[District of Columbia, March 22, 2023] – The DC Bar Foundation and NPC Research announce the release of the Civil Legal Counsel Projects Program 2022 Annual Evaluation Report.
The Civil Legal Counsel Projects Program (CLCPP) is a grant program established by the Expanding Access to Justice Amendment Act enacted by the Council of the District of Columbia in July 2017. The DC Bar Foundation administers grants and, in 2022, awarded to six legal services organizations in the District of Columbia to provide legal assistance to DC residents with low incomes facing or at risk of eviction proceedings or the loss of a housing subsidy.
The report covers the period from October 2021 through September 2022 (the Foundation's Fiscal Year 2022). It includes a review of the clients served, services provided, and outcomes achieved by the whole CLCPP network.
Key results for FY22 include:
Cases closed and tenants served. CLCPP partners served 1,998 tenants with 2,403 cases in every DC Ward. DC's Black residents, who account for 8 of 10 CLCPP clients, are disproportionately at risk for eviction.
The end of the COVID-19 eviction moratorium affected CLCPP services. In the final quarter of FY22 (July – September 2022), when the moratorium was fully phased out, the proportion of clients with an active case grew as eviction filings increased.
The CLCPP partners kept tenants housed. As moratorium protections ended, CLCPP partners worked with the court to identify tenants who faced a "live writ"– an order that enables landlords to remove a tenant – and with community organizers to contact these tenants proactively. Attorneys helped tenants apply for emergency rental assistance, allowing them to repay the landlord. More than 70% of these tenants retained possession of their homes. CLCPP services supported housing stability. Among cases closed in FY22 where tenants were not facing a live writ, over 80% who received more extensive representation from CLCPP partners retained possession of their unit.
CLCPP case outcomes aligned with tenant wishes. Among the CLCPP tenants who received extended or full representation and whose cases had available outcome data, over 90% of those who wanted to stay in their rental unit could, and 60% of those who had to move indicated they wanted to.
Litigants trust the Landlord Tenant Legal Assistance Network (LTLAN). In June 2020, the CLCPP partners launched a single phone line for tenants to connect with an attorney. A LTLAN Customer Survey in 2022 found that the LTLAN phone line made it easier for litigants to find legal help, that they would use the service again in the future, and would recommend it to others in their community.
CLCPP partners expanded their activities. In addition to providing legal services, CLCPP partners also conducted outreach to make tenants aware of available services, advocated to ensure that the needs of tenants with low incomes are represented in policy decisions, and collaborated with community partners to develop a more comprehensive approach to eviction protection services.
The Annual Evaluation Report concluded that, through these efforts, the CLCPP network had created an accessible, responsive, and effective eviction defense system that serves as a valuable resource to DC residents with low incomes.
You can read the full report at this link.
About the DC Bar Foundation: We are committed to transforming DC's legal aid network, so all District residents have a fair and equal legal experience. Through our network approach, we actively bring together all invested stakeholders in identifying and addressing the unmet civil legal needs of underserved DC residents, create solutions with a critical eye for racial justice and equity, and demonstrate meaningful impact.
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