. 

These grants are meant to address what LCS has called the “justice gap,” in which low-income Americans do not receive sufficient legal help for 92% of their civil legal problems. Pro bono work is one of the approaches that LSC advances to address this disparity, as expanding it and other volunteer legal services give legal aid providers increased bandwidth to assist low-income Americans in civil issues like housing, family, employment and income maintenance, consumer debt and natural disaster recovery. 

Arkansas organization, nonprofit law firm hosts virtual panel on student loan debt

An Arkansas organization and a nonprofit law firm are cooperating to host a virtual discussion on student loan debt and relief with state and national experts via Zoom and Facebook Live.

A news release from the Arkansas Public Policy Panel stated that the organization and the non-profit law firm Center for Arkansas Legal Services will host the discussion on Friday. The event is free and open to the public as part of the APPP's webinar series on major issues affecting Arkansasns, Arkansas Communities, and state policy.

The release stated that panelists will share their thoughts on many topics, including the Biden administration’s new Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, Fresh Start, income-driven repayment, and bankruptcy discharge.

Spa City complex must keep all 64 units air-conditioned

An agreement reached Thursday in the lawsuit Greenbriar Apartment tenants filed last week prohibits ownership from removing air conditioning from any of the federally subsidized complex's 64 units, an attorney for the plaintiffs said.

The temporary order prohibiting the removal of air conditioners that Division 1 Circuit Judge Ralph Ohm entered Aug. 1 was limited to the four tenants named as plaintiffs, said Jonathan Green, one of the Center for Arkansas Legal Services attorneys who is representing the tenants.

Green said the agreed order Ohm signed Thursday applies to the entire complex, where tenants have been told their air conditioning would be removed if they opted out of a monthly surcharge. Several tenants have said they can't afford the fee, $25 a month for a small unit and $130 for a large one, on their fixed incomes.

"Originally, we only had standing to request that the court prohibit the removal of only the named litigant tenants' air conditioners," Green said. "However, because we secured agreement to a broader order, Greenbriar is prohibited from removing air conditioners across the entirety of the complex, regardless if a tenant is a litigant or not."

City board pulls item on air conditioning

But an attorney who filed the motion said the order only applies to tenants named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit alleging fraud, discrimination and breach of contract by Greenbriar ownership.

"Judge Ohm has the power to place a restraining order over tenants named in the lawsuit," Jonathan Green, one of the Center for Arkansas Legal Services attorneys representing the four tenants who are suing ownership. "We couldn't file on behalf of all the tenants. We lack standing, and the court would lack standing to enter that order.

"We tried to rush to get that [temporary restraining order] in place. Our hope was that it would discourage management from removing any of the air conditioners."

Green said he and his colleagues are working to add more tenants to the suit prior to the Aug. 14 hearing on the temporary order and motion to permanently enjoin ownership from removing the air conditioners.

Court blocks removing Greenbriar Apartments' air conditioning units

HOT SPRINGS -- A judge issued a temporary order Tuesday that prohibits ownership of Greenbriar Apartments from removing window-mounted air conditioners from the federally subsidized complex.

Tenants filed a motion Monday in Garland County Circuit Court to permanently enjoin ownership from removing the air conditioners, asking Judge Ralph Ohm for an interim order that would keep air conditioning in place until the Aug. 14 hearing on their motion.

"Plaintiffs rely on their air conditioning units to shield them from the excessive heat of summer," attorneys from the Center for Arkansas Legal Services said in the motion they filed on behalf of plaintiffs and Greenbriar tenants David Bell, Elberta Crouch, Crystal Todd and Keishon Hicks.

"Much of the country and Arkansas have been under an excessive heat warning for over a month. Plaintiffs are at increased risk of physical harm from the excessive temperatures without air conditioning," the motion said.

DHS software system presents challenges in Medicaid disenrollment process

During a Zoom conference call on Tuesday, the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families spoke with Trevor Townsend, who handles Medicaid benefits for the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, about the problems he is seeing while handling cases related to the state’s Medicaid disenrollment process.

Townsend said he has seen an increase in Medicaid claims in the past few months because of the disenrollment process. Arkansas, like every other state, is required by the federal government to disenroll Medicaid recipients who were only eligible under the COVID-era policies.

Townsend said one of the issues with the disenrollment process has been how the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) have sent notices to Medicaid recipients.

“They [DHS] combined the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) with Medicaid notices. Some folks are getting decisions on their SNAP cases and they are also getting language in their Medicaid cases all in the same and it can be really confusing,” he said.

As States Purge Medicaid Rolls, Legal Aid Groups Step Up

Conflicting information is a big issue in the process, said Trevor Townsend, a managing attorney in the public benefits section at the Center for Arkansas Legal Services. He pointed to one client who reported receiving two Medicaid coverage notices within a week, each with different income findings for the family.

Arkansas has among the nation's highest rates of "procedural terminations" — where someone is cut from Medicaid for something like not returning a form — with more than 80% of disenrollments being procedural.

"Some of those folks may have made the decision not to return the [paperwork] just because they knew that they weren't eligible, but I suspect a large portion of those just got tripped up in this process," Townsend said.

Nationally, more than 70% of terminations are for procedural reasons, according to KFF. That has raised alarms among federal officials.

School of Law Announces 2023 Summer Public Service Fellows

The U of A School of Law is pleased to announce this year's cohort of nine Summer Public Service Fellows. The fellowship program provides promising law students with financial support to work for a public service employer over the summer. It is part of the law school's broader effort to fulfill the university's mission as a land-grant institution.

"This program helps to build the next generation of public-service-minded lawyers by making it possible for law students to take the jobs of their dreams," said Sara Gosman, associate professor of law and faculty director of the Public Service and Pro Bono program at the law school…

2023 SUMMER PUBLIC SERVICE FELLOWS

Christopher Barnes, Ben J. Altheimer Public Service Fellow, will work for the Center for Arkansas Legal Services in Jefferson County, Arkansas.

Fort Smith directors allocate nearly $2.8 million in federal grant money

Largest portion of funds go to Next Step Homeless Services for new shelter

FORT SMITH -- City directors have allocated nearly $2.8 million in federal money to help several River Valley agencies.

The city received $812,865 in Community Development Block Grant money and $462,538 in Home Investment Partnership money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Next Step Homeless Services received the largest portion of the grants, with $13,797 for transitional case management and $48,957 for its new homeless facility.

