Say tomorrow you learned the rent was going up. Not a reasonable increase, but an Olympic vault so high that staying in your home isn’t an option. The new rate starts soon. Housing is scarce. Eviction is looking more and more likely, and without help, you might end up on the street.
Sounds illegal, right? Even so, if you can’t afford a lawyer, there isn’t much you can do. That’s where Timberland Legal Aid comes in. Last year, they helped approximately 100 clients with cases similar to this one.
What makes civil law different?
Timberland Legal Aid deals with civil law. This isn’t the side of law and order you see on prime time. Civil cases don’t have suspects, punishment or lead to jail, but they still have a dramatic impact on people’s lives. These cases determine whether your neighbor is forced out of their home, how often parents see their children and whether a single missing document will derail an immigrant’s path to citizenship.
There’s another important distinction about civil law that makes free legal support so important. Think back to your favorite legal drama. Whenever someone gets arrested, an officer handcuffs them and says, “If you can’t afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you.”
If that’s true, why would anyone need legal aid?
“Those rights are for people facing criminal issues and a loss of liberty,” clarifies Lori Sarancik, Executive Director of Timberland Legal Aid. “There’s no such protection for civil law and people with civil cases either face the issues alone, or must gather the funds to hire an attorney
Providing free legal support is a monumental task on a modest budget. Criminal cases take priority to keep people out of jail, but that focus leaves civil cases with only a fraction of the funding — despite being significantly more common.
Legal aid for the community
Washington is in the midst of a housing crisis, which has led to “skyrocketing” eviction filings in recent years. Southwest Washington is a major source of these cases, with Clark County reporting the highest number of evictions per capita in Washington state for three years running. And housing is just one trend that has increased the need for civil legal help across the region.
“Domestic relations is number one,” Lori said, thinking aloud about the types of cases they handle. “Divorce, custody, child support, protection orders. Supporting victims and survivors is one of the things we do quite often. We also support tenants facing eviction.”
That might sound like quite the range, but it all comes back to Timberland Legal Aid’s core belief. Everyone deserves access to justice. That simple idea has inspired the organization since it formed in 1999.
It was a humble start. What resources they had went into serving two counties where poverty rates are high and the need is great. Over time, they developed an infrastructure to coordinate resources and earn community support for their work. Steady funding is a huge part of that support, which has helped Lori’s team keep pace with the growing need.
“Nonprofits can’t just bring a new program online and expect it to be running at full capacity in a year.” Lori said, while underscoring the importance of long-term funding. “You’ve got to build it, get the word out and sustain it to see if it actually helps the way you think it will.”
A single grant helps people today, but multi-year funding support can build solutions that last for years. That kind of thinking is critical in a sector dependent on a patchwork of scarce resources that are increasingly dependent on political forces. Establishing durable, community-focused partnerships has allowed Timberland Legal Aid to grow alongside community needs.
It takes a community
Growth can mean a lot of things, but for Timberland Legal Aid it’s about service. Their team has grown from two staff members to eight with additional contract and volunteer lawyers. As they’ve grown, they’ve expanded to cover Pacific, Lewis, Cowlitz and Wahkiakum Counties. In 2024, this team helped over 490 clients. That doesn’t include calls where staff provided legal advice or the cases they ultimately couldn’t take on. Building that kind of infrastructure for support takes resources.
“The Community Foundation has really been a part of this. The multi-year, general operating funds they provided helped us grow a program that can survive,” explained Lori.
With consistent support from the Community Giving Fund, Timberland Legal Aid has invested in its staff and infrastructure, ultimately helping more people. In 2025, they saw a 28 percent increase with nearly 600 clients served. They have also introduced new, much-needed services.
A new program for a growing need
“There are no immigration attorneys in the four counties we cover,” Lori pointed out. “Immigrants around here have to drive a couple of hours just to meet with an attorney, but we’re bringing those services here.”
In less than six months, Timberland Legal Aid coordinated immigration lawyers from around the state to serve a backlog of 70 clients. Immigration Lawyers like Yohana Valdez and Elizabeth Waiguchu Jackson have heard harrowing stories along the way.
Immigration law isn’t known for clarity. The laws change constantly, come with steep legal fees and to add insult to injury, interpreters aren’t provided. The path to naturalization is no longer about working hard and doing everything right; you need money to afford new filing fees, fines and penalties. Thankfully, Timberland Legal Aid brings hope within reach.
“The need in Southwest Washington is profound. Many immigrant families are juggling multiple jobs, caring for children and healing from trauma — all while trying to navigate a system that’s complex and changes a lot,” said Elizabeth. “Immigration legal aid is about showing up for people when they need it most.”
Cases like these are built on small wins. Yolanda put it this way, “Success doesn’t always mean winning a case or securing a visa. We had the opportunity to assist a family of six. By the time of their hearing, they knew what would happen and what they could say, and they came with six application packets submitted. We went in hoping to get a three-month extension. The judge gave them five — and acknowledged their preparation. A few months may sound like nothing, but for this family, it’s an opportunity to change their lives forever.”
Growing the effort
Untenable rent hikes, fraught custody cases and complex immigration claims. Thousands of people in Southwest Washington are struggling with this and more every day. Our communities need help, but a major gap persists.
The 2022 Justice Gap Report, produced by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), indicated that just 22% of legal problems in Western states received enough assistance. This gap only worsens in rural communities like those served by Timberland Legal Aid, where limited legal resources can leave residents in “legal deserts.”
Every day, Timberland bridges the justice gap for more people, allowing neighbors to hold onto their homes, their families and their futures. Thankfully, Lori and her team have mustered enough support over the last few years, but they still need to expand their existing staff and contractors during this critical time. Doing so will require community support. Businesses, donors, foundations and residents all have something to contribute. They also have something to gain.
By resolving issues before they escalate, legal aid saves taxpayers money. While often viewed as a social issue, the inability of people to access legal counsel for civil matters results in higher costs for public services, including emergency housing, healthcare and police intervention.
Beyond a measurable return on investment, supporting legal aid locally also makes southwest Washington a place where fairness isn’t just a privilege, but a shared promise.