By Annika Hauer, ELAP Intern
Civil legal aid is legal advice for folks facing “civil” legal situations: domestic violence, housing charges or evictions, medical bills, immigration cases, and more. Civil legal aid is free, and it exists for people whom the legal system is not set up to support.
InvestigateWest published in June that the number of housing evictions filed in King and Kitsap Counties more than doubled from 2023 to 2024. And in January 2025, they reported that the number of evictions filed in that season reached a historic high. This is an example of a problem that ELAP directly addresses.
Anita is a client of ELAP’s who sought help when her landlord charged her extra fees that she couldn’t afford to pay. When she’d inquired about the fees herself, she’d been ignored. More of her story is here.
“They don’t treat the senior right,” Anita said. “If you ask some questions sometimes they slam the door on you.”
Vade Donaldson, ELAP Housing Staff Attorney, was able to identify that the fees were illegally charged.
“This was something that was impacting her health. It was causing her a lot of stress. It was preventing her from engaging in her life,” Donaldson said. “We can help them understand what their remedies might be. And we can walk them through the process because it’s an intimidating and frightening process for a lot of people.”
ELAP believes that everyone deserves access to legal help, so ELAP provides that free help for anyone who cannot afford the legal help for a civil case. Examples of civil legal aid issues are often related to domestic violence, an unexpected medical bill, unfair eviction, or other life challenge can set people back financially, physically, and psychologically. Legal aid is a tool that can prevent poverty and injustice. This is why ELAP exists.
President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act cuts $186 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The office of Governor Ferguson reported in July that of the one million Washingtonians benefiting from the program, 130,000 state residents will need to meet new work requirements to keep their SNAP benefits and the average household under the Thrifty Food Plan will decrease by about $56 per month.
SNAP and the Thrifty Food Plan specifically offer ways for low-income families to eat on a budget and eat nutritionally healthier food—with these cuts, families will have to decide where to spend less money, whether that’s on cheaper or less foods in general. When a surprising housing charge or medical bill arises, ELAP’s free services are a way for families to afford legal advice.
Civil legal aid continues to be a way for vulnerable, low-income people to move through life understanding their legal rights. ELAP empowers people who are furthest from justice to know how they can help their families and themselves.