July 29, 2025
Legal partnership helps family avoid eviction
Medical-legal partnerships can help stabilize living situations by reducing evictions and preserving health.
Jennifer Kelloff, MD, said Kaiser Permanente’s medical-legal partnership with Colorado Legal Services enables doctors to address patients’ risk factors to improve health.
On a Saturday in late March 2025, a Kaiser Permanente member signed in to kp.org to use chat to get advice from a doctor. She was concerned about spots on her son’s feet.
Jennifer Kelloff, MD, medical director of Social Health and a pediatrician at Kaiser Permanente in Colorado, determined the son had plantar warts. Dr. Kelloff checked the patient’s medical record, saw that he was overdue for a checkup, and suggested the mom schedule an in-person visit in 2 weeks.
The mom seemed reluctant. She said she was dealing with some housing issues.
“I thought, ‘What’s going on with housing?’” said Dr. Kelloff.
After chatting a bit more, Dr. Kelloff asked if the member was facing eviction. The member said she received an eviction notice the day before and was worried sheriff’s deputies would show up at her door at any moment. Dr. Kelloff told her about legal services available to qualifying Kaiser Permanente members through a relationship called a medical-legal partnership. Dr. Kelloff referred her to Colorado Legal Services.
Protecting health through legal help
When Kaiser Permanente members come in for appointments they’re screened for social health risks, including unstable housing situations. People experiencing housing instability can face higher rates of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, as well as more severe complications from those ongoing conditions.
For Kaiser Permanente members who say they don’t have stable housing and need legal help, their clinician can refer them to CLS. The CLS team then provides legal advice, information, and representation when appropriate.
CLS helps members facing eviction
In 2024, a 2-year, $225,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente in Colorado enabled CLS to dedicate an attorney and part-time paralegal to the medical-legal partnership. Since then, Kaiser Permanente has referred 135 eligible cases to CLS for legal assistance. Of those, 68 involved active eviction cases or cases where an eviction judgement had been issued. In all but 4 of the 68 cases, CLS helped tenants avoid evictions or reverse eviction judgments.
We’re addressing social risk factors that greatly influence health, and we can actually do something about them. That’s incredible. Jennifer Kelloff, MD
If a person is evicted, finding new housing is significantly more difficult because eviction affects credit scores and creates a court record. Landlords often refuse to rent to people with recent evictions and poor credit. Legal representation and education are the best tools for preventing or delaying evictions. But few people fully know their rights or receive representation.
“Helping people facing eviction isn’t always about representing people in court,” said Rebecca Casey, staff attorney for CLS. “We help them get more time to find a new place to live, make the move, get rent subsidies, and avoid a formal eviction.”
Mom gets legal help
CLS contacted the mom the Monday after her telehealth visit with Dr. Kelloff. One of their attorneys reviewed the case and discovered the eviction notice wasn’t served properly. CLS filed for dismissal of the eviction. Instead of going to court, the landlord agreed to give the patient more time to either pay what she owed or move. The mom obtained rental assistance, paid her past-due rent, and eventually moved to more affordable housing.
Dr. Kelloff was thrilled to have a different kind of impact on a patient’s health.
“It feels amazing to be able to help a family in such a profound way,” Dr. Kelloff said. “And it makes me proud to work for a health care organization that values total health, not just what happens inside medical buildings. We’re addressing social risk factors that greatly influence health, and we can actually do something about them. That’s incredible.”
If you need help with food, access to transportation, or other basic needs, visit the Kaiser Permanente Community Support Hub®.
