The Neighborhood Advocacy program serves St. Louis area residents and community-based organizations to prevent and reduce vacancy and property abandonment.

Learn more about the work of Neighborhood Advocacy with this short video.

Services provided:

Problem Property Litigation:

Represents qualifying neighborhood organizations in lawsuits against absentee owners of vacant, blighted properties, to force the sale, transfer, or improvement of property.

Family Property: 
Assists low-income clients with fractured land title problems (heirs’ property) that contribute to property abandonment. Free legal assistance available to low-income and senior homeowners for beneficiary (transfer on death) deeds and simple estate planning.

Title Clearance:
Assists nonprofits with clearing land titles for affordable housing development.

Community Education & Technical Assistance:
Available for community education and technical assistance on topics related to community revitalization, land titles, tax foreclosure, and property abandonment.

In 2023, Neighborhood Advocacy, formerly known as the Neighborhood Vacancy Initiative, celebrated five years of providing community support and neighborhood revitalization.
Check out their work over the past five years in this special publication.

Click on the image to open and download your pdf copy now.

 For more information about Neighborhood Advocacy, contact:

 314.256.8778

neighborhoods@lsem.org

Staff

Peter Hoffman, Managing Attorney

Caroline Biedenstein, Paralegal/Administrative Assistant
Anna Carlsson, Staff Attorney
Brittany Hubbard, Staff Attorney
Demetria Hunter, Paralegal
Molly LePage, Paralegal/Administrative Assistant
TJ Pearson, Staff Attorney
Vannah Shaw, Staff Attorney
Rachel Waterman, Senior Staff Attorney

To find your local neighborhood organization, visit: https://www.stlvacancy.com/communitymap.html

If you are a law firm interested in partnering with an urban neighborhood to reduce blighted and abandoned property, please contact us to discuss opportunities.

Neighborhood Advocacy is a proud member of the St. Louis Vacancy Collaborative. For more information and to see a map of vacant properties, visit www.stlvacancy.com.

Neighborhood Advocacy  is also a proud partner of the St. Louis Real Estate Tax Relief Coalition. For more information or to make a contribution, visit www.RETAF.org.

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

The Youth and Family Advocacy Program assists youth and families experiencing homelessness and housing instability by providing supportive case management and civil legal assistance.

We can help with:

• Getting legal documents such as birth certificates, State ID and Social Security cards
• Legal assistance for LGBTQIA+ youth, including legal name changes and gender marker changes
• Housing Issues
• Public benefits such as TANF, Food Stamps, health coverage, child care assistance, unemployment and other benefits
• Municipal tickets and warrants
• Youth credit problems, debt collection and identity theft
• Family law issues including custody, paternity and orders of protection
• Accessing medical and mental health services, banking, shelter or other services for unaccompanied minors
• And possibly more…

We may be able to help if you:

• Live in St. Louis City or St. Louis County, and
• Are an unaccompanied youth, age 19 or younger, experiencing homelessness or at-risk of becoming homeless, or
• Are a family with children ages 19 or younger and at-risk of homelessness or becoming homeless

Contact Us:

If you have any questions, or believe you or someone you know would benefit from our services, please feel free to reach out to us via phone at 314.860.5156, via email at youthnowstl@lsem.org, or by filling out a quick inquiry form HERE

Community Partnerships

If you are an agency that serves St. Louis City or St. Louis County youth and are interested in partnering or learning more about outreach opportunities, please contact us at youthnowstl@lsem.org

Staff:
Dan Underwood, Managing Attorney

Kim Carlson, Outreach Coordinator
Tori Dempsey, Program Director
Kristyn Young, Social Worker