Lawrence Tenants, a citywide tenant union, will soon host a town hall to educate residents on establishing a right to legal representation for people facing eviction and update them on the push to implement a program in Douglas County.
The town hall will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 21 at First Presbyterian Church, 2415 Clinton Parkway.
In March 2024, Lawrence and Douglas County approved the “A Place For Everyone” plan, which included a goal of establishing a tenant right to counsel for those facing evictions in Douglas County.
The Douglas County Commission has delayed the implementation of TRTC for more than a year, but commissioners plan to hear a TRTC update during their Wednesday, March 25 meeting, according to a recent county administrator memo.
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Lawrence Tenants’ upcoming town hall is open to all county residents who are interested in learning more about TRTC.
“Douglas County is a renter-majority county. Not every county is like that, but our county is, so this benefits the vast majority of our residents,” Lawrence Tenants organizer Vince Munoz said. “Many of us are only one crisis away from, all of a sudden, being in a place where we are vulnerable to things like evictions.”
Munoz said the meeting will explore how evictions happen and what people could do with the help of an attorney if faced with possible eviction. Munoz said that oftentimes landlords have an attorney in eviction cases, while tenants rarely do.
“When two people are involved in litigation and only one side has an attorney and the other doesn’t, that means that side has a lot of advantages,” Munoz said. “Having an attorney balances that power imbalance.”
County residents who have experienced an eviction or been threatened with one can also submit their testimonies to the union at this link.
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Logan Pierson (he/him), reporting intern with The Lawrence Times since December 2025, is a senior journalism and photography student at the University of Kansas. He previously contributed to the University Daily Kansan as a senior reporter and beat reporter.
Read his work for the Times here.
Resources for renters and tenants
Tenant issues and rights:
• Read about the rights Kansas tenants have and issues that could come up before, during and after tenancy from Kansas Legal Services.
• Find more info and connect with Lawrence Tenants.
Evictions:
• Learn about the eviction process from the Kansas Judicial Branch at this link.
• Check out the self-help page on the Douglas County District Court’s website at dgcoks.gov/district-court/self-help for resources and helpful forms.
City of Lawrence fair housing help:
• Find information about the city’s fair housing civil rights enforcement procedures and a form to initiate a complaint on the city’s website at lawrenceks.org/attorney/fairhousing, or call 785-832-3310.
• Read more about the city’s source of income discrimination ban at lawrenceks.org/attorney/soi.
Rental assistance:
• Apply for help from the Douglas County Housing Stabilization Collaborative via the county’s website at this link.
• Apply for the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program, LIEAP, at this link during colder months to help cover home energy costs.
• Find more resources to help with rent and utility payments on the Lawrence Public Library’s website.
News coverage:
• See the latest articles from The Lawrence Times on the following topics: homelessness and housing; renter rights; source of income discrimination; affordable housing
Latest Lawrence news:
Molly Adams / Lawrence TimesLawrence tenant union town hall to discuss progress on right to counsel program
Wulfe Wulfemeyer/Lawrence Times