Fort Smith also received roughly $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan money, which President Joe Biden approved in March 2021 to address the continued impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the economy, public health, state and local governments, individuals and businesses.

The directors Tuesday approved allocating the rescue plan money to the Crawford Sebastian Community Development Council, Next Step, the Center for Legal Services, Riverview Hope Campus and the Community Rescue Mission.

How renters can get help in Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Over the past few weeks, we've seen your calls and messages about apartment maintenance and rent price issues before and after the tornado. If you're in a situation like this— what can you do about it?

Arkansas law guarantees renters a certain safety standard in their homes, but it also has measures that protect landlords from unruly tenants.

Figuring out your rights as a renter can be confusing.

Kale Anderson, a housing attorney with Arkansas Legal Aid, helps low-income tenants with housing issues.

"Most other states are going to offer renters more rights than Arkansas," Anderson said. "We work with what we have."

Viewers have sent us photos of sewage issues, leaky ceilings after rain, and missing doors at apartments across Little Rock.

So what are your legal options if these issues continue after making management aware?

"If it continues not being fixed and ends up causing some health problems," Anderson said. "Then you could have the ability to break your lease."

Do you have to pay rent if you're still in a lease and problems stick around?…

Free legal help available for Arkansas severe storms and tornadoes survivors

A free legal help hotline is now available for Arkansas Severe Storms and Tornadoes survivors.

The hotline is available to connect survivors to free legal services in qualifying counties who cannot afford an attorney. Survivors can call (501) 376-3423.

Hotline callers may get help with legal issues like:

● FEMA and SBA financial benefits
● Home repair contracts and property insurance claims
● Re-doing wills and other important legal documents destroyed in the disaster
● Price gouging, scams, or identity theft
● Landlord or tenant problems, or threats of foreclosure
● Disability-related access to federal, state, and local disaster programs

Survivors can call the hotline anytime and leave a message if calling after hours

'From homeowner to homeless': Sunset Lake Mobile Home Park residents ousted after city buys land

According to the residents, popular forms of agreement between the landlord and tenants is a “rent-to-own” contract and a “lot rental only” contract. According to Kendall Lewellen, an attorney with the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, this creates a vulnerable situation for the tenants.

“In general, formal title to a home should be transferred once the buyer makes all of their payments through a rent-to-own contract. A rent-to-own buyer can take legal action to get the title once they have made all their payments if the owner will not complete the necessary paperwork to transfer title,” Lewellen said. “This would allow them to sell the home. In theory, a person who is still paying off a rent-to-own mobile home could move the home to another location. 

“Unfortunately, a person who is purely renting a mobile home and the lot underneath is in a very vulnerable situation. If a renter does not have a long-term lease, Arkansas law generally allows the landlord to evict the tenant with 30 days’ notice for any reason other than discrimination based on a protected class.” 

Number of Arkansans who will lose Medicaid coverage under return to normal eligibility rules unknown, state officials say

Trevor Townsend, public benefits subject area manager for the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, said Medicaid plays a vital role in providing essential healthcare services to individuals and families who cannot afford it otherwise.

"The end of the Medicaid Continuous Enrollment Condition means that hundreds of thousands of Arkansans will be without health insurance or have to find an alternate source on their own, and many of our clients are not in an economic position to do so," he said in a written statement.

The state has an obligation to handle the unwinding process appropriately, from properly notifying enrollees to having enough staff with the skills to handle each case adequately, Townsend said.

"This will be a massive undertaking; therefore, it is legally essential for the State to provide adequate notice to Medicaid beneficiaries of any intended adverse action it intends to take," he said. "Previous litigation on Medicaid has made it clear that these due process rights are fundamental and must be specifically followed. Every person has the right to due process, which means if Arkansans have been denied Medicaid due to this change, they have a right to challenge the denial in a fair hearing. Our staff is here to immediately help Arkansans if they receive a redetermination or denial letter through our dedicated helpline ..."

Do I keep paying rent if my home was destroyed by a tornado?

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Do you have to continue paying rent if your home was destroyed in Friday's tornado?

While there is no simple answer, Seven On Your Side is told there is a strong legal argument that a tenant no longer owes rent if their home or apartment was destroyed due to a tornado.

Kendall Lewellen, an attorney with the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, said while each case differs courts have allowed tenants to get out of leases when the home is inhabitable.

"In general, I would have tenants just ask their landlords if they expect rent and then call us if they run into problems," Lewellen told 7OYS.

Tenants of Benton mobile home park worry about future after given 30 days to vacate land

BENTON, Ark. (KATV) — The sun isn't really shining at the Sunset Lake Mobile Home Park in Benton after the landlord terminated their leases.

From continuous issues on the property like a lack of water to now being forced from their homes.

The rights of the residents are going to depend on a few different things here," said Kendall Lewellen from the Center for Arkansas Legal Services. "First of all, they're going to depend on if the residents are buying or renting their homes. In general, those who are buying their homes are going to have a lot more rights than those who are renting."

It's a fine line of legality and ethics. One that residents hope the landlord and owner can put more thought into before they are left homeless.

Proposed work requirement for federal housing assistance advances in Arkansas House

This conflict would create a liability for housing authorities and put their federal charters at risk if they do not follow federal law closely enough, said Kendall Lewellen, an attorney with the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, a nonprofit law firm that represents low-income Arkansans in civil cases.

“Reasonable people can disagree about whether the work requirements contemplated under this bill are a good idea, so I’m here to discuss whether they are legal,” Lewellen said. “The short answer is that they are not.”

Federal law overrides state law, according to the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Lewellen told the Arkansas Advocate last week that the bill could also increase public housing agencies’ workload beyond their capacities.

“Housing authorities tend to be understaffed and underfunded, and they already have a lot of reporting requirements and other things that they have to do,” she said. “This is just imposing an additional burden on them that I suspect they do not want or they would have tried to do something like this themselves.”

Nonprofit law firm to hold free record sealing event at Shorter College on Friday

The Center for Arkansas Legal Services is planning to host a free record sealing event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday in the Shorter College cafeteria at 604 N. Locust St. in North Little Rock, according a Facebook post from the nonprofit law firm. 

Amber Quaid, a spokesperson for the center, said the event is designed to help low-income Arkansans. “We want to help people who’ve had to apply for a job or housing and will have a background check done,” she said on Wednesday. 

