Location
Price, UT
Start Date
5-13-2025 10:00 AM
Description
"Utah Legal Services (ULS) conducted a comprehensive legal needs assessment in 2024 to gather the necessary data and information to better meet its mission of providing high-quality civil legal aid without cost to people who are unable to afford legal representation or are facing disadvantages. Using the combination of an online survey, a series of focus groups throughout the Wasatch front, individual or group interviews, and several community soundboards, ULS conducted a broad, statewide survey. We connected with representatives, organizations, advocates, case managers, and leaders in the community as well as with client-eligible Utahns and ULS staff. This process allowed us to improve ULS’s visibility with key stakeholders in Utah while also identifying barriers that prevent equal access to justice.
The focus of this study was determining how to strategically reallocate resources and staffing based on the demonstrable needs of Utahns today. The ULS Legal Needs Working Group and a consultant research team from the Utah Foundation collected the data that serves as the basis for this report. Through this process, 584 people including more than seventy different organizations statewide gave input and feedback for this report on ULS’s assessment of Utah’s legal needs.
Across the state, there is population growth and changing bases of jobs and economic development, especially in northern Utah. Because of this, there is often a lack of resources and services available to support the needs of vulnerable populations. This process showed top needs continue to be housing (eviction defense and fit premises violations), consumer (identity theft and fraud, vehicle warranties and repossessions, and debt defense), domestic (family law and domestic violence), and public benefits issues. In addition, there are two other areas with increasing need: (1) wills, advanced directives, and other future planning documentation and (2) health needs for people who are struggling to understand medical benefits, billing, and insurance. Importantly, since the Utah Bar Foundation conducted the last Utah legal needs assessment in 2018, the data shows clearly that consumer needs are rising, domestic needs are decreasing, and housing and public benefits are remaining steady. Overwhelmingly, Utahns are looking for stability in shelter, finances, personal safety, and planning for their future.
A key finding from the assessment is that ULS has limited visibility outside of the legal community. Despite ULS being incorporated as a business entity for almost fifty years, the Legal Needs Working Group repeatedly heard from people statewide saying they had not heard of ULS or did not know what we do. From state legislators to service providers, advocates to librarians, this was a frequent refrain. They want to collaborate and work with us. This can include displaying our brochures, referring people to ULS, or coordinating services. They are eager to have community education and clinic events with us.
Often the biggest barriers to legal access are due to non-legal circumstances like not speaking or reading English well, lacking childcare, struggling with low literacy, or not having sufficient public transportation. With increasing populations of asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants, there are non-legal needs as they transition to this country along with the more traditional legal immigration needs. This included issues with lack of accommodation and discrimination. Moreover, some people do not have access to the internet or printers in their home. This makes many of the technological advances that developed during COVID-19 for remote services unavailable for these people especially in rural or frontier areas of Utah. "
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Reaching Communities and Serving People: Assessing Utah's Legal Needs
Price, UT
"Utah Legal Services (ULS) conducted a comprehensive legal needs assessment in 2024 to gather the necessary data and information to better meet its mission of providing high-quality civil legal aid without cost to people who are unable to afford legal representation or are facing disadvantages. Using the combination of an online survey, a series of focus groups throughout the Wasatch front, individual or group interviews, and several community soundboards, ULS conducted a broad, statewide survey. We connected with representatives, organizations, advocates, case managers, and leaders in the community as well as with client-eligible Utahns and ULS staff. This process allowed us to improve ULS’s visibility with key stakeholders in Utah while also identifying barriers that prevent equal access to justice.
The focus of this study was determining how to strategically reallocate resources and staffing based on the demonstrable needs of Utahns today. The ULS Legal Needs Working Group and a consultant research team from the Utah Foundation collected the data that serves as the basis for this report. Through this process, 584 people including more than seventy different organizations statewide gave input and feedback for this report on ULS’s assessment of Utah’s legal needs.
Across the state, there is population growth and changing bases of jobs and economic development, especially in northern Utah. Because of this, there is often a lack of resources and services available to support the needs of vulnerable populations. This process showed top needs continue to be housing (eviction defense and fit premises violations), consumer (identity theft and fraud, vehicle warranties and repossessions, and debt defense), domestic (family law and domestic violence), and public benefits issues. In addition, there are two other areas with increasing need: (1) wills, advanced directives, and other future planning documentation and (2) health needs for people who are struggling to understand medical benefits, billing, and insurance. Importantly, since the Utah Bar Foundation conducted the last Utah legal needs assessment in 2018, the data shows clearly that consumer needs are rising, domestic needs are decreasing, and housing and public benefits are remaining steady. Overwhelmingly, Utahns are looking for stability in shelter, finances, personal safety, and planning for their future.
A key finding from the assessment is that ULS has limited visibility outside of the legal community. Despite ULS being incorporated as a business entity for almost fifty years, the Legal Needs Working Group repeatedly heard from people statewide saying they had not heard of ULS or did not know what we do. From state legislators to service providers, advocates to librarians, this was a frequent refrain. They want to collaborate and work with us. This can include displaying our brochures, referring people to ULS, or coordinating services. They are eager to have community education and clinic events with us.
Often the biggest barriers to legal access are due to non-legal circumstances like not speaking or reading English well, lacking childcare, struggling with low literacy, or not having sufficient public transportation. With increasing populations of asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants, there are non-legal needs as they transition to this country along with the more traditional legal immigration needs. This included issues with lack of accommodation and discrimination. Moreover, some people do not have access to the internet or printers in their home. This makes many of the technological advances that developed during COVID-19 for remote services unavailable for these people especially in rural or frontier areas of Utah. "