Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Access To Justice topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
More than 150 witnesses urge Council to restore Access to Justice and victim‑services funding
Summary
Scores of legal‑aid, victim‑service, and reentry organizations and survivors testified that proposed FY2027 cuts to the Access to Justice initiative and OVSJG victim services would dismantle critical programs across DC; many requested restoration to FY2026 baselines (ATJ ~$31.7M; victim services ~$59.6M).
A long series of public witnesses—more than 150 individuals and organizations—testified during the OVSJG panels and delivered a consistent message: the mayor's FY2027 proposal would drastically reduce core legal‑aid and victim‑service capacity and cause immediate harm to residents who rely on those programs.
Speakers included legal‑services leaders, hospital‑based violence intervention programs, survivor advocates and reentry providers. Nancy Drain of the Access to Justice initiative noted the scale of the proposed cut and the consequences: "Funding the initiative at just under $4,500,000 an 86% reduction presents an existential threat ... 38,000 D.C. residents could lose access to legal help," she said. Representatives from the DC Barr Foundation, Legal Aid, Bread for the City, the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence and dozens of other organizations repeated similar warnings, provided usage data and urged the committee to restore Access to Justice to FY2026 levels and preserve OVSJG's portfolio of victim services and justice grants.
