Nonprofit Legal Aid Society welcomes attorney to help those struggling with evictions

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands welcomes a new staff attorney to the Murfreesboro office.

Alise Housden, who joined the firm as a housing staff attorney, will focus on helping tenants facing eviction.

“Her expertise will be highly valuable as we work to assist tenants who have been struggling to afford basic living expenses during the challenging circumstances of COVID,” said DarKenya W. Waller, director of Legal Aid Society, Tennessee’s largest nonprofit law firm.

In addition, Housden will assist clients in applying for Rutherford County’s COVID-19 Rental Relief. The program offers benefits for those struggling to pay rent, utilities or other home energy costs due to the loss of wages or income during the pandemic.

Funding will be available for payment of delinquent expenses. Future rent payments may also be eligible for qualifying households.

For those who qualify, relief funds will be sent directly to their landlord or utility company. More information on the COVID-19 Rental Relief can be found in a brochure on Legal Aid Society’s website, las.org.

Housden, a graduate of Charlotte School of Law, arrives at Legal Aid Society from Long, Burnett, & Johnson, PLLC, where she served as a staff attorney since 2018.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands also offers free civil legal representation and educational programs to help people in its region receive justice, protect their well-being and support opportunities to overcome poverty.

The nonprofit legal firm, funded in part by United Way, serves 48 counties from offices in Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Gallatin, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Oak Ridge and Tullahoma.

Reach reporter Nancy DeGennaro at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Facing eviction in Murfreesboro? New Legal Aid Society lawyer can help