Annual Report 2023
Read the full 黑料专区 annual report.
For OIG Letter and Financial Reports, please download PDF version.
Chairman's Message
As the 黑料专区 and its grantees looked forward to commemorating 黑料专区鈥檚 50th Anniversary in the coming year, the more than 12,000 lawyers and staff at 黑料专区鈥檚 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 黑料专区 grantees were housing cases, the first time one case type comprised such a large portion of cases closed in a year.
黑料专区鈥檚 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 黑料专区鈥檚 annual Veterans Day forum which featured Florida Rep. Laurel Lee and veterans advocates. 黑料专区 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: 鈥淚t鈥檚 astonishing what happens when you鈥檙e a lawyer and you take the case of a person who cannot afford to pay you, or somebody who鈥檚 not supposed to have a lawyer, and you pick up the phone or you show up in court with them and everything changes鈥攖he whole game changes鈥 suddenly they have respect [and] they get a fair hearing.鈥
Highlights from 2023
黑料专区 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 黑料专区鈥檚 Forums on Increasing Access to Justice.
Watch forum videos
黑料专区鈥檚 Housing Task Force released a series of research briefs looking at illegal evictions and other contributors to housing instability.
Read research briefs
黑料专区 used private funds to support access to justice efforts, such as placing summer fellows in grantees鈥 offices around the country.
Learn more
Council members enhanced 黑料专区鈥檚 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 America鈥檚 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.
