Grantee Feature: Housing
Volunteer Lawyers Network is a nonprofit connecting Minnesotans facing poverty with volunteer attorneys who provide free legal aid on a broad range of civil issues. VLN is a strong example of Minnesota’s generosity in action, operating through a vast referral network of talented attorneys supplemented by dedicated staff and contract lawyers.
The Constellation Fund is proud to provide strategic support to the housing program at VLN. The program connects lawyers with clients or tenants across the Twin Cities, helping them navigate urgent housing challenges—most critically eviction defense, landlord disputes, and housing repairs. For many VLN clients and their families who are experiencing poverty, quality legal representation and compassionate advocacy like that provided through VLN’s network of lawyers would otherwise be inaccessible.
“They were extremely helpful in helping advocate on my behalf…Volunteer Lawyers Network jumped right in and helped win my case and protected my housing rights.”
–VLN Client
Housing in Minnesota
Housing affordability and stability are experiencing growing pressure statewide. While Minnesota’s eviction rates have risen sharply post-pandemic, low-income renters—especially families with children—bear the brunt of these challenges. Without legal representation, tenants face a high risk of losing housing which can impact health, education, and earnings across multiple generations. The housing services at Volunteer Lawyers Network provide a crucial safety net, offering tenants the legal tools and advocacy needed to stay housed and maintain stability in volatile economic times.
Housing Affordability Gap
Wages for many Twin Cities jobs often fall short for many hard-working renters.
The Bottom Line
This past year, 848 cases were settled for tenants facing eviction through the housing program at Volunteer Lawyers Network. Of those cases, 628 families were able to stay in their homes or significantly improve their ability to find new housing.
VLN provided full representation in 164 cases for eviction expungement, aiding tenants in maintaining a positive record that allows access to safe, healthy, and affordable housing.
Building Bright Futures
Constellation Fund’s analysis highlights VLN’s exceptional value: its eviction prevention work yields strong benefit-cost returns with low uncertainty, thanks to a deeply committed and highly skilled volunteer attorney base and strategic contracting partnerships that maximize client outcomes. VLN not only prevents client displacement, but helps families retain or regain housing benefits—in other words, keep their jobs and maintain their incomes. These outcomes extend well beyond having a roof over families heads, from lasting health and educational benefits to economic opportunity and lasting mobility.