Quaid said attorneys at the event can help seal misdemeanors and some felonies for clients. 

However, class Y felonies, commercial burglaries, assault on a law enforcement officer, sexual assault charges and some other cases cannot be sealed, she said. 

Clients can discuss their individual situations one-on-one with an attorney on Friday. 

“Most people seeking to seal their record have done their time or paid their fines and are no longer committing these misdemeanors,” Quaid said. “They just want to be able to be back in society, and we just want to give them that opportunity.” 

Utilities to shut off at Big Country Chateau apartments

Tenants at the Big Country Chateau apartments are in distress due to shutoff notices on their doors which said their electricity will get cut in two weeks.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Some tenants at the Big Country Chateau apartments are having deja vu after utility shutoff notices were placed on their doors for the second time in six months.

On Monday, Entergy told tenants that they have two weeks before their electricity gets cut. This follows a notice they received from Central Arkansas Water last week, alerting them of a water shutoff scheduled for March.

Housing Subject Area Manager at the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, Kendall Lewellen, said that tenants aren't out of options.

"If a landlord and a tenant have a contract, which most people would call a lease, in which the landlord agrees to provide water, and then the landlord does not provide water, that would be a breach or a violation of that contract," Lewellen explained.

Arkansas Renters United, a renter advocacy group, shared that they've been doing what they can to support tenants, even going door to door offering advice.

Center for Arkansas Legal Services welcomes new executive director

The Center for Arkansas Legal Services, based in Little Rock with seven offices in central and southern Arkansas, recently announced its first new executive director in almost three decades, Milo Mumgaard.

Mumgaard "joins CALS at a critical moment for low-income Arkansans who are facing an increasingly difficult economy and legal environment and need protection and advancement of their fundamental civil legal rights now more than ever," a news release said.

Mumgaard has over 30 years of experience leading civil legal services and public interest legal programs across the country. Most recently, Mumgaard served seven years as executive director of Legal Aid of Nebraska, a statewide legal services nonprofit law firm based in Omaha. "During his successful tenure, Legal Aid of Nebraska doubled its staff to over 100 (including almost 60 attorneys), nearly doubled its revenue and budget to over $11 million annually, launched new community-based projects to more effectively bring critically needed civil legal services to families and communities across Nebraska, and significantly increased its pro bono (volunteer) legal profession support and participation," the release said.

2021-2022 VOCALS Members -Volunteer organization: Center for Arkansas legal services

VOCALS Attorney of the Year Award (2022)- Drake Mann

Congratulations to Drake Mann of Gil Ragon Owen, PA (social tag)! We appreciate the hard work that Drake has done through our pro bono partnership, and we were proud to honor him at this year's Pulaski County Bar Association's Annual Awards Dinner as our VOCALS Attorney of the Year!

"Drake Mann has been a member of VOCALS since 1997. As a VOCALS attorney, Mr. Mann has volunteered over 163 hours representing indigent clients. He has represented grandparents trying to provide stable homes for their grandchildren who have been neglected and abandoned; families seeking guardianships to assist disabled adults; and provided legal assistance in other probate matters. Congratulations!"

Officials will hold an event for formerly incarcerated individuals to access resources and services, as well as to meet with potential employers, on Sept. 17 in Little Rock.

They previewed the upcoming eighth edition of the annual "Rights After Wrongs" event during a news conference Wednesday at the Little Rock School District's Developmental Training Center -- previously Henderson Middle School.

The latest "Rights After Wrongs" event sponsored by the Central Arkansas Reentry Coalition and the city of Little Rock will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the same location, 401 John Barrow Road, a week from Saturday.

Leta Anthony, the chairwoman of the reentry coalition, called it "a great opportunity for people who have a criminal justice background, for family members who just want to get information about what services are available -- for any citizen who is trying to get an opportunity to mainstream back into the community."

Helen Newberry, an attorney at the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, said attorneys will be on-hand to assist with record sealing. She requested that prospective attendees make an appointment by calling 501-376-3423, but also said no one will be turned away.

Individuals should bring either an Arkansas Crime Information Center background report or the docket or sentencing order tied to their charges, Newberry said.

Veterans connected with community organizations and received information during a picnic and resource fair hosted by Pulaski County Community Services in Little Rock on Saturday morning.

At the first veterans’ picnic since the start of the pandemic, 18 organizations set up tables inside the Pulaski County Regional Building to answer questions and help veterans understand the benefits available to them during and after their service. Outside, the county Public Works Department cooked hamburgers and hot dogs for the community.

Albert “Al” Harkins, the Pulaski County Veteran Service officer, said he expected a large gathering at the picnic Saturday after covid-19 prevented the event from happening over the past few years.

As the Veteran Service officer, Harkins works for the Community Services department and connects with about 1,000veterans every year. He said the event provides a place where they can receive immediate assistance from supportive organizations and have any question answered.

“Our duty is to provide veterans with information and assistance regarding their needs for disability compensation due to them as a result of disabilities that occurred during their time in service,” Harkins said. “The fair is to assist veterans in knowing what is available to them for these needs and where to fi nd that assistance.”

What rights do tenants have in Arkansas?

LITTLE ROCK (AR) — The state of Arkansas has legislation in place that provides guidance and standards for rental property.

Kendall Lewellen, Housing Subject Manager at the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, said the law allows tenants to break out of the lease if standards are not met.

"The landlord has a 30-day period to remedy the issue and the tenant actually has to serve notice by certified mail," Lewellen said. " This does not allow the tenant to sue, it does not allow the tenant to go to court and compel the landlord to make the repair so it doesn't really give tenants much of a remedy although in theory, it gives them a right."

To read the law in full detail, click here.

Lewellen said one of the most effective ways for tenants to get things fixed is to contact their city code enforcement to see if they have ordinances in place that contain a similar objective…

Lewellen said the Center for Arkansas Legal Services provides no-cost legal advice on the rights of renters and that people can also call them at 501-376-3423

Tara Blackwell ’24L Selected for Legal Corps Fellowship

Tara Blackwell, a member of the Law Class of 2024, has been chosen for a 2022 Rural Summer Legal Corps Fellowship. Blackwell was one of 40 law students chosen from over 300 applications to the prestigious fellowship program.

