Iowa Legal Aid recently launched its new Justice Bus, a mobile law office bringing free legal services to rural and underserved Iowa communities and to areas affected by natural disasters.
As the only provider of free legal assistance to low-income and vulnerable residents throughout the state, Iowa Legal Aid is uniquely positioned to help communities across Iowa. The organization provides disaster-related legal services for survivors confronted with foreclosure, contractor scams, eviction, rental repairs, rental contract issues, insurance issues, FEMA denials, bankruptcy, and more. The Justice Bus is an important new tool in these efforts.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 derecho, Iowa Legal Aid Executive Director Nick Smithberg saw firsthand the importance of physical presence and accessible support services.
“By bringing Iowa Legal Aid directly to communities in need, the Justice Bus removes barriers to legal access and fosters greater engagement with underserved populations. In times of emergency, such as the 2020 derecho, the Justice Bus will serve as a lifeline, providing essential services and resources, including power and air conditioning,” said Smithberg.
Funded through a one-time federal grant, the Justice Bus is a state-of-the-art mobile legal clinic designed to ensure efficient and effective legal service delivery. Custom-built by Winnebago’s North American Specialty Vehicle division, the Justice Bus boasts an array of features designed to meet the diverse needs of Iowa Legal Aid’s clients and staff, including ample power outlets and data ports to ensure connectivity after a disaster and enhanced cellular connectivity, enabling uninterrupted access to essential resources, even in remote areas. The Justice Bus also has an ADA Access Ramp to ensure accessibility for all individuals.
In a year that Iowa is experiencing unprecedented severe weather, with more than 122 tornados, widespread flooding, and a derecho, the Justice Bus has been a valuable tool to help Iowa Legal Aid reach communities in need. It has been deployed to communities like Greenfield, which was devastated by an EF4 tornado in May, Minden, which experienced two destructive tornados in 10 days, and Spencer, which experienced catastrophic flooding in early July.
“This is exactly what we envisioned for the Justice Bus,” said Smithberg. “We anticipate using it more and more as Iowans continue to experience natural disasters.”
With severe weather front and center this year, the Justice Bus has stayed busy helping affected communities understand how we can assist with various legal issues stemming from disasters. As we look to the future, more plans are being made to hold legal clinics in rural areas of the state with little to no access to legal help.
“Lack of legal help located nearby, transportation and connectivity issues all play a factor in why people are not accessing our services. The Justice Bus lets us bring the services to them,” said Smithberg.
