Grant Database

The Region II Wealth Building Project will use legal remedies including litigation to build wealth in vulnerable communities and reinforce three pillars of financial stability: employment, health, and preservation of income and assets. Objectives include promoting employment through immigration litigation and sealing/expunction; alleviating health setbacks through access to healthcare and elimination of health-harming stressors; and preventing or reducing financial strains like foreclosure, debt collection, and family instability. It is estimated that this project will assist 750 clients.

The Pro Bono Legal Services Program mobilizes and educates volunteer attorneys to assist clients through projects such as 1(a) Train the Agencies, which uses pro bono attorneys to train agencies involved in food distribution, housing assistance, employment assistance, etc. to look beyond the problem and immediate solution, identify a legal issue, and how to refer to legal aid; 1(b) a newly created pro bono expungement clinic which will provide direct legal services to indigent clients in Leon County; 1(c) Thunderdome Tallahassee, a volunteer training program that provides solutions to the issue of lack of resources by recruiting and training volunteer attorneys to provide legal representation through a ten month program that instills within new and seasoned lawyers the value of serving indigent individuals while equipping them with the tools necessary to successfully take family law pro bono cases. Also, The Promise Zone Program will provides direct legal assistance for indigent individuals in a specific, blighted area in Leon County designated the “Promise Zone” because of its crime, poverty, poor health, and unemployment. Through all the listed programs above, an estimated 525 clients will be served.

The Medical Legal Partnership is a collaboration between Legal Aid of Manasota and Sarasota Memorial Hospital, designed to build a healthier, stronger community in Newtown, a low-income historically minority area in North Sarasota, FL. The goal of the project is to reduce health disparities in the medically underserved area, which can be achieved by lawyers and doctors working together on patients’ health issues, especially those with acute or chronic illness. This project provides civil legal services through a full range of legal strategies, including litigation, to low-income residents of Newtown using an evidence-based successful model to create a practical and replicable solution to attaining social, community and economic justice. This project intends to serve 100 clients.

Three projects will be funded: 1. The Consumer Law Project will assist clients by using a direct legal services, including litigation, to address consumer issues such as wage and bank garnishments, mortgage foreclosures, association foreclosures, credit card debt and suits, as well as driver’s license reinstatement and sealing or expungement of eligible criminal records. This project’s purpose is to stabilize 250 low- to moderate-income clients and address barriers to their economic security; 2. The Impact Litigation Project seeks to preserve affordable housing through ongoing and complex impact litigation which, if successful, will benefit over 200 people; and 3. The Veteran’s Law Project in Collier County will provide legal assistance, including litigation, to over 100 veterans, active duty military service people, and their families for prevention of eviction and foreclosure; child support issues; restoring driver’s licenses; discharge upgrades, expungement of criminal records, and securing military benefits.

The Affordable Housing in Economically Revitalized Communities Project is designed to create vibrant and resilient communities by empowering residents and preserving affordable housing. The project will provide legal representation/litigation for 215 low- and moderate-income individuals, and organizations that are focused on increasing and preserving affordable housing. In addition, the project provides legal education and community outreach to help those who reside in federally designated opportunity zones in Palm Beach County identify the strengths and challenges in their neighborhoods and create solutions to ensure economic stability and self-sufficiency.

The Cultivating Empowerment by Navigating Towards Stability Project plans to provide legal services, including litigation, and community education to 1,000 low- to moderate-income Central Floridians who are seeking employment. By removing barriers to employment such as sealing/expungement, tax assistance, immigration help, and addressing consumer issues such as debt and credit, this project will ultimately improve financial resiliency, employment, education and savings, all of which will increase the economic development of these individuals and the communities in which they reside.

The Florida Community Development Legal Project adopts a multiprogram statewide approach to the creation of affordable housing, economic stability and wealth creation. It plans to provide transactional legal services to 200 clients who are eligible non-profit organizations on affordable housing and economic development matters, or are low/moderate income entrepreneurs whose businesses create jobs and wealth to the benefit of their families and low/moderate income communities.

The Community Development and Stabilization through Access and Collaboration project will leverage community resources to increase the stability of housing, health, and finances of 800 low-income families in our communities through four projects: 1. The Tenant’s Rights Project assists individuals with legal assistance, including litigation, to protect tenants’ rights to affordable and safe housing. Prospective clients include 1800 subsidized housing units and 183 mobile homes in the service area; 2. The Neighborhood Medical Legal Partnership foresees improvement in health and economic stability for 150 clients through integration of legal professionals into medical treatment; 3. The No Place Like Home Project is designed to assist 50 disaster victim homeowners clear title so that they can receive appropriate benefits and retain housing; 4. The Access Project will continue development and deployment of the Justice on The Block (JOTB) clinics and the Smart Intake Tool (SIT), helps 300 individuals recognize legal issues, seek assistance, and find that assistance closer to home. JOTB mixes traditional clinics with technology to improve the experience and engage more pro bono attorneys in unique ways.

The Legal Assistance for Elderly project will expand community education and litigation services to seniors; the Community Law Library project will partner with the local NAACP chapter to provide legal forms and computer access to low-income members of the community. It is anticipated that 800 clients will be served through these projects.

The John Hamilton Domestic Violence Prevention and Community Economic Project will continue to provide civil legal assistance to Seminole County survivors of domestic violence in order to reduce incidents of domestic violence; improve the economic sufficiency of domestic violence survivors; secure the safety and stability of their children and lower the societal costs of domestic violence, generating substantial economic benefits. This project plans on serving 325 clients.

Access to Services for Seniors – federal class action litigation to obtain and/or preserve health, housing and economic stability for 57,000 disabled seniors; and Economic Justice for Homeless People – Litigation and policy advocacy on behalf of homeless persons to challenge civil rights violations and unlawful fines and fees, re-instate driver’s licenses. and address the collateral consequences of homelessness that impedes economic stability and access to housing. It is estimated that this impact project will help over 30,000 individuals.

The Home Sweet Home heirs property project stabilizes communities of color by giving homeowners title to heirs property; preventing future heirs property problems by drafting deeds and advance directives; and preparing low-income homeowners for disasters by making them eligible to obtain homeowners insurance in advance of a storm and to receive disaster relief if their homes are damaged by a storm. This project intends to serve 250 clients.

Florida Community Development Legal Project

Cultivating Empowerment by Navigating Towards Stability (C.E.N.T.S.)

2020 Survivors of Domestic Violence Advocacy Project

John Hamilton Domestic Violence Prevention and Community Economic Project

Identification & Dignity: Reducing Barriers to Economic Stability in Central Florida

Region II Wealth Building Project

Home Sweet Home

Domestic Violence Podemos Program; Human Trafficking Victims Representation Program; Immigrant Children Program; and Veterans Representation Program