This week the Indiana Bar Foundation, IHCDA, and Indiana Supreme Court unveiled the first of 120 IndianaLegalHelp.org kiosks scheduled to be placed around the state starting this month.
The kiosks provide a way for Hoosiers to easily access IndianaLegalHelp.org, connecting Hoosiers to legal resources and services. IndianaLegalHelp.org, which has seen more than one million visits since its launch, includes legal forms, instructional videos, referrals to free and low-cost legal services, and a statewide calendar of free legal advice clinics. The IndianaLegalHelp.org kiosks will initially focus on serving Hoosiers facing eviction or housing instability and will expand to include other legal topics later next year.
In Indiana, housing evictions are considered a civil matter, meaning individuals are not provided legal representation and are often left to navigate the legal system independently. Resources like the kiosks are critical in helping Hoosiers access the civil legal system and make IndianaLegalHelp.org resources available to individuals who don’t have access to reliable internet at home.
All 92 counties are anticipated to have at least one kiosk host site, and some counties have requested additional kiosks if more funding becomes available.
Earlier this year, the Foundation received a 13-million-dollar contract from IHCDA to fund housing stability legal services across the state. Kiosk development and deployment come from this two-year contract.
In addition, the Foundation and seven statewide partners are collaborating to offer a network of legal services, including brief advice legal clinics, legal aid attorneys, and non-attorney legal navigators to support Hoosiers facing eviction.
Individuals needing legal help with an eviction or housing instability are encouraged to access resources offered at IndianaLegalHelp.org.
