The Union Office provides a full range of services to qualified low-income residents of Franklin, Montgomery, Warren, and Washington Counties and family law cases in Lincoln County.

With the St. Louis Office, the Union Office can also help with:

• Orders of Protection
• Divorces
• Paternity/custody cases and modifications
• Consumer law and debtor/creditor problems
• Landlord/tenant or other housing issues
• Public benefits cases, including Medicaid
• Immigration cases
• Special Education needs

The Union Office partners with, and provides referrals to, community agencies including:

• ALIVE – 636.583.5700 or 800.941.9144 – alivestl.org
• Bridgeway Behavioral Health – 877-462-1758 – bridgewaybh.com
• Turning Point – 888-873-7233 – turingpointdvs.com
• Franklin County United Way – 636.239.1018 – franklincountyuw.org
• Jefferson Franklin Community Action Corp. – 636.789.2686 – jfcac.org
• North East Community Action Corporation – 636.456.2933 – necac.org

Counties Served

Franklin, Lincoln, Montgomery, Warren and Washington

Staff:

Jon Althauser, Managing Attorney

Jo Boggs, Staff Attorney
Rhonda Campbell, Paralegal
Kimberly Finnegan, Rural Social Work Advocate/Attorney

Contact us at:

866.583.7877
636.583.7877
www.lsem.org

The Legal Advocacy for Adults with Mental Illness (LAAMI) Program assists individuals living with, or at-risk of developing, mental/behavioral health conditions to resolve legal problems through a combination of legal and social work assistance. This holistic approach engages with clients to resolve their legal problems while supporting their mental health and wellness.

The program team empowers individuals living with mental/behavioral conditions to be self-advocates and successfully navigate legal and social service systems. LAAMI also engages in positive change initiatives and systemic advocacy through community partnerships, outreach and education, and collaboration with various service providers and mental health stakeholders.

We can help with:

• Housing issues
• Family law, including simple divorces and orders of protection
• Public benefits
• Powers of attorney and advanced health care directives
• Guardianship termination (The LAAMI program is unable to assist with establishing adult guardianships).
• Municipal tickets and warrants
• Criminal record expungement
• Name changes
• Unconditional releases from DMH custody

We may be able to help if you:

• Are 18 years old or older, AND
• Live or stay in St. Louis City, AND
• Have a mental or behavioral health condition, or are at-risk of developing such a condition, AND
• Meet Legal Services income and asset guidelines

Please contact LAAMI with any questions about eligibility.

Contact Us At:

laami@lsem.org

Staff:

Daniel Underwood, Managing Attorney

Kim Carlson, Outreach Coordinator
Christine Fuchs, Senior Staff Attorney
Anne Milne, Senior Social Worker

In the event of a mental health crisis, please contact:

Behavioral Health Response: 314-469-6644
Provident Crisis Hotline: 314-647-HELP (4357)

Community Partners:

Almost Home

Behavioral Health Network of Greater St. Louis

BJC Behavioral Health

Covenant House

Generate Health

Independence Center

NAMI St. Louis

Places for People

Safe Connections

St. Louis Crisis Nursery 

Funding for this program is provided by: 

Helping New Americans in Missouri is important. “Immigrants contribute to the economy in direct relation to their share of the population. The economy of metro areas grows in tandem with the immigrant share of the labor force.”*

We can help you:

• • apply for your immediate relatives to join you
  • apply to become a naturalized U.S. Citizen
  • stay safe and apply for immigration benefits

WE CAN HELP

If you are a victim of violent crime, you may be able to get immigration relief. You have the right to contact the police if someone has hurt you or threatened to hurt you or if someone has forced you to work using threats or violence.

If you or someone you know is an immigrant victim of a crime, please contact us.

CALL THE IMMIGRATION LAW PROGRAM NOW AT: 314.256.8705

or call the main switchboard at 314.534.4200 and select option 3,
then follow the prompts for the Immigration Law Program.

Counties we serve

Adair, Clark, Franklin, Jefferson, Knox, Lewis, Lincoln, Macon, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike, Ralls, St. Charles, St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, Warren and Washington.

Staff

Kim Allen, Managing Attorney

Beena Bryant, Case Manager
Lynn Mark, Accredited Representative
Amanda Williams, Senior Staff Attorney

Other Helpful Resources

Nonprofit Immigrant Service Providers

• International Institute
• Immigration Advocates Network
• Missouri Immigrants & Refugee Advocates
• The Immigration Project
• Stop Human Trafficking
• m.i.c.a. Project
• St. Louis University School of Law Civil Advocacy Clinic

Local and Federal Immigration Policy and Rules

• Immigration Study by Jack Strauss, Saint Louis University, Simon Chair of Economics & Director of the Simon Center for Regional Forecasting (PDF)
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
• U.S. Department of State

*David Dyssegaard Kallik, Senior Fellow, Fiscal Policy Institute; Director, Immigration Research Initiative

NEW PUBLICATION: THE TENANT TOOLKIT

This is a valuable resource for anyone experiencing landlord-tenant issues. The Tenant Toolkit provides basic legal information about housing rights, templates for key communications with landlords, tips for best practices when seeking and securing a rental property and other resources for clients seeking to gain and maintain long-term housing stability.

