In addition to Iowa Legal Aid’s general program services, persons who contact Iowa Legal Aid for assistance benefit from its many special projects, including:
The Community Stabilization Project drives economic development and stabilization in the most distressed communities in Des Moines and Council Bluffs by delivering comprehensive services and resources.
Iowa Legal Aid’s clients often struggle with a host of issues beyond their immediate legal concerns. Poverty imposes a matrix of challenges regarding issues such as:
- Health
- Safety
- Income
- Education
- Transportation
- Housing
We are meeting these challenges by coupling targeted legal help with comprehensive “wrap around” resources and services through our project partners.
Des Moines:
- Des Moines Public Schools
- United Way of Central Iowa
- DMACC
- Polk County Housing Trust
- Home, Inc.
Council Bluffs:
- Connections Area Agency on Aging
- Council Bluffs Community Development
- Council Bluffs Community Schools
- Heartland Family Service
- Credit Advisors Foundation
For further information contact:
Des Moines:
Charles Hill, Assistant Managing Attorney
515-243-2980 x 1640 or chill@iowalaw.org
Council Bluffs:
Shelley Whitcher, Managing Attorney
515-243-2980 x 1246 or swhitcher@iowalaw.org
Iowa Legal Aid’s medical-legal partnerships empower and provide people with the resources to make healthier decisions. We partner with medical providers to address the social, environmental, and behavioral issues that impact patients’ health. We embed attorneys in health care settings to assist patients and consult with clinical staff about legal barriers such as:
- Unstable housing – foreclosures, evictions, nursing home evictions.
- Substandard housing conditions – utility shut-offs, unsafe living conditions.
- Income Maintenance – Social Security Disability benefits, Family Investment Program (FIP), taxes.
- Consumer Issues – bankruptcy, identity theft, debt collection/harassment.
- Health Insurance – Medicaid/Medicare appeals, private insurance appeals.
- Employment – Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), unemployment benefits, employee rights.
- Education – discipline issues, special education, discrimination, student loans.
- Family Law – protective orders, divorce, custody, child support, guardianship, adoption, name change, parental rights.
For further information contact:
Erin Planalp, Staff Attorney
515-243-2980 x 1243 or eplanalp@iowalaw.org
We recently opened two legal aid clinics in VA facilities in Omaha and Iowa City, to ensure that veterans have access to the legal representation they need. We assist veterans and their families with VA compensation and pension claims, overpayments, issues involving the VA medical center, and discharge upgrades.
For veterans with PTSD, discharge upgrades can open the doors to increased benefits. Many veterans with “bad papers” are denied basic VA services they would otherwise be entitled to, including health care and VA benefits. These veterans are 30% more likely to commit suicide, become incarcerated or homeless.
A discharge upgrade can help create a more fulfilling life for low-income veterans, where they can achieve:
- Higher incomes
- Safer and more secure housing
- Family stability
- Better health
For further information contact:
Todd Schmidt, Staff Attorney
515-243-2980 x 1006 or tschmidt@iowalaw.org
Low-income Iowans are especially vulnerable to natural disasters. There are many reasons for this, including lack of financial resources, poor health, language barriers, and lack of education. Access to a lawyer can make a profound difference in their ability to recover.
Iowa Legal Aid attorneys can immediately address the victims basic needs, and answer questions which may include:
- Where will I live?
- How will I get to work and/or school?
- How will I feed and clothe my family?
- How do I apply for disaster-related benefits?
For further information contact:
Lisa Gavin, Managing Attorney
515-243-2980 x 1306 or lgavin@iowalaw.org
We provide wholistic civil legal services to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, thereby empowering them to become physically and emotionally safe, and economically secure. We also help victims of human trafficking.
It is very difficult for people to escape from these devastating victimizations, particularly those who are isolated. Justice for Survivors unites agencies that provide enhanced social and advocacy services to the most vulnerable victims.
