DC's Access to Justice Initiative
Is Under Threat

What's At Stake

The Mayor's proposed FY27 budget includes a devastating 86% reduction in funding for the Access to Justice Initiative, which last year helped over 44,000 DC residents fight to stay housed, healthy, and safe.

This catastrophic cut from almost $31.8 million to only $4.75 million would have an enormous ripple effect across the District.

Nearly 38,000 District residents with low income would not receive the life-changing legal services that they desperately need.

240 attorneys, social workers, paralegals, and other staff serving our community would be at risk of losing their jobs.

31 projects across 13 nonprofit organizations that rely on the ATJ Initiative for 75% of their funding would be severely impacted.

There would be a substantial loss in legal services that help District residents remain housed, maintain their incomes, and stay physically safe, causing a strain on other government programs and destabilizing our community.

And much more.

How You Can Help

Please join us in urging the DC Council to make the restoration of Access to Justice Initiative funding a top FY27 budget priority.

Email your Councilmember and ask them to restore Access to Justice Initiative funding to FY26 levels ($31.785M). You can find a sample email HERE. You can find contact information for the Councilmembers HERE.

Sign up to provide testimony during the FY27 DC Council Budget Oversight process on May 6 (Judiciary Committee) or May 13 (Committee of the Whole). This is an opportunity to share with the DC Council the impact the Initiative has made in the community.

Share our advocacy graphics on social media and tag the members of the DC Council in your posts (you can find their social media handles at the contact information link in the first bullet point):

LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter (click to enlarge)