Legal Services Receives Grant to Help Neighborhoods

Funds Expand Neighborhood Vacancy Initiative

October 17, 2019 (ST. LOUIS) – Legal Services of Eastern Missouri has been awarded a two-year, $316,361 Pro Bono Innovation Fund Grant from the Legal Services Corporation (LSC).

Legal Services will use these funds to expand volunteer lawyer involvement in its Neighborhood Vacancy Initiative (NVI) to better serve four high-vacancy City neighborhoods – The West End, Academy/Sherman Park, Old North St. Louis, and Hyde Park.

Beginning this month, four of St. Louis’ largest law firms, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, Husch Blackwell, Stinson, and Thompson Coburn, will begin working with Legal Services and the above neighborhoods to provide direct assistance to resident-led community groups. Services provided to neighborhood associations through the grant include litigation support to hold absentee owners of vacant property accountable and assistance on matters relating to corporate governance and compliance.

Legal Services will also expand services to vulnerable residents to prevent displacement through estate planning and help resolve land title issues that prevent people from obtaining home repair services.

“It’s easy to see the physical blight: broken windows, illegal dumping, weeds. What is less obvious is the legal blight. Fractured land titles, unreleased mortgages, liens – all of these result in a blight that requires legal assistance before anyone can even think about getting a house fixed up,” explained Peter Hoffman, managing Attorney of the Neighborhood Vacancy Initiative, who recently directed a similar effort in Kansas City.

Building on the long history of Legal Services’ pro bono support, the organization is hosting a formal grant announcement with community and civic partners Mon., Oct. 21, at 8:00 a.m. at Deaconess Center, 1000 North Vandeventer Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63113 – the start of national Pro Bono week. Legal Services of Eastern Missouri is one of 14 recipients of grants from LSC’s $4.5 million Pro Bono Innovation Fund, a competitive program that invests in projects intended to encourage and expand pro bono efforts and partnerships to serve more low-income clients.

“These grants stimulate more participation by pro bono volunteers. They enhance public-private partnerships, leverage the federal investment in civil legal aid, and allow our grantees to reach more people in need of civil legal assistance,” said LSC President, Jim Sandman.

“Thanks to this federal grant, we can expand legal services to economically challenged City neighborhoods to build upon the hope and promise of neighborhoods that have long been underserved, and provide resources for growth and opportunity to areas struggling with disinvestment,” stated Dan Glazier, Legal Services’ Executive Director and General Counsel. “We are excited for this opportunity to expand, and we are so grateful for our community partners, funders, volunteers, and the City of St. Louis, all of whom are committed with us to improve the quality of life in our communities.”

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About Legal Services of Eastern Missouri: Legal Services of Eastern Missouri has provided free civil legal help for low-income families for 63 years. Last year nearly 30,000 people in 21 counties of eastern Missouri received services from four regional offices. For more information, please visit www.lsem.org.