CLICK HERE to view the Tenant Toolkit online

CLICK HERE for a printable pdf copy

We assist families and individuals facing eviction, loss of housing assistance, poor living conditions, discrimination, and other housing issues.

We can help you if:

• You are being evicted from your home
• Your lease is being terminated
• Your landlord is not making necessary repairs
• The housing authority denied your application
• Your subsidized housing assistance is being terminated
• The housing authority did not adjust your rent when your income or family size changed
• The housing authority did not add a family member to your voucher or lease

In addition to providing legal representation, we hold workshops and presentations on tenant rights, subsidized housing, and fair housing issues.

Area we serve:

St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Jefferson County and St. Charles County.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• Eviction Fact Sheet
• Representing Yourself in Court
• Security Deposits Fact Sheet

Missouri Tenant Help offers free, easy-to-use, and mobile-friendly resources to Missouri tenants facing eviction or other housing needs. Our DIY forms are accessible to tenants, attorneys, paralegals, or anyone helping a tenant.

CHECK IT OUT NOW AT: www.MoTenantHelp.org 

CLICK HERE for a printable flyer about MoTenantHelp

 Missouri Tenant Help is funded by HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) and is supported by legal aid organizations across Missouri.

Staff

Susan Alverson, Managing Attorney

Emily Autrey, Social Worker
Daniel Buran, Attorney
Shawn Caruso, Attorney
Jessica Hallermann, Office Manager/Paralegal
Jennifer Heggemann, Director of Social Worker
Abbie Leonard, Social Worker
Lina Olberding, Paralegal
Jami Scott, Social Worker
Buddy Stratton, Attorney

Additional funding for the Eviction Prevention Program is provided by Wells Fargo.

If you are in immediate danger:

• Call 911 for immediate help
• Or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at  800.799.7233
  
• or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.4673

Lasting Solutions provides legal representation, support services, and access to community resources in family law cases to help survivors leave abusive relationships and make a new start.

Services Provided

• Legal representation for:
  • Orders of Protection
  • Divorces
  • Custody issues
• Case management support
• Connections to needed resources
• Community workshops and presentations

From Our Clients

“I was treated with respect and walked through my case with confidence because they educated me on my rights! Will never forget what they did for me!”

“The entire staff was very helpful, informative, and caring. They made the difference.”

“Legal Services goes above and beyond to help their clients. I am so grateful.”

Services and support are available to survivors of any gender, sexual orientation, race, nationality (regardless of immigration status) or marital status.

Areas we serve

St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County and Jefferson County.

Staff

Laura Halfmann-Morris, Co-Manager, Social Worker
Jackie Matreci, Co-Manager, Attorney

Taylor Anderson, Social Worker
Shonté Byrd, Staff Attorney
Emily Howard, Staff Attorney
Blair Pankratz, Staff Attorney
Eldisa Ramic, Social Worker
Irma Ramic, Senior Paralegal & Office Manager
Jennifer Reyes Lay, Crisis Intervention Specialist
Marissa Schiro, Crisis Intervention Specialist 
Ruth Schneider, Staff Attorney
Keisha Wings, Paralegal

Helpful Resources

Domestic/sexual violence crisis hotlines
ALIVE: 314.993.2777
Safe Connections: 314.531.2003
YWCA Metro St. Louis: 314.531.7273
National Domestic Violence Hotline: Call 1.800.799.7233 or text 88788
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1.800.656.4673

Court Information

St. Louis City Adult Abuse Office – 314.622.4434
St. Louis County Adult Abuse Office – 314.615.4725
Jefferson County Courthouse – 636.797.5060
St. Charles County Courthouse – 636.949.3080
Missouri Bar Handbook on Domestic Violence and the Law

Domestic Violence Shelters
A Safe Place (Jefferson County): 636.232.2301
Kathy J. Weinman Shelter (St. Louis County): 314.615.4430
Saint Martha’s 314.533.1313
The Women’s Safe House 314.772.4535

Other support services and programs

Crime Victim Center: 314.652.3623
Diamond Diva Empowerment Foundation
Life Source Consultants: 314.524.0686
Missouri Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence (MOCADSV): 573.634.4161
St. Louis Anti-Violence Project
St. Louis Ending Domestic & Sexual Violence Network – Resource List
St. Louis Queer+ Support Helpline (SQSH) 314.380.7774