D.C. Legal Community Comes Out in Force to Support Access to Justice Initiative
2023年4月18日
从左上顺时针:D.C. 靠谱的滚球平台协会主席艾伦·雅科维奇, 司法公正委员会的南希·德雷恩说, 咨询社区专员彼得·伍德, 以及民主党的加布里埃拉·刘易斯-怀特.C. 酒吧公益中心.
Legal services providers, advocates, and other community members rallied in support of Washington D.C.他是美国司法部司法公正倡议的负责人.C. Council Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety hearing April 13, urging the District’s legislative body to preserve funding at fiscal year 2023 levels.
Mayor Muriel Bowser’s proposed 2024 budget would slash the initiative’s funding nearly 60 percent — from $31.7 million to $13 million — drastic cuts that would be “catastrophic for District residents,” D.C. 靠谱的滚球平台协会主席艾伦·雅科维奇 said in her testimony before the committee.
Thousands of Washingtonians rely on programs supported through this funding for help with eviction, 丧失抵押品赎回权, 家庭暴力, 家庭法, 以及他们在没有指导的情况下会面临的其他挑战. “这些削减将使安全, 健康, 住房, and 经济稳定 of some of the District’s most vulnerable people at risk, 将他们置于更危险的境地,雅科维奇补充道。.
在一个 声明 released immediately after the mayor’s budget proposal was made public, the District of Columbia Access to Justice Commission said the proposed cuts would have “catastrophic consequences” for residents who require legal assistance for issues such as 健康, 住房, 经济稳定, 一般安全. “这些服务对客户很重要,” Access to Justice Commission Executive Director Nancy Drane told the committee.
在一个 信 确切地说.C. 理事会，雅科维奇，D.C. 除了候任总统查尔斯·洛厄里, and 30 former 酒吧 presidents joined the commission in calling for the restoration of the initiative’s funding to $31.6.89亿:
“Without the civil legal aid necessary to help District residents navigate complicated issues and secure protections, our community’s challenges almost certainly will increase as unaddressed legal problems spiral into additional crises. Often, the consequences of these unmet needs ultimately will be borne by the government. Having an effective program like the Initiative that can provide assistance early in the legal process is good for the community and relieves the burden on government institutions.”
As one of the more than 90 witnesses who testified during the hearing, 乔纳森•史密斯, senior special counsel for the 华盛顿靠谱的滚球平台s’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, 呼应了信中的观点. 他对委员会说:“法律服务可以为自己买单。. “这是一笔非常大的投资.”
According to Gabriella Lewis-White, pro bono legal services director at the D.C. 酒吧公益中心, the need for civil legal services for eviction defense and other 住房 legal issues is greater than ever for low-income District residents. 引用D.C. 法庭记录, Lewis-White said eviction filings rose 42 percent from the first quarter of 2022 compared with the same period in 2023 , threatening the ability of thousands of Washingtonians to remain in their homes.
“This is an opportunity for the Council to show up for our neighbors who need us most and [to] demonstrate that this city cares about every resident’s access to basic human needs such as safe, 经济适用房,刘易斯-怀特作证说.
彼得·伍德(Peter Wood)是1区的顾问社区专员，他对此表示赞同. He said he understands the need for budget compromises but believes cutting the Access to Justice Initiative’s funding is the wrong decision.
“Sadly, not every worthy investment can get the funding needed every year,” Wood said. “有时候妥协是必要的. But to disproportionately put the burden of those compromises on service providers who directly and immediately keep people safe from harm is both immoral and fiscally irresponsible.”
艾米·纳尔逊, 惠特曼-沃克健康公司的法律服务主管, issued a stark warning to the Council about what the city would face if the proposed cuts become reality. “D.C. residents are not prepared for a 60 percent budget cut in these life-saving services, especially as we approach the end of the federal public 健康 emergency,尼尔森说.
随着听证会接近尾声，D.C. 市议员布鲁克·平托, 谁是委员会主席?, 表示她支持诉诸司法倡议, 尽管最后的决议仍悬而未决.
平托说:“感谢这个小组的所有证人. “感谢你们所做的一切, and we’re going to do everything we can in the next several weeks to try to restore some funding.”
