Effective Collaborations Between Legal Services and Community Economic Development 

The ecosystem of community economic development work is a mystery to many legal services providers; and many CED nonprofits are not familiar with civil legal aid. Yet these two worlds collide on a number of issues that matter to low-income households.

In this webinar, advocates provided a short overview of economic development and neighborhood stabilization players, as well as some background about legal services programs. They then delve into several examples of fruitful collaborations that have spanned the gap between these worlds, incorporating the skills and strengths of each. LISC Jacksonville talked about their heirs property initiative, and Legal Services of Eastern Missouri discussed their efforts around neighborhood advocacy and addressing vacant properties.

From partnering with local governments, to tapping into community-based funding streams, to thinking about neighborhood stability in a variety of ways – both kinds of nonprofits bring many strengths to the work of maintaining and creating stable housing and communities.

Speakers

Kristopher Smith and John Sapora, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Jacksonville

Peter Hoffman, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Inc. 

Moderators: Jeremiah Battle, Jr. and Sarah Mancini, National Consumer Law Center