The Rural Summer Legal Corps Fellowship is a partnership between Equal Justice Works, the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law, and the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), the nation’s single largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans. Program participants spend eight to ten weeks hosted by LSC-funded civil legal aid organizations, where they help address challenges facing rural communities.

Blackwell’s host organization is the Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS), where she will work on “Keeping it in the Family,” a special initiative to reduce generational poverty through home ownership and estate planning. As a Student Fellow, Blackwell will help protect family land through “Wills on Wheels” clinics to prevent title issues before they occur, participate in community outreach, and provide litigation support to CALS staff attorneys.

Arkansas’ eviction rate in 2022 is highest in 5 years, data show- Kendall Lewellen

Kendall Lewellen, Center for Arkansas Legal Services manager of the housing program, said a majority of evictions filed are for nonpayment of rent. She also said she's continuing to see a rise in evictions filed.

There are a few reasons evictions could be rising, Lewellen said. She agreed the moratoriums lifting could have a part. She also added that the Arkansas Rent Relief Program stopped taking new applications in April.

The program is where about $100 million of the federal funds were used to help 32,000 people struggling from covid-19 pay rent or utilities. Some 121 applications are still being processed from the program and are expected to receive about $400,000 in assistance, said Gavin Lesnick, a spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Human Services…

Lewellen said caseworkers are important and she supports housing stability programs that help Arkansans.

"You can invest in the housing stability programs and also take all the money," Lewellen said. "The things are not mutually exclusive."

Rental Relief Rejection: Arkansas sends COVID-19 funds back to federal government-Kendall Lewellen

Housing advocates say rental crisis not over.

Kendall Lewellen, housing subject area manager for the Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS), told The Daily Record there are two distinct issues at work in Gov. Hutchinson’s recent executive order: the need for more housing stability services and the state’s refusal to accept further ERA2 funding.

“First, I commend the Governor’s efforts to expand housing stability services for poor Arkansans,” said Lewellen. “This enormous issue will take people, time and money to tackle effectively. By and large, people do not stop paying their bills just to see what happens. Evictions are normally caused by changes in circumstances such as family break-ups, job loss or injuries. By getting caseworkers involved, they can work on the root causes of eviction to help ensure that it does not happen again.”

Lewellen added that Arkansas already has a strong network of people and nonprofits involved in housing stability work every day. “I work for one of them as a nonprofit civil legal aid provider,” she said. “However, these programs do not have all the resources they need. I would love to see what these groups come up with if they put their heads together with $39 million in flexible funding.”

Report: Natural disasters on the rise in Arkansas -Helen Newberry

Helen Newbery with the Center for Arkansas Legal Services said getting insurance for your home will be key as the state continues to see more natural disasters.

“Increase incidents that we’re seeing, people really need to start thinking about looking at their insurance, getting insured,” Newberry said.

Newberry said it’s important to prepare now for severe weather. She recommends making electronic copies of important documents in case they get damaged from the weather and preparing a kit with essential items.

The Center for Arkansas Legal Services has an online tool kit to help you prepare and recover from natural disasters. You can find that here.

Seniors and the Law, Hot Springs Village- Helen Newberry, Sarah Cowan, and Zach Baumgarten

The Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS) provides free civil legal aid to low-income Arkansans to help protect their health, family, and property. The Center does not handle criminal charges, car wrecks, or slips and falls. Additionally, the team makes presentations and offers clinics on Arkansas law for all income levels.

Attorneys, Sarah Cowan, and Helen Newberry, in collaboration with the Saline County Library, presented “Seniors and the Law” on Friday, March 25. This event was hosted by HSV Coronado Center Library with HSV Librarian, Glenda Ford, introducing the guests. Attorney Zach Baumgarten was also present. At the end of the presentation, the attorneys were available for brief private consultations.

Job fair provides second chance opportunities for people with felonies -Arkansas Legal

After serving their time, people with felonies on their record face multiple barriers to getting back on the right track. Being barred from housing and job opportunities can prevent them from re-establishing a better life for themselves and their families.  

The Second Chance Pop-Up Event, hosted by the 100 Families Initiative, Zero to Three, and the Fort Smith Workforce Center, will help individuals connect with job opportunities and additional services.  

The event will be from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday, March 14 at the Western Arkansas Workforce Development Center, 616 Garrison Ave. in Fort Smith. Eight area employers and service providers, including Goodwill, the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, Burger King, and Job Corps, will attend.  

Little Rock rent rises nearly 15% over last two years -Kendall Lewellen

One reason the price can keep rising is there's really no limit.

Kendall Lewellan works for Center for Arkansas Legal Services as the Housing Subject Area Manager. She said there's no real "cap" on rent prices in the state.

"Arkansas renters don't have a lot of rights compared to renters in other states, that is objectively true," she said.

Center for Arkansas Legal Services recommends when signing a lease, renters read through everything and make sure all agreements are down on paper.

DHS investigating potential fraud cases related to the rent relief program -Kendall Lewellen

So what happens if a tenant doesn't use the money to pay rent? An attorney for the Center for Arkansas Legal Service, Kendall Lewellen, said tenants will face consequences.

“The tenant still owes that money to the landlord, legally speaking, and the landlord can then try and recover it from them,” Lewellen said. “They can put it on a tenant's credit report, it can affect the tenant's credit score, it will almost certainly affect their rental history and their ability to rent in other places in the future."

But it's not just consequences involving the landlord.

“Anytime that you're receiving some sort of government funds, those funds need to be spent for what they were given to you for, and people can face a wide variety of consequences for this,” Lewellen explained. “Usually when someone is overpaid some kind of government benefit, the government agency that provided it will actually try and recover it, they will try to be repaid that money, sometimes they will intercept tax refunds."

In RUraL aMERICA, AN INVISIBLE EVICTION CRISIS
-kENDALL lEWELLEN

“The public badly needs access to rental assistance funds,” said Kendall Lewellen, housing subject area manager for the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, adding that the state amended its policies to make it easier for tenants to access the aid. “I just hope that it isn’t too late for most people.”

As of Oct. 15, Lewellen’s office had handled twice as many landlord-tenant cases in 2021 as it did in the same time period in 2020.

Eviction in Arkansas is uniquely punitive, Lewellen said. It’s the only state in the nation that charges tenants with a crime for failing to pay their rent and vacate their home.

