Legal Aid of Arkansas is hosting a free statewide symposium on Wednesday, January 29, to share how legal services can help individuals experiencing opioid use or substance use disorder and their families.

The opioid crisis is shattering families and communities across the state. Individuals are arrested, lose their children, and enter court-ordered rehabilitation programs. How can they recover when they can't pay for court-ordered classes? How can they maintain a home and reunite with their children when their criminal record prevents them from getting a job? This symposium is about helping families navigate the civil legal issues they face brought by substance use disorder and how civil legal aid attorneys can help.

The symposium Evicting the Monster in the Cave is from 8:30 am - 5:00 p.m. All attorneys, judges, law enforcement officers, medical professionals, pharmacists, educators, and individuals affected by opioid or substance use disorder are invited to attend. Speakers include Brandon George, Director of Indiana Addiction Issues Coalition and featured on TED Talks, and Kirk Lane, Arkansas Drug Director. Lunch will be provided. The symposium will be at The Glass Factory at 313 W Huntington Ave, Jonesboro, AR 72401. A copy of the agenda can be found here.

The symposium is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration as part of its 2019 Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Planning (RCORP- Planning). The purpose of RCORP-Planning is to support treatment for and prevention of substance use disorder, including opioid use disorder, in rural counties at the highest risk for substance use disorder.

Legal Aid of Arkansas is a nonprofit, public interest law firm that provides free legal services to low-income Arkansans with civil legal problems across 31 counties. Please contact Matt Henry at 870-972-9224 ext. 6314 with questions or for more information about the symposium. To register, please visit: bit.ly/RegisterNowEvictingTheMonster.