Center for Arkansas Legal Services Receives $500,000 Grant for

Center for Arkansas Legal Services Receives $500,000 Grant for Disaster Legal Assistance

By Jennifer Ivory

Surviving a flood is challenging. The dangers of a flood start immediately, but the devastation can last long after the waters recede. Arkansas experienced a record-breaking flood that started on May 21, 2019, and continued until the floodwaters receded in mid-June. In the aftermath, Arkansans were confronted with a multitude of legal needs from this wide-ranging disaster. Most striking, over 857 homes sustained major damage. Of these homes, approximately 97% were uninsured and roughly 21% of the flood victims are low-income, which created an additional hardship for individuals striving to repair their homes.

The Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS) recognized the need and immediately began providing educational resources and legal services for flood survivors. In December of 2019, the Legal Services Corporation awarded a disaster relief grant to CALS to build on these efforts. The $500,000 grant allows CALS to address the needs of flood survivors by expanding pro bono legal services to low-income Arkansans in the 13 affected counties, which are: Arkansas, Conway, Crawford, Desha, Faulkner, Jefferson, Lincoln, Logan, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Sebastian, and Yell. CALS currently serves the poverty populations in all of these counties, with offices located in Pine Bluff, Russellville, Little Rock, and Fort Smith.

Representative Steve Womack acknowledged the need for the grant. “Flooding devastated the Third District earlier this year, and our communities are still working to fully recover and rebuild. This grant will provide resources to help families in need get back on their feet and move forward. Natural disasters impact people on many different levels, and I’m pleased that Arkansans will have increased access to services that will aid in their disaster recovery.” Senator Boozman

44 The Arkansas Lawyer www.arkbar.com echoed that sentiment, saying, “Arkansans unfortunately know all too well the devastating impact flooding has on their homes and communities. This funding will deliver more opportunities for individuals and families in need of legal services to help them recover from these natural disasters.”

The grant has a twofold purpose of increasing direct access to legal services and expanding the capacity of legal aid staff to address the unique needs of disaster survivors. CALS will make the application process work more smoothly by allowing survivors to apply online and by creating a dedicated disaster relief hotline. The grant will also support community outreach and expanded pro bono recruitment for disasterrelated legal cases.

Direct legal services are essential to making flood survivors whole. Assessing the unique needs of disaster survivors through initial contact with victims and disaster relief stakeholders helped to determine a variety of legal needs, which include: 1) appealing FEMA denials, 2) resolving issues with contractors and contract review, 3) addressing food insecurity due to spoilage and SNAP denials; 4) replacing documents such as driver’s licenses, social security cards, and birth certificates, 5) addressing mortgage and bankruptcy issues, and 6) representing clients with landlord-tenant disputes.

CALS will address these needs through client intake, advice and brief services, pro bono referrals, and representation in court and administrative hearings.

These direct services will put survivors on equal footing with the agencies and companies they will face on their path to recovery. Through community outreach, CALS will collaborate with government agencies, service providers, and non-legal disaster responders to provide educational sessions to the public. These sessions will provide legal information to recent flood survivors, as well as to survivors of potential future disasters.

CALS has already had several success stories, including Ms. Scott’s case. Ms. Scott endured the trauma of watching her house and belongings sustain major damage from the recent Arkansas River flooding. After FEMA denied her claim, due to her unclear ownership rights in the property, she called the CALS helpline. With the help of a CALS staff attorney, she successfully appealed her FEMA denial, obtained almost $6,000 to repair her home, and replaced many of her belongings.

If you are interested in volunteering to help with the case of a disaster survivor, please contact Jennifer Ivory at jivory@ arkansaslegalservices.org. Our staff are also available to make presentations about disaster recovery in your community. For additional information, visit www.arlegalservices. org. 

Jennifer Ivory is the Pro Bono Coordinator for Center for Arkansas Legal Services

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