Nearly 450 people were charged with that misdemeanor crime between March 2020 and November 2021 in Arkansas, according to data from the state’s court system. Of those, 133 were found guilty.

“Most places in Arkansas have stopped enforcing the law, but some places are still issuing arrest warrants for tenants who fall behind on their rent,” Lewellen said. “In more rural areas, the practice still happens.”

Arkansas non-profit hoping to aid tenants facing evictions due to moratorium ban lifted
-Julie Norman

Nearly two months ago, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eviction moratorium, which now allows landlords around the country to remove tenants from their homes. One local non-profit told KATV they are hoping to aid Arkansans who are in need of free legal services.

Julie Norman is the director for advocacy and legal work with the Center for Arkansas Legal Services. She said compared to last year, their landlord and tenant issues have almost tripled with more than 845 cases. According to Norman, it's important to do what they can to keep Arkansans in their home and for them to get back on their feet.

"Now that the moratorium has ended, we've been trying to assist those clients in working out a way to repay their landlord," Norman said. "Either through the eviction programs or through the more traditional means of having to file for bankruptcy."

Norman said they work with low-income Arkansans and service 44 counties in the state. She said their overall housing cases have doubled with more than 1,000 housing cases this year.

Prepare for the next natural disaster with the Center for Arkansas Legal Services guide
-Helen Newberry and Amber Quaid

When a natural disaster hits a community, devastation sweeps across neighborhoods. Nonprofits, often there to provide aid in recovery, also share resources to help families prepare for these events. 

The Center for Arkansas Legal Services created the “How to Prepare for and Recover from a Disaster: A Self-Help Toolkit,” filled with resources and frequently asked questions about disaster kits as well as communication and evacuation plans. 

Following the 2019 flooding of the Arkansas River, the center received a 2019 Disaster Supplemental Appropriation Grant from the Legal Services Corporation to help with legal services, including creating the guide. 

“We had a lot of people who were uninsured or underinsured trying to access those funds and sometimes also asking for more funds,” said Helen Newberry, the central regional supervisor at the Center for Arkansas Legal Services. “There were some people who appealed to ask for a higher payout to cover more of the damage. Definitely at the beginning, accessing FEMA funding was probably our biggest question.” 

Arkansas Families Awaiting Rental Assistance As Eviction Moratorium Runs Out -kendall lewellen

A federal eviction moratorium that was put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will expire Saturday, leaving more than 1,300 Arkansas families who are waiting for state rental assistance in danger of losing their homes. The order was originally set to expire on June 30 but was extended through July to further prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Although the moratorium went into effect on September 1, the order didn’t slow landlords in serving eviction notices.

Between January 1 and July 20 of this year, more than 2,700 eviction cases have been filed in district courts across the state. That number is up by more than 400 compared to the number of cases during the same period last year, according to an Arkansas courts database.

In order for the moratorium to go into effect for a tenant, however, the tenant must first understand how it works. According to Kendall Lewellen, managing attorney for the Center of Arkansas Legal Services, many tenants don’t understand how to proceed once they’re served an eviction notice.

“The main issue that comes up is that people can still file eviction cases in court for nonpayment while the moratorium is in place,” Lewellen said,” however, the tenant would then basically have to prove that they qualify for the moratorium as a defense.”

Low-income Arkansans to benefit from $800,000 in energy assistance in Biden's infrastructure plan
-Cecille DOan

Cecille Doan is with the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, a nonprofit law firm that offers free civil legal services to people with a low income.

Sometimes, the center's clients have applied for LIHEAP in the past and reported that the funding has run out, she said.

Many times, it's unexpected bills, like car troubles, that cause low-income residents to fall behind on their financial obligations, she said.

"It's the little debts that accumulate and snowball -- that's the problem," she said, noting the coronavirus pandemic has only made things worse for some people.

Arkansas child custody law undergoes major Facelift in 2021 LEGISLation, backers and critics differ on impact -Riley Cauley

Riley Cauley, staff attorney at Center for Arkansas Legal Services, explained that now to rebut the assumption that joint custody is in the best interest of the child, the evidence must be highly and substantially true.

"For civil cases, it's usually by a prepon­derance of the evidence. What that means is that the evidence is more likely than not to prove whatever it is you are trying to prove;• he said.

Cauley added that attorneys and those presenting in child custody cases will now have to work harder to meet the param­eters Act 604 set into place. Previously, the evidence only needed to "be greater than a 50% likelihood;' he said, adding that clear and convincing is somewhere between preponderance and beyond a reasonable doubt. 

Community groups pay off more than $35M in Arkansans' medical debts, ponder more permanent solutions -Cecille DOan

The Center for Arkansas Legal Services has 17 attorneys but receives about 27,000 calls on its helpline, staff attorney Cecille Doan said. Access to more funding would help the nonprofit law firm provide legal resources for people in all kinds of debt, especially since people without legal representation can end up agreeing to "an unaffordable payment plan" or something else that compounds their financial problems, Doan said.

The panelists agreed that the elimination of $35.2 million in Arkansans' medical debt will make a positive impact on people's lives and livelihoods.

What Arkansas renters should know about the end of the eviction moratorium
-Center for Arkansas legal services

For anyone with low incomes seeking help due to an eviction notice, the Center for Arkansas Legal Services offers support.  

An Aug. 27 statement issued by the Center said ending the moratorium took “away vital protections that kept millions of Americans, who were disproportionally people of color and families with young children, stably housed.”  

Fort Smith residents should contact the Center for Arkansas Legal Services at arkansaslegal.org or (800) 950-5817. 

The Center also offers an in-person “help desk” from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on the first and second Mondays of each month at the Riverview Hope Campus. 

2020-2021 VOCALS Members -Volunteer organization: Center for Arkansas legal services

VOCALS Attorney of the Year Award (2021)- Amber Wilson Bagley

Amber Wilson Bagley has been a member of VOCALS since 2007. As a VOCALS attorney, Ms. Bagley has volunteered over 190 hours while representing 13 pro bono clients in central Arkansas. She has represented adult guardianships, minor guardianships, and litigating divorces where domestic abuse is present. In one case, Ms. Bagley successfully helped a grandmother obtain guardianship of her grandchild.

Ms. Bagley is a member of the American Bar Association, American Health Lawyers Association, Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers, and the Arkansas Bar Association, where she has served as chair of the Health Law Section and is a tenured member of the House of Delegates for Pulaski County.

