The Housing Justice Project includes attorneys and support staff dedicated to addressing housing needs of low-income Nebraskans statewide. Through the Housing Justice Project, Legal Aid is addressing one of its priority legal issue areas, identified through a detailed stakeholder process, by concentrating experienced staff on these needs in targeted communities. The project will increase representation to demand protection of foreclosure and eviction rights; to insure low-income housing is safe and habitable; and to develop new community-based efforts to help low-income families access affordable housing. Legal Aid will provide community development services to its clients through transactional and entrepreneurial legal services for low-income families seeking to gain more permanent housing, increase their income and economic potential, and participate in the development, financing, and creation of rehabilitated and new housing, in communities across the state.
Providing legal assistance to prevent families from being evicted has long been a focus of Legal Aid and became crucial during the pandemic. In addition to providing legal assistance, Legal Aid’s HJP conducts outreach and education to partners and those facing eviction about tenant rights, emergency rental assistance, and other resources. Between 2020 and 2021, the number of cases increased by 67 percent.
Common legal issues we help with
- Prevent low-income Nebraskans from losing their housing through foreclosure or eviction
- Help to enforce the right of low-income Nebraskans to live in safe and habitable housing
- Build the long-term ability of low-income Nebraskans to live in safe and affordable low-income housing through improved housing opportunities
