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Grantees and advocates urge council to preserve Access to Justice funding that serves thousands
Summary
Nonprofit legal services leaders told the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety that the Access to Justice Initiative and OVSJG grants kept tens of thousands of DC residents from losing housing, benefits, or safety; speakers urged the council to maintain or increase recurring funding.
Advocates from Legal Aid DC, the DC Bar Foundation and numerous community legal providers told the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety on March 2 that sustained city funding for the Access to Justice Initiative is preventing evictions, securing benefits and keeping children and survivors safe.
"Because of your support, we continue to be a lifeline for thousands of vulnerable district residents in need of support," said Sarah Tennen, executive director of Volunteer Legal Advocates, citing FY25 service numbers including 450 domestic-violence survivors who received in-court representation. Aracelis Gray, director of programs at the DC Bar Foundation, said the initiative funded 30 organizations across 68 projects in FY25 and connected more than 40,000 residents to legal help.
Testimony and written materials provided to the committee showed a multi-part funding and service model: the DC Bar Foundation administers the initiative, runs a six-month grant review and awards cycle, and the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants (OVSJG) provides supplemental oversight for victim-services and justice-grants portfolios. Gray described the DC Resource Bridge (launched September 2025) as a single-entry referral point that handled more than 850 calls and produced 600 referrals in its first five months.
Committee members pressed witnesses and OVSJG on reporting and oversight. Chairwoman Brooke Pinto said she supports the Bar Foundation's role but asked how the fund's recipients are tracked; Director Jennifer Porter said the Bar Foundation submits at least an annual report and a required audit and that OVSJG receives lists of subgrantees and summary breakdowns. "We get a full list of their grantees," Porter said in response.
Advocates stressed which services the funding supports: tenant defense and eviction prevention, domestic-violence representation, immigration relief and child-focused legal services. The panelists urged recurring budget levels sufficient to maintain current capacity; the Victim Assistance Network's FY27 ask for victim services was cited as $59,600,000. The committee indicated it will follow up on reporting cadence, program outcomes and the administration model for continued oversight.
