DC Bar Foundation Releases Civil Legal Counsel Projects Program Report

[District of Columbia, November 12, 2025] – The DC Bar Foundation announces the release of its Civil Legal Counsel Projects Program Biannual Progress 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 the CLCPP grant and awards grants to seven legal services organizations in the District to provide legal assistance to DC residents with low incomes at risk of eviction, loss of a housing subsidy, or those seeking to remedy housing conditions.  

The latest report covers the period from January 1, 2025, to June 30, 2025. Report highlights during this period include:  

CLCPP partners continue to close cases. CLCPP partners closed 1,699 cases from January through June 2025 after a CLCPP attorney provided direct legal services to the tenant. In total, CLCPP attorneys served 2,054 clients (some clients had more than one case).  

Families remain housed with the help of CLCPP attorneys. For cases with outcomes data, 70% of clients with a CLCPP attorney remained in their homes. Of these clients, 129 (37%) had a minor child living in the home, and 131 (38%) reported having a household member living with a disability. In total, 702 household members were able to remain housed due to the assistance of CLCPP providers.  

Limited legal services help meet the increased need in eviction cases. CLCPP partners prioritize serving clients at risk of being unhoused; however, due to the high demand, it is not possible for every client to receive full representation. To help meet the demand, CLCPP providers also offer advice and counsel. During the current reporting period, 58% of the eviction cases received advice and counsel, which included guidance on remaining housed or finding new housing, responding to an eviction complaint, or minimizing the financial impact of an eviction.  

CLCPP reaches tenants in every Ward in the District. In the current reporting period, CLCPP partners served 2,054 clients. However, eviction risk continues to disproportionately affect residents living in Wards 7 and 8. These two Wards made up almost half of the CLCPP clients served, with 17% residing in Ward 7 and 28% residing in Ward 8.  

You can read the full report here.

About the DC Bar Foundation: We are committed to transforming DC's legal aid network so that all District residents have a fair and equal legal experience. Through our network approach, we actively work to bring together all invested stakeholders to identify and address 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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