Growth

When pandemic-related eviction moratoriums began to expire in 2021, clients already involved in child protection and child support cases were now also facing eviction, Principal Attorney Terrance Hendricks recalls. At the same time, Hennepin County was bracing for a massive increase in housing court case filings and people in need of homes. County leaders looked to ARS for help.

“Once the eviction moratorium was lifted, we put together a housing team like that,” said Loan Mai, Administrative Assistant. “Our heads were spinning, but we did the work, and we served the clients, and we assisted in the ways we could.”

Everyone expected evictions and legal needs to taper, but the opposite has happened. “The need has actually increased,” Hendricks said. “In fact, the numbers are much higher than they were pre-COVID.”

As a result, the housing court team is the agency’s largest. The team handled about 300 housing/eviction cases in 2021, nearly 2,500 in 2022, and are on track to handle about 4,000 in 2023.

Alongside growth in that area, ARS has expanded representation and services to include guardianship, civil commitments, immigration, prevention, and social services navigation support. Overall, the agency’s caseload increased 350% from 2018 to 2022.

“I knew we would likely grow but never imagined we would expand so quickly and have the privilege of serving residents in so many areas of the law,” said Principal Attorney Rachelle Loewenson Stratton. “I am grateful Hennepin County sees the value and importance of protecting its residents by providing legal defense in so many areas.”