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VLA and LSV: Working together to ensure every Vermonter has access to justice

OUR MISSION

Access, Advocacy and Impact

At Vermont Legal Aid (VLA) and Legal Services Vermont (LSV), providing equal access to justice for all Vermonters, regardless of income, identity, or circumstances, is at the heart of everything we do. As the largest providers of free legal services in Vermont, we provide free legal representation and wrap-around services to underrepresented and marginalized Vermonters, including the disabled, elderly, housing insecure, low-income, migrant, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ communities. Beyond providing individual representation, we also work to create lasting, systemic change through policy advocacy at the state level.

OUR PROGRAM AREAS

  • Elder Law and Care Advocacy
  • Disability Law
  • Domestic Violence Protection
  • Homeowner and Tenant Rights
  • Mental Health Law
  • Immigrant Rights
  • Low-Income Representation
  • Healthcare and Medicare Advocacy
  • Public Benefits and Consumer Law

WHY LEGAL AID MATTERS

  • 92% of civil legal needs among low-income Americans are unmet
  • 74% of low-income households in the Northeast experienced one or more civil legal problems in the past year
  • 55% of low- income Americans who experienced a legal problem say these problems substantially impacted their lives

Data from Legal Services Corporation 2022 Justice Gap Study

PROGRAMS IN FOCUS

Housing Stability

Over the past 5 years, evictions in Vermont have increased by 45%. Because of the shortage of rental apartments and high housing costs, these evictions often lead to homelessness — Vermont’s homeless population has more than tripled since 2019, and Vermont now has the 4th highest per capita homeless rate in the country. Our housing help requests are up 43% since 2019 and now make up half of all our legal inquiries. In 2024, we provided legal services to over half of all evictions filed in Vermont. Since last year, we have helped over 800 families avoid eviction and secured lasting housing solutions for hundreds more.

Justice for Migrant Families

In January 2025, we launched our Immigrant Minor Guardianship Project in response to the Federal government’s plans to increase detention and deportation of undocumented people.

The project helps migrant families create a family preparedness plan in case a parent is detained or deported, designating a guardian who can care for the children and support family reunification. Without a designated guardian, these children would be placed in state custody in the U.S. until age 18. The

Immigrant Minor Guardianship Project has already trained 20 volunteer attorneys, hosted 6 legal clinics, and completed paperwork for over 60 families and more than 110 children. Our staff also successfully advocated in the legislature for a change in Vermont’s guardianship statute to clearly authorize these “standby” guardianships.

OUR IMPACT

  • 26,000 requests for legal assistance fielded each year
  • 18,000 Vermonters directly assisted in 2025
  • 85% of those served are below 125% of the federal poverty level
  • 2,634 client court cases taken on pro bono in 2024

Data from July 2024–June 2025

SUSTAINING OUR WORK IN A CHANGING FUNDING LANDSCAPE

Vermont Legal Aid and Legal Services Vermont represent and advocate for thousands of Vermonters annually free of charge. Our work is supported by a combination of state, federal, and private grant funds, but recent cuts to public funding are now threatening our ability to meet the current demand for our services. These cuts come at a time when the need for our work is greater than ever, especially in the areas of housing, healthcare, and immigrant rights.

In order to ensure that all Vermonters continue to have access to justice, we are now seeking to broaden our base of funding beyond public dollars — reaching out to individuals to support our work through personal contributions. We hope you can join us to continue the fight for equal access to justice for all Vermonters!

To learn more or support our work, please scan the QR code below or visit www.vtlegalaid.org/donate

Thank you!

BESSIE WEISS, Interim Executive Director, Vermont Legal Aid, bweiss@vtlegalaid.org

SAM ABEL-PALMER, Executive Director, Legal Services Vermont, sabel-palmer@legalservicesvt.org