USU will train social workers to give free legal help in eviction and housing cases
More than $183,000 in grants expands the university's Community Justice Advocate program; applications for the free course are due Jan. 4.
LOGAN - Utah State University will train social workers and other helping professionals to give free, limited legal help to Utahns in landlord-tenant cases, the university said in a Nov. 9 announcement.
An amended Utah Supreme Court order lets USU's Transforming Communities Institute certify Community Justice Advocates in housing matters. The advocates can explain court steps, help with forms, give legal advice, negotiate for clients and help them in court, USU said. The program has trained advocates for debt cases since March 2025.
More than $183,000 in grants from the Utah Bar Foundation and Wells Fargo, plus USU money, back the expansion. USU says its for-credit Debt Navigation elective, launched this semester, is the first of its kind in the country.
The 16-week housing course, free to those who qualify, starts the week of Jan. 11, 2027, on Zoom. Applications are due Jan. 4.
“Housing and debt problems rarely arrive alone,” said Nathanael Player, a USU faculty attorney who directs the program.
Why this matters
Utah court data cited by USU show 96% of eviction cases have a defendant without a lawyer. Renters facing eviction may find free help through agencies with a trained advocate, and Social workers and case managers in Cache County who meet the course requirements can apply to train at cja.usu.edu.
Source: USU Today, Nov. 9, 2026, opened Nov. 10, 2026.