Facing eviction? Behind on rent? Where to turn for legal, financial help in Kansas City

Gina Chiala, right, the executive director of the Heartland Center, helps tenants in Jackson County court. (Rich Sugg/rsugg@kcstar.com)

Kansas City’s Right to Counsel program has been providing free legal help to tenants facing eviction citywide since June 1.

So far, more than 80% of the tenants who have received representation from the city program have avoided eviction altogether.

To make this happen, the city joined forces with three local legal organizations: Legal Aid of Western Missouri, The Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom and UMKC School of Law. The program’s outreach and intake is handled by Community Carelink and United Way of Greater Kansas City.

Although the program is still new and finding its stride, it should be able to represent up to 1,500 clients in its first year.

For now, there is no waitlist, and anyone who reaches out and is eligible should be able to get help.

Prior to the Right to Counsel program, only about 1% of Kansas City tenants had legal representation, while about 90% of landlords have lawyers.

If you or someone you know is facing an eviction, they can consider applying for the program to see if they can get free legal representation.

Here’s how to apply

Anyone facing eviction in Kansas City, Missouri is eligible for representation from a Right to Counsel attorney regardless of income or where they live in the city.

If you receive an eviction notice and you live in Kansas City proper, you can call 816-474-5112 to get a lawyer from the city program or visit gkcassistanceprogram.org/EvictionDefense/.

If you call the number listed, a United Way representative will ask you a few questions about your situation to verify that you are eligible and then will proceed to enroll you into the program.

If you decide to apply on the website, you will be asked whether you live in Kansas City, Missouri. People who don’t live in Kansas City are not eligible to apply.

The application will also ask whether you have a case number. Sometimes tenants may feel like their housing is in jeopardy but have not received an actual eviction notice and case number and court date. According to the application, your case number can be found in your court paperwork. Here’s an example of what that number will look like: “2116-CV12345.”

If you don’t have your case number, but you are sure that you are being sued and have a court date, you will need to finish your application via phone by calling 816-474-5112. From there, an operator will help you find more information on your case.

If you have your case number on hand, the website will prompt you to finish applying online.

When applying, make sure that any information you submit is as accurate as possible and that you include the best contact information. In addition to the case number and contact information, the application will also ask for your address, the best way to contact you and whether or not you agree to have your information shared with other agencies working on tenant education and rental assistance.

So to recap, here’s a list of all the information you will need to apply:

  • Contact Information

  • Case Number (Example: 2116-CV12345)

  • Court Date

  • Date of Birth

  • Street Address

If you have questions or don’t know how to find certain information, call 816-474-5112. Once the application is submitted, the address is confirmed to make sure that it is eligible for the program, and then Community CareLink will work to connect you to a lawyer for free.

A lawyer from one of the three legal organizations will reach out to clients who apply to the program within 24 to 48 hours of them signing up.

Who isn’t eligible for Right to Counsel?

People who live outside of Kansas City, Missouri’s boundaries or have not been issued an actual court date for their eviction will not be eligible to apply for legal representation, but you may still qualify for rent assistance the program.

If you are not being sued by your landlord and therefore don’t have a case number or court date, you will not be eligible for representation. If that’s the case for you, there are other resources you can check out — –more on that later.

The program is also not available for people who are homeowners facing foreclosure or renters dealing with other tenant-landlord disputes that don’t involve an actual eviction.

Rental assistance

In addition to offering free legal services to anyone who has an eviction case, the city and its partners are also working to make sure tenants apply for rental assistance.

The city’s Emergency Rental Assistance Center and local agencies like United Way have helped nearly 6,000 individuals and families apply for and receive $30 million in rent and utility assistance.

To be eligible for the city’s rental assistance, the tenant has to qualify for unemployment benefits, have experienced a reduction in household income or another financial hardship. They also need to be able to prove that hardship by presenting a past due utility bill, rent or eviction notice, or proof of unsafe living conditions.

Lastly, the household needs to be at or below 80% of the area median income, which is $77,450 or less for a four person household and $54,250 or less for a one person household, according to 2022 income limits.

To apply for rental assistance in Kansas City, call 816-513-4501 to make an appointment with the Emergency Rental Assistance Center. Applicants are asked to bring the following documents:

  • An official ID (driver’s license, birth certificate, etc.)

  • Proof of Residency (a piece of mail or a utility bill)

  • Proof of Income (pay stub, W-2 forms, 2020 tax return)

  • Documentation of why you need the rental assistance

Visit here to see a list of community organizations that may also be able to provide rental assistance.

What other resources are available?

Although guaranteed free legal counsel is only available to Kansas City, Missouri residents facing evictions, most of the organizations involved in the program still have services available to others in the metro.

United Way’s 2-1-1 resource hotline is a one way to get connected to legal or rental assistance. Legal Aid of Western Missouri also serves 40 counties in the area, with offices in Joplin, Warrensburg and St. Joseph. Legal Aid does have some income restrictions. To learn more visit their website at lawmo.org.

For free legal help and tenant tool kits for residents on the Kansas side, reach out to Kansas Legal Services, a nonprofit law firm that offers free representation to those that qualify. To apply visit here or call 1-800-723-6953.

To learn about rental assistance available in Kansas City, Kansas, visit here. For rental and utility assistance in Johnson County, visit here.

If you know of other resources available to those facing eviction in the Kansas City metro area, email us at KCQ@kcstar.com.

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