STAFF
Our 2024 Annual Report
Client Stories
Education Advocacy Leads to New Opportunities
When DCBF grantee partner School Justice Project (SJP) first met with James in June 2024, he had been incarcerated at the DC Jail for several weeks. At the time, he was an 18-year-old navigating a difficult court situation and a student with special needs who had not yet graduated high school. His defense attorney suggested he reach out to SJP. Through the SJP intake process, they learned about his past difficulties in school due to multiple disabilities. Despite these difficulties, it was clear that James was eager to return to school, graduate, and eventually go to college to pursue social work.
James’s defense attorney planned to advocate for his release and believed education advocacy would play a significant role in getting him home. After his attorney contacted SJP for assistance, they created a community-based education plan for James. In less than a week, staff at SJP initiated enrollment at two different charter schools to ensure that James had the appropriate options. The judge decided in James’s favor, and he was released and reunited with his family.
Within a week of his release, SJP worked with James to complete his school enrollment. SJP was also able to help him submit his application for DC’s Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program. After being accepted into the program, he excelled in his summer job as a camp counselor. He now looks forward to finishing school and his future.
Family Advocacy Prioritizes Safety and Security
Ms. C went to DC Affordable Law Firm (DCALF)—a DCBF grantee partner—because she was deeply concerned about her husband’s erratic behavior and feared for her safety and that of her two children due to his history of physical and verbal abuse.
Although DCALF couldn’t immediately represent her, they advised Ms. C to request exclusive use of the marital home during their pending divorce case. The judge agreed to set an evidentiary heari
ng to determine which party would have exclusive use of the home, warning that the other party would need to move out within a week. The potential outcome left Ms. C anxious because she and her children would have nowhere else to go.
Ms. C returned to DCALF, and they were able to represent her at the evidentiary hearing. During the preparation, she revealed the full extent of the domestic abuse she endured, including hospitalizations, arson, and property damage caused by her husband.
At the hearing, Ms. C detailed the abuse and constant fear she lived in, knowing her husband could enter the house at any time, and her financial struggles, including paying significant marital debts.
At the time, the pendente lite (temporary) exclusive use of the marital home remedy was relatively new to DC law, having been added as a remedy only a couple of months prior. Although DCALF had never argued under this new law before, they were determined to advocate for Ms. C. The DC Superior Court ultimately granted her request for the exclusive use of the marital home pending trial. For Ms. C, this outcome was a huge step toward obtaining safety and security for herself and her children. DCALF said it was fulfilling to know that their advocacy provided Ms. C with the outcome that she desperately needed.
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