Post-Bulletin
by Emily Cutts

A new project aimed at helping those facing eviction became a reality this week when the group received a $50,000 grant. The Eviction Prevention Project was the 2018 recipient of the Mayo Clinic Shared Value Award. The project is a collaboration of Legal Assistance of Olmsted County, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota and Olmsted County District Court. “The Mayo Shared Values Award is really an award given out to promote community health and while eviction prevention may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you look at health … it fits perfectly within the Mayo Shared Values Award,” said Karen Fairbairn Nath, executive director of Legal Assistance of Olmsted County. “When somebody is being threatened with an eviction, it is an incredible stressor in their lives and if they have an attorney or if they have legal help they can turn to, it is helping them not only deal with the legal issues, it’s helping really from a mental health perspective.”

Reach: The Rochester Post-Bulletin is a daily newspaper that serves Rochester, Austin and its surrounding cities. The newspaper has a daily circulation of more than 30,000 and has more than 440,00 unique visitors to its website each month.

Context:  Efforts to prevent evictions in Olmsted County, Minnesota will get a $50,000 boost, thanks to a grant sponsored by Mayo Clinic. The “Eviction Prevention” project is the winner of the 2018 Mayo Clinic Shared Value Award — an annual award given by Mayo Clinic to address communitywide health priorities in Olmsted County. Community members and Mayo Clinic staff cast their votes for their favorite project among three finalists. Thousands of people voted, and efforts to prevent evictions earned the most votes. “The Shared Value Award will help provide legal assistance for up to 100 families to prevent eviction and provide financial counseling through Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota to help stabilize families dealing with financial challenges,” says Karen Fairbairn Nath, executive director of Legal Assistance of Olmsted County. Youn can read more about the grant on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Contact: Heather Carlson

Tags: Eviction Prevention Project, Karen Fairbairn Nath, Mayo Shared Values Award, Post Bulletin, Uncategorized