公益性服务 Center Reflects on a Year of Remote Service
2021年3月25日
去年3月，COVID-19改变了法律服务和生活本身的结构，公益中心迅速转型. 2021年3月16日是D.C. 酒吧公益中心. 这种转变带来了一些暂时的变化和一些可能成为永久性的变化, but the Center’s commitment to D.C. residents only grew in the intervening year. The Center has always helped those in need, 但当全球卫生危机加剧了不平等时, 它的反应是帮助那些更需要帮助的人.
中心的建议 & 转介诊所(A)&R), which brought volunteer attorneys to help D.C. 从1997年开始每个月的第二个星期六, was suspended when the public health crisis began. Even before the pandemic, there was an access to justice crisis; one in six D.C. residents lived in poverty. 因为免费的法律服务对我们的社区至关重要，像A&R were replaced with phone lines. At the start of the pandemic, 公益性服务 Center staff answered the calls, 在弄清楚如何远程连接电话和公益澳博app之前. 随着时间的推移，这种变化要求中心的工作人员不断创新. 虽然暂停驱逐和债务催收行动意味着更少的D.C. 在流感大流行期间，居民寻求法律服务&R客户仍然需要并通过电话获得简短的法律咨询和信息.
中心以法院为基础的资源中心也过渡到远程服务. 消费者法律资源中心已经帮助了373名客户处理债务催收和小额索赔等问题, an increase over the number served last year. 房东租户资源中心(LTRC)也迅速过渡到远程服务. According to recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 15% of D.C. adults are behind in rent and nearly 17% of all D.C. adults doubt that they can pay next month’s rent. 土地注册处与新成立的“业主及租客法律援助网络”(LTLAN)合作，为D.C. residents seeking help with housing matters, 1,880 tenants and small landlords have received information, 建议, and answers to their questions about eviction, 住房条件, or pandemic-related changes in the law.
The Center has maintained the services low-income D.C. 居民依靠, 扩展程序, and formed new partnerships, all from the home offices of staff and 志愿者. 与家庭法律援助网络一起，中心与其他D.C.动静分区组织. FLAN has handled the matters of pro se litigants in the D.C. 高等法院的家庭法庭——一个迫切需要的领域——所有这些都不需要走进办公室. 该网络已经为772个家庭提供了紧急监护服务, 孩子的抚养费, 自3月27日开业以来，离婚问题一直很重要, 2020.
当疫情明显会导致经济衰退时，非营利组织 & 小企业法律援助计划(NPSB)适应了对就业法法律信息和建议日益增长的需求, commercial lease abatements, federal and local financial assistance, 如何安全地重新开放, 还有更多. 公益中心的工作人员与澳博app事务所和澳博app志愿者合作，为数量空前的组织提供服务，以保持地区社区的活力并为居民提供服务，从而满足了需求. 自2020年3月16日以来，NPSB已为3700多家非营利组织和小型当地企业提供服务.
在去年, 该中心通过新的虚拟格式培训了566名澳博app，并免除了注册费，为联邦和地方暂停后即将到来的大量法律帮助请求做好准备. Before the pandemic, more than 75% of D.C. residents appearing in court did so without a lawyer, 几乎所有这些没有澳博app代表的诉讼当事人都是有色人种. 公益中心为增加D.C. residents also increase racial equity.
Thanks to the Center’s staff, 志愿者, 和捐助者, 多种疫苗, signs of economic recovery, federal COVID-19 relief, 和更多的, there’s reason to be optimistic. For 43 years, the Center has adapted and responded to D.C. residents and their needs. 尽管对无偿法律援助的巨大需求还在继续增加, 该中心对COVID-19的快速和创新反应证明了其满足D .需求的决心.C. residents living on low-incomes.
