Legal Aid of Western Missouri

Hooray! We made it through another week! Here's your client quote: #ClientQuote #JusticeForAll #TGIF

It's Opening Day for the Royals!!! ?????? Legal Aid staff came to work dressed for the occasion!! #KCRoyals #OpeningDay

Why should you celebrate farmworkers?? ?????? Farmworkers feed the world- 85% of our fresh fruits and vegetables are handpicked. There are an estimated 2.5-3 million men, women, and children who work in the fields in the United States. Farms are in every state, including yours, yet farmworkers remain largely invisible and continue to live and work in horrific conditions. Farm work is one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States. The people who plant and harvest our fruits and vegetables suffer from the highest rate of toxic chemical injuries of any other workers in the nation and have higher incidences of heat stress, dermatitis, urinary tract infections, parasitic infections, and tuberculosis than other wage-earners. Farmworkers are treated differently under the law. Overtime, unemployment insurance, and even protection when joining a union are not guaranteed under federal law. Farmworkers were excluded from almost all major federal laws passed in the 1930s. The Fair Labor Standards Act was amended in 1978 to mandate minimum wage for farmworkers on large farms only and it still has not made provisions for overtime. #NFAW2025 #FarmworkersFeedTheWorld #TodosUnidos #Farmworkers #MigrantFarmworkers #MigrantFarmWorkerProject

Malia’s courage and Legal Aid’s advocacy enabled Thomas to protect his daughter from further harm and bring her home. Thomas and his ex-wife shared custody of their teenage daughter, Malia. But Thomas hadn’t been able to locate or speak to Malia or her mother for months. One night, Malia called him. She had walked barefoot for over a mile to a police station to report ongoing abuse by a man her mother allowed into their home. Her mother attempted to cover up the abuse by isolating Malia. With the help of his Legal Aid attorney, Thomas filed a motion to modify custody. He obtained a court order protecting Malia from further harassment by her mother. Thomas and Malia are now working with authorities in their investigation. Malia has begun therapy and returned to school. She is grateful to be safe and happy back home with her dad.

Happy Manatee Appreciation Day! ?? These gentle “sea cows” remind us to slow down and enjoy life’s little things. So take a brief break from the crazy—manatee style!

Hello, Wednesday! We have something for you to ponder as you go about your day! #WiseWordsWednesday #JusticeForAll #RBG

It's National Farmworker Awareness Week! (March 25 - 31) Let's all remember that without our farmworkers, there would be no food on our tables! We are grateful for their work EVERY day!! Our Migrant Farmworker Project staff is hard at work helping MO farmworkers & their families with a variety of legal needs, including access to health care, public benefits, family law issues, and more! #NFAW2025 #FarmworkersFeedTheWorld #TodosUnidos #Farmworkers #MigrantFarmworkers #MigrantFarmWorkerProject

This is what we do! ?? When all your time and energy is spent worrying about where you will sleep, how you will eat, whether or not your partner will abuse you, etc., etc., you lose hope. Without hope, how can you envision a better future for yourself and your family? #JusticeForAll #ClientQuote #TGIF

Spring!!! ?? ????

Legal Aid’s Justice in the Schools project helped Brandi avoid eviction after her landlord wrongfully sued her for back rent on an uninhabitable home. Brandi, a 27-year-old mother of two, lived in a Section 8 property. Because Brandi’s only income was from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), her portion of the rent was zero. When Brandi's lease came up for renewal, the Housing Authority of Kansas City conducted its annual housing quality inspection. The property failed due to several habitability issues, and Brandi's landlord was given 30 days to make the necessary repairs. After failing a second inspection, the rent payments were put into abatement for three months until the landlord addressed the problems. After her landlord filed a lawsuit against her, demanding back rent for the period of the abatement, Brandi contacted Legal Aid’s Justice in the Schools project for assistance. A lawyer from the Justice in the Schools project agreed to take Brandi’s case and assured her that HUD regulations specifically state that Section 8 tenants are not responsible for rent that the Housing Authority has abated. Additionally, landlords are not eligible for retroactive payment of abated rent. While the case was being handled, Brandi worked with her Housing Authority case manager to find a new home. Once her landlord learned that she was planning to move, he dismissed the case. Brandi was able to secure a temporary housing situation that allowed her children to finish the school year while she sought permanent housing with the help of the Housing Authority. Thanks to the Justice in the Schools project, Brandi managed to remove herself and her children from an unsafe living situation, and she will not have an eviction record.