Renters advocates in Arkansas fear evictions rise when ban expires -kendall lewellen

The end of the federal eviction ban Sunday foreshadows troublesome spikes in evictions and homelessness throughout Arkansas in the coming months, advocates for renters and for unhoused people said Friday.

The federal moratorium has been renewed several times throughout the covid-19 pandemic, but it appeared late Friday that a last-ditch effort by congressional Democrats to extend it once more was dead.

Meanwhile, the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 allocated $173 million for emergency rental assistance to Arkansas, but only a small portion of those funds have reached tenants so far, raising fears among advocates.

"We feel like we're going to have a lot more people with needs that we might not be able to meet," said Rebecca Beadle, chairperson of the Arkansas Homeless Coalition. "I'm concerned that even the emergency shelter system will be overburdened when more people wind up evicted and homeless."

While the moratorium has kept most evictions at bay, landlords have still been able to file for evictions in court, and many eviction hearings are scheduled for early August, said Kendall Lewellen, managing attorney with the Center for Arkansas Legal Services.

"Tenants will have the ability to contest those cases, and that process is going to take some time, but with the speed of rental assistance getting out there, I'm not terribly optimistic about the next few weeks or months," she said. "I think this, combined with the delta variant is just terrible timing."

New program eases Arkansas tenants' path to rental aid -kendall lewellen

Continuing to fight for your rights, we discuss the "New program eases Arkansas tenants' path to rental aid" and the issues Arkansans are facing with Rental Assistance.

"That's a big issue that people are facing," Kendall Lewellen, managing attorney at the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, said of the situation in Arkansas. "We're seeing that a lot of housing providers are not willing to accept rental assistance, and that might be the tenant's only way to get caught up.

Landlords might not accept the payments because of requirements not to evict, or unwillingness to accept partial payments of rent owed, Arkansas experts said.

In some eviction cases, the tenant has filed the proper paperwork for the CDC moratorium to apply. Judges have issued an order to evict, with a stay until a date after the CDC's ban is expected to expire, Lewellen said.

In other cases, courts move hearings to a date after the eviction ban's expiration date, Lewellen said.

Lewellen said the center has seen elevated numbers of eviction cases since the pandemic began. Arkansas Renters United's Sealy said his group also regularly deals with more evictions now than before the pandemic.

Many Arkansas renters face hardship as eviction moratorium expires -Walker Hawkins

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Many Arkansans are facing a tough situation since the federal government’s eviction mortarium expired Sunday.

The moratorium, which has been in place since September 2020, kept landlords from evicting people who couldn’t meet their rent payments.

An estimated 11 million people in the U.S. could be facing eviction, according to a study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

“All of them are worried about eviction,” Walker Hawkins, attorney at Arkansas Legal Services, said. “They’ve got a notice on their door or [one] handed to them that says ‘you need to pay or get out.’ A lot of them don’t have somewhere to go.”

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in June to allow the eviction ban to continue through the end of July. After that, it would be up to the U.S. Congress to extend the moratorium, not the president.

Hawkins says even though the moratorium is ending, there is still rental assistance available in Arkansas.

Lead: With the federal eviction moratorium expiring, many people in Arkansas could be facing eviction with no place to go.

Free civil legal assistance to be offered Friday at Rural Justice Day at Beebe City Hall -Amber Quaid

The Center for Arkansas Legal Services started a new free event this summer that will be held in Beebe on Friday, according to Communications Specialist Amber Quaid.

Anyone facing civil legal issues like divorce, eviction and power of attorney for a family member can get help from the nonprofit law firm at the Rural Justice Day being held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Beebe City Hall, 321 N. Elm St., Quaid said. She said it is open to anyone, not just residents of White County. Walk-ins are welcome but she strongly encourages calling the helpline at (501) 376-3423 to schedule an appointment and get a spot saved.

Quaid said the Center for Arkansas Legal Services is holding the “Rural Justice Days in the smaller communities over the whole summer, May, June, July and August.”

“We just want to get out to these communities that are underserved, but are spread apart,” she said. “We still wanted to give them the opportunity to know we are here, we offer these services for free, so we kind of host a whole-day event. We reach out. We find a community that is interested. We find a place that is interested in hosting it and then we just advertise and we have an outreach member who goes to talk individually to every community member she can find, just to let people know we are here, we are coming to your community, you can come talk to us, one on one.”

All of the staff attorneys from the Center for Arkansas Legal Services will be in Beebe for the event, Quaid said.

PAVE's Latest Campaign is Shattering the Stigma in Marginalized Communities -Amber Quaid

PAVE announces its newest campaign Shattering the Stigma: Empowering Marginalized Voices. Shattering the Stigma is raising awareness about the marginalized communities within the world of sexual assault advocacy. Too often, only the voices of straight, white, cis-gendered women survivors are supported in advocacy — PAVE is changing that.

Launching July 19-25, Shattering the Stigma will feature inclusive content that highlights intersectionality and empowers male survivors, survivors of color, survivors with disabilities, LGBTQ+ survivors, and survivors who are sex workers. Content will include graphics, videos, and events.

PAVE intern Shivali Vishwakarma ideated the campaign during her summer internship. Vishwakarma said, “Sexual assault affects not only women, but men, people of color, people with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community, and sex workers. We need to shatter the stigma and uphold these voices in our advocacy.” 

Shattering the Stigma became a passion project for several PAVE summer interns who had personally felt the void in inclusive, intersectional sexual assault advocacy. Partnering with Children’s Advocacy Center Kent County, BMORE BLXCK, Native Health, Bay Area Women Against Rape (BAWAR), Brave Minds Psychological Services, Wings For LIFE International, The Rape Crisis Center, Center for Arkansas Legal Services, Summit Advocates, Endless Possibilities LLC, The Purple Door, Albany County Crime Victim, and Sexual Violence Center, Kansas City Anti-Violence Project, Rise Above Violence, and other nationwide partners, Shattering the Stigma is working to fill that void and create inclusive advocacy for survivors.

With the eviction moratorium set to expire, agencies continue to offer support for renters
-kendall lewellen

Where to find legal help

Kendell Lewellen, managing attorney, said that with the end of the moratorium, individuals are still able to access help with the Center for Arkansas Legal Services.

