Community Justice Workers: Part of the Solution to Alaska's Legal Deserts

Legal deserts—large geographic areas where there are few or no attorneys—are found throughout the United States, including Alaska. These deserts are a major contributor to the access to justice gap. Further compounding the scarcity of legal resources in these areas, many people living in legal deserts cannot afford legal help, even when a lawyer is available. Legal aid organizations have struggled to overcome these challenges in meeting the legal needs of low-income Americans and are often forced to turn away as many people as they are able to help. Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC) is responding to this challenge in part through a new type of legal professional: the community justice worker. Inspired by the Alaska Native Tribal health care system, community justice workers are non-attorneys trained to offer specific legal interventions for a particular legal issue. During Alaska's recent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) crisis, community justice worker volunteers helped ALSC meet an exponential increase in SNAP delay and denial cases and successfully recovered $1.43 million in food security benefits on behalf of clients. ALSC looks to continue expanding its successful community justice worker program to meet the legal needs of low-income Alaskans.