Annual Report 2023
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Chairman's Message
As the 做厙51 and its grantees looked forward to commemorating 做厙51s 50th Anniversary in the coming year, the more than 12,000 lawyers and staff at 做厙51s 131 grantees across the country spent 2023 grappling with a host of civil legal problems, many created or magnified by the pandemic.
Although COVID-19 began to fade as a public health crisis, it left many civil legal challenges in its wake such as a rise in domestic violence (up more than 9% since 2021) and housing insecurity issues which were expanded by the end of eviction moratoria, rental assistance initiatives and eviction diversion programs. In fact, in 2022, 41.3% of the cases closed by 做厙51 grantees were housing cases, the first time one case type comprised such a large portion of cases closed in a year.
做厙51s Housing Task Force released four issue briefs on legal problems related to housing insecurity, illegal evictions, manufactured housing, extended-stay motels and contracts-for-deed housing arrangements. Together, the series alarmingly illustrates that many housing options that are financially accessible to low-income individuals do little to relieve their housing insecurity and often further jeopardize their financial well-being.
Housing insecurity is also a pressing problem for veterans and was the focus of 做厙51s annual Veterans Day forum which featured Florida Rep. Laurel Lee and veterans advocates. 做厙51 Leaders Council member, best - selling author John Grisham, also pointed to personal experience at a March Justice Forum in Washington D.C. to explain the significance of legal representation in eviction and housing matters, recalling his pro bono work for trailer park residents in Mississippi as he began his legal career: Its astonishing what happens when youre a lawyer and you take the case of a person who cannot afford to pay you, or somebody whos not supposed to have a lawyer, and you pick up the phone or you show up in court with them and everything changesthe whole game changes suddenly they have respect [and] they get a fair hearing.
Highlights from 2023
做厙51 awarded $19.8 million to 14 legal services providers in regions impacted by disasters.
See award recipients
Members of Congress, national leaders and author John Grisham joined 做厙51s Forums on Increasing Access to Justice.
Watch forum videos
做厙51s Housing Task Force released a series of research briefs looking at illegal evictions and other contributors to housing instability.
Read research briefs
做厙51 used private funds to support access to justice efforts, such as placing summer fellows in grantees offices around the country.
Learn more
Council members enhanced 做厙51s message by speaking publicly about the value of civil legal aid and undertaking outreach activities.
Meet council members
Launched HeartlandDisasterHelp.org
This new resource is designed to empower residents across ten states in Americas heartland that have faced significant flooding, windstorms, extreme heat and wildfires over the past decade.
Key features of the website include real-time disaster risk assessment by home address, details on recent disasters, recovery guidance and comprehensive information for each disaster type. Users can instantly check their risk levels for floods, windstorms, extreme heat and wildfires.