“Our clients are low-income people who have tended to struggle with housing insecurity, so I expect to see more housing insecurity in the coming weeks and months after the moratorium is lifted,” Lewellen said.

Lewellen explained that tenants will no longer be able to rely on the eviction moratorium as a defense in a case.

“That doesn’t mean that they won’t have any defense, and it would certainly be worthwhile for them to speak to a legal aid attorney for a free review of their case, but many people will no longer be able to use that defense,” Lewellen said.

Lewellen explained that due to the court process for evictions, the evictions will likely be staggered for months, rather than mass evictions when the moratorium expires.

“That will vary by courts across the state, but I have no reason to expect that around here,” Lewellen said.

Lewellen said that it is a case-by-case basis, but “unless the person has a compelling defense … they absolutely need to be looking at other housing options at that time.”

“If someone has somewhere to go, it is almost always in their best interest to move rather than try to contest an eviction. Unfortunately, many people don’t have those options,” Lewellen said.

The Center for Arkansas Legal Services also offers an in-person “help desk” at the Riverview Hope Center Campus from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on the first and second Mondays of each month.

“It's the same time people go there to pick up utility and rental assistance from the St. Anne's Society,” Lewellen said. “People can still apply for our services through our Helpline, but people can also apply in person at our help desk if they would prefer.”

Fort Smith residents should contact the Center for Arkansas Legal Services at arkansaslegal.org or (800) 950-5817.

Millions May Face Housing Uncertainty in February, Despite the Evictions Moratorium Extension
-kendall lewellen

Moratoriums on evictions put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in September may not be enough to save millions of Americans, including those in rural areas, from evictions in the coming months. 

Limited access to broadband internet, information chaos and ill-will on the part of some landlords could mean those in rural areas would face evictions despite legal protections that could save them. 

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, many court systems have switched to virtual meetings via Zoom to cut down on transmission of the virus. In some rural areas, that can present a problem, said Kendall Lewellen, managing attorney at the Center for Arkansas Legal Services. 

For tenants who don’t have internet access, having hearings in person could be a double-edged sword, Lewellen said. On the one hand, they are able to plead their case to a judge. But on the other hand, it is more difficult for them to get a lawyer.

As moratorium nears end, eviction fears rise. Housing advocates expect January spike
-kendall lewellen

Calls from renters facing eviction generally are "continuing to be very high, and I anticipate that when the CDC order expires in January, we'll probably see even more," said Kendall Lewellan, a managing attorney with the nonprofit Center for Arkansas Legal Services.

She added that over the past month, the center has gotten "well over double" the normal number of calls it receives about evictions at this time of year.

House committee defeats repeal of criminal eviction statute -kendall lewellen

Kendall Lewellen of the Center for Arkansas Legal Services spoke for the bill saying it was “harmful and unnecessary.” She told the story of a woman, a new mother, whose rent was refused and she was evicted, then acquitted a trial, but the arrest remained on her record. She said the civil eviction process is speedy under the law and some courts do it at low cost and quickly. The solution to court access, she said, is “not to turn civil debts into crimes.” Lewellen said Hot Springs, Texarkana, Russellville, and Springdale are the primary cities where the criminal process is still used.

Beyond Opioids: Project Kick-off
-Julie nORman and Helen Gratil

Getting a job, paying rent and other matters can be difficult after struggles with opioid abuse that might have included legal difficulties, which creates long-term issues for individuals who are trying to get or stay sober. The Center for Arkansas Legal Services and Legal Aid of Arkansas have launched a new program called Beyond Opioids to provide free legal assistance to families who have been affected by the opioid epidemic.

Eviction Cases in Arkansas On the Rise With Pandemic
-kendall lewellen

Evictions are rising in Arkansas, even as a national moratorium is in place, according to two nonprofit law firms that offer free legal help in civil cases.

The eviction cases “have been going up each month pretty much since the pandemic started,” said Kendall Lewellen, managing attorney for the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, which offers free legal advice to those who qualify.

Between Oct. 1-26, the Center for Arkansas Legal Services opened 97 landlord-tenant cases, which are almost all evictions, Lewellen said. During the same period last year, it opened 22 cases.

Beyond Opioids- New Program
with Helen Gratil and Julie Norman

But it is fair to say that few of the above-named substances hit the public more quickly, or with as much deadly force, as the opioid epidemic that has ruled the streets for the past 20 years.

Beyond the death and destroyed lives opioids have wrought (in 2017, 188 confirmed opioid overdose deaths in Arkansas, per the National Institute of Drug Abuse’s Arkansas Opioid Summary) there are far more issues facing those in addiction than society generally understands. Among these are various civil legal entanglements on everything from custody and visitation to barriers to employment and housing. 

Into this maelstrom, steps the Center for Arkansas Legal Services in Little Rock and Legal Aid of Arkansas based in Rogers, offering a new program of free, non-criminal legal services specifically for low-income individuals and their families dealing with the ancillary fallout of opioid addiction. 

Biden administration extends federal moratoriums, eviction bans through June 30
-Center For Arkansas Legal Services

If homeowners are still facing foreclosure or related issues (some homes do not have a government-backed mortgage), they can call our Helpline at 501-376-3423 and we can try to work with them,” said Kendall Lewellen, attorney and housing group leader for the Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS)…..

Once tenants have completed a declaration statement, which is available online through the Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS), they then must give it to your landlord. Those landlords who violate the order may be subject to a fine of no more than $100,000 if the violation does not result in death or one year in jail, or both, or a fine of no more than $250,000 if the violation results in a death or one year in jail, or both, or as otherwise provided by law.

Arkansas housing Eviction ban
-kendall lewellen

At the Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS) in Little Rock, which provides free legal services to low-income Arkansans in 44 counties, officials were still trying to unravel details of the executive eviction ban. Kendall Lewellen, Housing Law Practice Group Leader for nonprofit legal advocacy group, said the CDC order caught everyone off guard last week.

 “I was shocked,” Lewellen told The Daily Record. “Clearly the executive branch has shown a lot of interest in landlord-tenant issues during this crisis, so it isn’t super shocking in itself, but it is an unprecedented move by the federal government.

Tenant-eviction hearings proceed in Arkansas courts-kendall lewellen

In most cases, when tenants know to turn in the signed form, that's enough to halt the eviction, attorneys from Legal Aid of Arkansas and the Center for Arkansas Legal Services said.

