The proposed 86% reduction to the Access to Justice Initiative will strip access to legal help from an estimated 40,000 DC residents. These are not DC values and the Council must prioritize this program to reverse. Learn more below.
We are keeping our eye on the Council Budget Work Session today. Great to hear all the good work in restoring important programs that support DC residents. Want to learn more about the Access to Justice Initiative? Look here!
My FY27 budget priorities remain focused on housing stability, public safety, workforce support, youth investment, and protecting pathways to homeownership for DC residents.
Today we are reflecting on the @councilofdc budget oversight hearings and what we heard about the deep value of access to free legal help - like this testimony from @MedStarHealth about how legal help enables cancer patients to access life-saving treatment.
4/4 This still leaves an unacceptable $23.8M gap in Access to Justice Initiative funding that could mean 33,000 DC residents go w/out legal help. We thank the Judiciary Committee report for highlighting the need for the full Council to restore funding, https://t.co/YupeFhXobB
3/3 We also heard from Cory Peterson from @Georgetown about how ATJ Initiative funding helps them address a wide range of health-harming legal issues: https://t.co/irMZ8f7D3P
2/3 Last week Dr. Vance Sohn of @MedStarHealth testified about how addressing legal barriers helps his cancer patients access health services: https://t.co/34sg3fBLVw