A new website is helping Montanans answer tricky legal questions about debt. The Montana Legal Services Association has launched MontanaDebtOptions.org to offer resources for those dealing with consumer debt.
MT Housing Crisis Grows, But Some Protections Available (Public News Service)
Montanans across the state are facing a housing crisis. Prices both to rent and buy a place to live have skyrocketed, leaving vacancy rates extremely low in cities big and small.
How a $3.4 million federal grant is helping Montana chip away at youth homelessness (Montana Free Press)
How a $3.4 million federal grant is helping Montana chip away at youth homelessness. “Making sure that every kid has a safe, happy, healthy place to be raised? Yeah. We’re not quite there,” Nichole Heyer, a youth homelessness navigator at Montana Legal Services Association.
Legal Aid Among Services to Take On Youth Homelessness in MT (Public News Service)
A federal grant is helping Montana tackle homelessness among the state’s young people. The Treasure State was chosen as a rural recipient of a $3.4 million grant from the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project, created by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Nichole Heyer is navigator of the project for Montana Legal Services Association. …
Project to Train People to Represent Montanans in Tribal Courts (Public News Service)
A program is looking for Montanans to represent people in courts on tribal reservations, who often lack access to legal assistance when they need it. The Tribal Advocate Incubator Project wants to train lay advocates – that is, people who are not lawyers by profession – to represent folks in tribal courts across the state. …
MLSA’s Rural Law Program Named One of the Best in the Nation
MLSA’s Rural Incubator Project for Lawyers (RIPL) has been selected by the Rural Justice Collaborative (RJC) Advisory Council as one of nine national Rural Innovation Sites to serve as a model for other rural justice programs throughout the nation. Established in 2018, RIPL aims to reduce the justice gap that prevents low and moderate income …
Providence launches first hospital-based medical-legal partnership in Montana
In early 2020, Providence Montana and the Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA), with support from the Montana Healthcare Foundation, launched a medical-legal partnership (MLP) to provide support to patients in need of civil-legal assistance. Through this program, low-income patients can receive free legal help in areas of law including housing, benefits, insurance, education and employment, …
In States Like Montana, the Prescription for Healthier Patients May be Lawyers (Billings Gazette)
In states like Montana, the prescription for healthier patients may be lawyers. “Without legal help along the way, the woman would have just been like, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’” Kallie Dale-Ramos, Medical-Legal Partnership Staff Attorney.
MLSA’s Eviction Work in the News
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, thousands of Montanans have found themselves struggling to pay their rent and facing the possibility of eviction. MLSA has worked hard to help people access the services they need to avoid eviction – including legal information on how to access rental assistance and eviction moratoriums, and legal assistance in the …
DIY Estate Planning Essential for MT Tribal Members
HELENA, Mont. – COVID-19 is underscoring the importance of ensuring that people’s estates are in order, but estate planning can be be tricky for tribal members. That’s why Montana Legal Services Association and the Indian Land Tenure Foundation have partnered to develop a do-it-yourself online form. Many tribal members own land through a trust in …