Ishbel Dickens 2003 Equal Justice Works Fellow Columbia Legal Services, Seattle, WA Sponsor(s): Legal Aid for Washington Fund (LAW Fund) Primary Issue Area: Housing/Homelessness University of Washington School of Law, 2002

There are more than two thousand mobile home parks in Washington State, housing approximately 10% of the state’s population. Many of these people are elderly, disabled, and/or young families, farm workers and people with limited incomes. Ishbel states, “These people buy mobile homes with the vision of fulfilling their American dream of homeownership, only to awaken to the American nightmare where the landowners have all the property rights and therefore all of the control over who and how people will live in their mobile home parks.” Ishbel first got involved with the plight of mobile homeowners more than fifteen years ago and went to law school specifically to be a more effective advocate for the vulnerable people who own their homes but not the land upon which they are situated. She works to preserve “at-risk” parks, educate mobile home owners about their rights under the law and advocate for stronger protections for mobile home owners. Ishbel is hosted by Columbia Legal Services (CLS), a statewide agency whose mission is to help low-income people facing unique barriers or obstacles to equal justice. CLS, with other access to justice partners, defines, promotes and enforces a full range of legal rights and interests within the civil justice system. While based at CLS, Ishbel collaborates with other equal justice organizations concerned about mobile home advocacy. During law school Ishbel was Vice President and then President of the Student Bar Association. During that same time, Ishbel was awarded the Seattle Human Services’ Excellence in Advocacy Award; the American Bar Association’s John J. Curtin Award for Homeless Advocacy; the Washington Legal Foundation’s Goldmark Fellowship; and the Student Bar Association’s Charles Z. Smith Public Service Award. Ishbel was also chosen as the female speaker for her class graduation in 2002.