TENANT ASSISTANCE PROJECT TAPPED WITH THE LAURIE SMITH CAMP INTEGRITY IN SERVICE AWARD

The reason the Smith Camp Award includes “Integrity in Service” in its name is because the Award’s namesake – Judge Laurie Smith Camp – believed that the service and good works you do in your life can be incredibly important and meaningful, so long as you maintain, show, and embrace integrity throughout that service.

Our 2023 Award recipient – the Tenant Assistance Project of the Nebraska State Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Project – is focused on integrity at every turn. Respect for less fortunate people facing eviction. Collegial and straightforward interaction with opposing counsel and parties. Creating pro bono opportunities for the local legal community.

In response to the housing crisis that came out of people not being able to work during the 2020 COVID crisis, TAP was started in April 2020 by Nebraska College of Law Professor Ryan Sullivan. Almost immediately, the Nebraska State Bar Association stepped in as steward of the program and by August 2020, TAP had expanded into Douglas County.

TAP works to facilitate limited scope pro bono opportunities for attorneys to help people facing eviction in both Lancaster and Douglas County. Attorneys volunteer 90 minutes to two hours of time on any given day to represent defendants in eviction actions. Many times that representation includes helping people apply for rental assistance, and negotiating extra time for the tenants to get that assistance, or move out without having an eviction on their record. In any given week in Douglas County alone, TAP helps more than 100 people facing eviction.

To date, more than 100 attorneys have volunteered with TAP, along with more than 100 community volunteers who are not attorneys. In speaking with Lia Bies, TAP Managing Attorney, she said that in Douglas County less than 2% of cases over the last year have ended with the outcome of immediate eviction. 50% of cases end up with the tenant getting caught up on rent and continuing to live in the home, 25% are given extra time to move out without an eviction on the record, and 23% are either dismissed or continued.

TAP has facilitated over 1800 hours of volunteer work have been donated by local attorneys, with an estimated value of more than $360,000, and through the MACCH rental assistance project alone, more than $1,600,000 in rental assistance has been provided in the last year alone. The most meaningful statistic to Bies is that since the Project began, more than 1600 households facing eviction have been helped

The Award criteria are: For outstanding contributions, above and beyond the call of duty related to

 Advancing Diversity and Inclusion,

 Improving Access to Justice,

 Providing Pro Bono Service,

 Mentoring of Others,

 Advancing Innovation in the Legal Profession; and/or

 Serving and Representing the Legal Community.

The 2021 recipient of the Award was Judi gaiashkibos, Executive Director of Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs, and the 2022 Award recipient was Deb Gilg, who we lost late last year and will be one of those honored at our Memorial Service on May 19th at the Legislative Chambers.

TAP has been a tremendous benefit to helping those in our community who are most vulnerable, and being an opportunity for meaningful pro bono service by our attorneys. A special thank you to all those attorneys who have volunteered through TAP.

Please join the OBA in congratulating the Tenant Assistance Project on their receiving this recognition and Award.