DEPARTMENT: Community Services Administration
FILE TYPE: Consent Action
TITLE
title
Authorization To Execute Grant Agreement With Legal Assistance Of Dakota County, Ltd.
end
PURPOSE/ACTION REQUESTED
Authorize execution of a grant agreement with Legal Assistance of Dakota County, Ltd., (LADC) to fund legal assistance services.
SUMMARY
LADC is a non-profit agency that provides legal assistance services using both staff and volunteer attorneys. The target service population is income-eligible adult residents of Dakota County who are unable to afford representation in non-fee generating civil legal issues. The services support Dakota County residents with appropriate use of the legal system to maintain or improve stability in their lives. Provided legal services focus on family law matters including, but not limited to, divorce, domestic abuse, child custody or visitation rights, and child support.
Dakota County has consistently funded these services since 2007. In 2015, a 50 percent reduction to the contract amount occurred. Since then, minor inflationary adjustments have been periodically applied to this contract, averaging 1.0 percent annually over that 10-year period (Attachment: Expenditures). While the County is not mandated to provide or fund these services, funding of these services helps prevent the need for more costly services and improves access to existing services. Appropriating County funds to a non-profit to provide legal assistance to persons who are unable to afford private legal counsel is authorized by Minn. Stat. ? 375.167.
OUTCOMES
The following data reflects outcomes achieved in 2024, the most recent full calendar year that outcome data is available:
* 98 percent of clients who received extended representation from LADC reported an improved quality of life at the end of the service.
* 100 percent of clients who received extended representation from LADC reported they felt safer at the end of the service.
* LADC recovered or protected ap...
Click here for full text