May - June 2025 Newsletter

MAY-JUNE 2025

SERVING THE COMMUNITY

FACING ADVERSITY TOGETHER

The EF3 tornado on May 16th devastated our community - taking lives, destroying homes, and displacing vulnerable residents.

Since then, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri has been working with staff, volunteer lawyers, and partners to address urgent legal needs and support recovery efforts.

One pressing issue: SNAP recipients who lost food due to power outages can request replacement benefits - but the extended deadline of June 16th is fast approaching. Please help us spread the word by sharing our Facebook and Instagram posts.

We’re also developing plans to surge legal advocacy where it’s most needed - replacing IDs, addressing landlord-tenant issues, and fighting post-disaster scams.

You are a vital partner in this work.

Volunteers: We’ll need your help staffing legal clinics and supporting recovery.

Donors: Your financial support is critical. Donate Now to help meet the growing demand for our services.

Recovery will take time, but our community has responded with inspiring resilience and generosity. I’ve been moved by the dedication of our staff, who are working tirelessly to assist clients in the wake of this disaster.

If you or someone you know needs immediate help or access to resources, please visit the City of St. Louis’s tornado recovery page.

In solidarity and hope,

Dan Glazier, Executive Director & General Counsel

ADVOCACY IN ACTION

Legal Services secures Landmark SNAP Order

In a major legal victory for thousands of Missourians facing food insecurity, a federal judge issued an order on May 6th requiring the State of Missouri to modify its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administration to comply with federal law.

The ruling comes after three years of litigation led by Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, the National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NCLEJ), and Stinson LLP, on behalf of individual plaintiffs and Empower Missouri.

The lawsuit, filed in February 2022, alleged that Missouri’s broken call center system and failure to accommodate people with disabilities deprived eligible residents of vital food assistance.

In a 2024 decision, the court found that the Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) violated both federal SNAP law and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The judge cited long call center wait times, dropped calls, and the state’s practice of denying benefits to applicants who missed interviews—even when they had made multiple attempts to complete them.

In the newly issued remedial order, the Court is requiring DSS to take concrete steps to bring its system into compliance. Among other mandates, the state must:

Ensure at least 90% of SNAP applicants experience hold times of 20 minutes or less
End the practice of denying benefits to individuals who make reasonable efforts to obtain an interview
Adopt policies that comply with the ADA, and
Submit monthly reports tracking performance benchmarks to the Court.

DSS must meet these benchmarks for more than 12 consecutive months before it can seek to end court oversight.

“This order represents meaningful accountability for a system that has left too many Missourians without the food assistance they’re entitled to,” said Katherine Holley, attorney with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri. “We applaud the Court and will continue to ensure that the state meets its obligations under federal law.”

Join us in congratulating the incredible team at Legal Services and our outstanding partners at Stinson and the National Center for Law and Economic Justice for their relentless advocacy.

EXPANDING PARTNERSHIPS

Young Friends in Action

In April and May, The Young Friends of Legal Services hosted three public events to support Legal Services and expand their connections with the community.

In April, the Young Friends hosted a Happy Hour for law students at Washington University, as a way to inform students about the work of Legal Services and to promote internship opportunities for students at Legal Services. Special thanks to Events Chair Taylor Burrows and Mariel Brunman, our Washington University Board Representative, for their work to ensure the success of this event.

ABOVE, Left to Right: Young Friends Events Chair Taylor Burrows, Executive Director Dan Glazier & Young Friends Wash U Board Rep Mariel Brunman.

LEFT: Students and Board Members

Throughout April, the Young Friends Board conducted their annual Supplies Drive, collecting cleaning and personal care items to benefit Legal Services clients in need. This year, more than 1,000 individual items were donated.

Laura Halfmann-Morris, Young Friends Service Chair, and Co-Manager of Legal Services’ Lasting Solutions Family Law Program says, “These items offer a little bit of stability for clients facing many barriers, especially when basic needs are hard to meet."

ABOVE, Young Friends Board Member Iulia Tothezan sorts through donations at Legal Services.

"The generosity during this drive was incredible and will make a big difference for our client community in the coming months. We are so grateful to our Young Friends Board and all who supported this effort!” she added.

On May 9, The Young Friends also hosted their annual MCLE webinar, with discussion centering on Legal Services’ Microenterprise program. It was organized by our CLE Co-Chairs Katie Krispin & Vannah Shaw, with Katie moderating the discussion with panelists Marlene Elliott, Managing Attorney of the Microenterprise Program, and Young Friends Board members Luke Jackson & Ebony Sheckles.

Our special guest was Microenterprise client Shelby Farr, owner of Shelby Marie Luxury Fragrance Bar. With 190+ people registered and $750+ in donations received, this year’s CLE was a great success!

For those of you who missed the session, it is currently available on our YouTube channel HERE.

LEGAL SERVICES IN THE COMMUNITY

In April and May, Legal Services participated in several community events:

RIGHT: Dan Glazier at the Law Day lunch with Young Friends Board Member Katie Doherty (Armstrong Teasdale), who received a Presidential Award from BAMSL.

BELOW: Jim Guest, Director of Legal Services' Volunteer Lawyers Program, speaks at a Jefferson County Women's Bar Association forum along with Board Member Emily Elam and Legal Services volunteer April Waugh. Elam & Waugh are both attorneys with Citi.

BELOW: In May, Legal Services hosted the Midwest Legal Aid Directors Annual Conference in St. Louis.

LEFT: Geoff Oliver, Program Director of Legal Services' Connecting Kids to Coverage, represents Legal Services at A Red Circle's Annual Community Resource Fair.

ABOVE: In April, Amanda Williams, Senior Staff Attorney with Legal Services' Immigration Law Program, received a Kids Award from the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery in recognition of her work with the Crisis Nursery's LatinX outreach program.

OTHER NEWS

Legal Services recently celebrated the retirement of two long-standing staff members, Mary Anthony and Missy Waldman. We wish them both a very long and happy retirement!

BELOW: Richard Sisson, Mary Dyson, Mary Anthony & Kim Allen

ABOVE: Mary Anthony retired in March after 25 years with Legal Services.

BELOW: Missy Waldman retired in April after 21 years with Legal Services.

ABOVE: Pinky Hunter, Liz Larsen, Missy Waldman & Tijuana Henderson.

Thank you to everyone who joined us on April 24th for a special Donor & Volunteer Happy Hour at the Neighborhood Advocacy Office, to highlight their work in the community. Peter Hoffman, Neighborhood Advocacy Managing Attorney, gave a program overview and welcomed guest speakers Sean Spencer, Executive Director of Tower Grove CDC and neighborhood advocate Tonnie Smith (pictured below right).