For further information contact:
Gail Klearman, Managing Attorney
515-243-2980 x 1678 or gklearman@iowalaw.org
We improve the lives of low-income children and young adults through legal education and representation, addressing current legal needs and preventing future legal entanglements.
We empower young people to make choices that will lead to safe, stable, and productive futures.
Our staff makes legal presentations to at-risk youth, including children aging out of foster care, populations with cultural or language barriers, and the agencies that assist these groups.
Our legal representation may involve family law or guardianship issues. We also represent youth who are involved with the courts, providing a benefit for the client, while also reducing or eliminating the expenditure of taxpayer dollars.
For further information contact:
Charles Hill, Assistant Managing Attorney
515-243-2980 x 1640 or chill@iowalaw.org
Farmworkers work long hours performing some of the most difficult, dangerous, and vital work in our communities. We help migrant, seasonal, and year-round agricultural workers throughout the state of Iowa.
Our Farmworker Rights Project provides education and legal assistance to farmworkers who work in a variety of agricultural jobs. Farmworkers face many legal problems related to their status as agricultural workers, including:
- Employment
- Housing
- Harassment
- Wages
- Education
- Health and safety
- Language access
For further information contact:
Lorraine Gaynor, Staff Attorney
515-243-2980 x 1512 or lgaynor@iowalaw.org
The Legal Hotline for Older Iowans is a statewide prevention and early intervention program that expands older Iowans’ access to justice through direct legal assistance and referrals.
We make a REAL difference in the lives of older Iowans by providing prompt legal advice when needed, through a statewide toll-free telephone number.
We help older Iowans with critical legal problems, including:
- Health care
- Housing
- Nursing home rights
- Consumer protections
- End-of-life planning
For further information contact:
Angela Broughton-Romain, Managing Attorney
515-243-2980 x 1682 or abroughtonromain@iowalaw.org
A partnership between Iowa Legal Aid, Justice For Our Neighbors and Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center to address the legal needs of the Southeast Asian refugee community.
This community faces many barriers to accessing legal services, with the added complication of a multitude of languages for which it is often challenging to find an interpreter using common telephone interpreter services.
For further information contact:
Cindy Rybolt, Managing Attorney
515-243-2980 x 1684 or crybolt@iowalaw.org
Expungement Clinics:
Issues that Iowa Legal Aid attorneys can address at Expungement and Employment Barriers Clinics include:
- Expungement and sealing of certain court records
- Driver’s license and registration
- Court debt
Through the Expungement and Employment Barriers Clinics, Iowa Legal Aid seeks to eliminate as many of these barriers as possible. For more details, see www.iowalegalaid.org.
Video Part 1: A Clean Slate: Everyone Deserves a Fair Chance
Video Part 2: A Clean Slate: Everyone Deserves a Fair Chance
Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC):
Helps low-income taxpayers with tax rights and responsibilities by assisting with tax problems. Some common problems might be:
- The IRS says I claimed the Earned Income Credit and I shouldn’t have.
- My refund was seized for my husband’s student loan debt.
- I haven’t filed taxes for awhile. What will happen to me?
- My spouse put incorrect information on our return or didn’t pay the bill and now I am getting letters from the IRS.
- Somebody used my social security number and now the IRS says I didn’t pay enough taxes.
Foreclosure Defense Project:
Helps low- and moderate-income Iowans facing forfeiture or foreclosure remain in their homes.
Volunteer Lawyers Project:
An alternative source of legal representation for clients by attorneys who accept specific referrals from Iowa Legal Aid and provide their services on a pro bono (free of charge) basis.
Parent Representation Project:
Uses an innovative team approach to address issues that bring a family to the point of potential or actual juvenile court involvement including:
- A domestic abuse victim threatened by the abusive parent who persists in traumatizing the family;
- A parent with substance abuse issues;
- A family threatened with eviction.
Accomplishments include:
- Achieving stable housing;
- Accessing services to address a substance abuse or mental health issue;
- Removing an abuser from the home;
- Attending parenting classes;
- Enhancing compliance with directions from the Iowa Department of Human Services.