"I think that a lot of it is stopping there [with the landlord]," said Kendall Lewellan, managing attorney for the Center for Legal Services. "I can only speak for our clients. But when our clients present their landlords with the form, they are more likely to enter into some kind of repayment agreement."

State eviction law drawing challenge
-Kendall Lewellen

Though federal rules have protected some renters who fall behind on payments during the covid-19 pandemic, others in Arkansas have lost their homes because of a law that has come under scrutiny by several attorneys and housing law experts.

The 2007 state law requires renters who face certain civil evictions to deposit the amount their landlords say they owe to a state court registry before a hearing in their unlawful detainer eviction cases.

"This is extremely problematic when you have a situation where someone does not have the money to pay into the registry but does have a legal defense," said Kendall Lewellen, managing attorney at the Center for Arkansas Legal Services.

Low-income Legal resources
-Center for Arkansas Legal Services

Johnson said the dearth of attorneys is only part of the challenge of accessible legal representation to all. She said income and growing language barriers are other tall barriers in Arkansas, causing many people to go unserved. And even though resources exist to assist low-income individuals – such as the Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS) and Legal Aid of Arkansas – people are often unaware of such assistance, a situation made worse by the covid-19 pandemic.

What protections do renters have in Arkansas?
-kendall lewellen

Kendall Lewellen, housing law practice group leader at Center for Arkansas Legal Services, said protections for renters begin before Arkansans ever sign a lease. By law, a landlord can’t deny housing or discourage someone from moving into a property based on certain protected classes…

Therefore, Lewellen said most protections for tenants will come from the lease an individual signs with their landlord. She said it’s important to look for a home with a lease that spells out details on maintenance.

Official: Housing authority mended -kendall lewellen

Kendall Lewellen, Fort Smith-based managing attorney for the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, said housing authorities should be able to prove they adhere to their own rules in order to maintain public trust.

"People should be able to reasonably expect when they're going to get off the waiting list, and if there are local preferences, those should be followed consistently so applicants know what to expect," Lewellen said.

The housing authority was not verified to be following federal rules for ensuring tenant eligibility from 2013-15, raising concerns that the authority "could be charging the incorrect amount of rent or could be housing ineligible tenants."

Camden church will host Rural Legal Day on April 30- Center for Arkansas Legal Services

The Center for Arkansas Legal Services announces its inaugural series of Rural Justice Days, where small towns will see big impacts this summer.

Legal Services will be traveling across rural Arkansas providing a one-stop-shop for civil legal needs. Staff will be handling simple divorces, estate planning, powers of attorney, and criminal record sealing.

However, walk-ins will be welcome to discuss any civil legal needs they have, such as public benefits problems, evictions, landlord-tenant disputes, or debt collection.

One of the events will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, April 30 at the First United Methodist Church, 121 Harrison Street, Camden.

Tenant-Landlord Law
-Kendall Lewellen

“We’re suing to make sure no tenant is ever again prosecuted for not being able to afford the rent,” Kendall Lewellen of the Center for Arkansas Legal Services. “With rents continuing to rise and thousands of Arkansans experiencing job losses and furloughs due to COVID-19, we’ve seen first-hand how this law is forcing tenants to live in fear that a late rent payment could land them in criminal court.”

 Lewellen also noted that Arkansas is the only state in the nation that adopted only the recommended protections for landlords and none of the recommendations for tenants from the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, a sample law governing residential landlord and tenant interactions.

AR will receive $ 4 million to help residents seeking substance abuse treatment- Center for Arkansas Legal Services

Arkansas Rural Health Partnership, Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, Center for Arkansas Legal Services, and Legal Aid of Arkansas each received $ 1 million in funding for prevention, treatment, and recovery from drug use in the region.

Tom Engels, an administrator at the HRSA, said it is critical that people seeking treatment for addiction have the resources at their disposal – even in the midst of a global public health crisis.

“Thanks to COVID, we’ve had many people who have been unable to access their care or their healthcare professionals to talk about the problems they have and their treatment issues,” said Engels.

2019-2020 VOCALS Members
-VOCALS

VOCALS Attorney of the Year Award (2020)- James Tripcony – Tripcony May Law Firm

James Tripcony has been a member of VOCALS for 24 years. As a VOCALS attorney, Mr. Tripcony has volunteered over 232 hours while representing 25 pro bono clients in central Arkansas. He has successfully represented clients in family law issues, such as adult guardianships, minor guardianships, and litigating divorces where domestic abuse is present. In one case, Mr. Tripcony helped an aunt to obtain guardianship of her four nieces and nephews. Mr. Tripcony has been an active leader in the Pulaski County legal community as a member of the Arkansas Bar Association and the Pulaski County Bar Association.

Here’s what renters need to know about the end of the eviction moratorium -Kendall Lewellen

ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) — An unprecedented amount of Americans are now at risk of losing their homes with the Supreme Court’s decision to end the eviction moratorium.

Kendall Lewellen, managing attorney at the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, said she expects to see a wave of evictions in the near future.

“I think that we’re gonna see a lot of new filings in the next weeks and months now that the moratorium is lifted,” Lewellen said.

However, Lewellen wants to remind renters that eviction isn’t just a piece of paper, it’s a court process. Even though tenants can’t point to the mortarium to keep them in their homes, there are other ways.

“There are other defenses and things that can be worked out in these cases so it could be worthwhile for them to give their local legal aid program a call and see what their options are,” Lewellen said.

Counties are also still offering rental assistance.  Washington and Benton counties both have assistance available. Lewellen said renters need to reach out for help as soon as possible.

Illegal “Self-help” Evictions
-Frank Jenner

“His landlord began a campaign to terrorize him,” said Frank Jenner, a Center for Arkansas Legal Services attorney who is representing Light. Jenner said Walker-Macklin’s actions constituted an attempt at a “self-help” eviction, illegal in Arkansas, in which a landlord attempts to retake possession of a rental property without properly going through the court system.

Eviction Moratorium
-Frank Jenner

The CDC has ordered a halt on evictions for those who can’t pay rent. But the protections for renters don’t automatically apply.

Attorney Frank Jenner with the Center for Arkansas Legal Services said Arkansas renters need to start taking steps now if they wish to take advantage of the new protections. The CDC-issued moratorium is meant to help people stay in their homes and prevent the spread of coronavirus.