The
Mission of WLCH
The Washington Legal Clinic for the
Homeless works to end the unnecessary suffering caused by poverty
and advocates for justice for people who are homeless or at-risk of
becoming homeless in Washington, DC.
We envision a just and inclusive community.
Since our founding in 1986, the Legal
Clinic has become a principal force in protecting the rights of homeless
and other low-income people here in the District of Columbia through
a unique combination of direct representation, class action litigation,
policy and budget advocacy, and community outreach and
organizing.
Our goal: to
bring an end to homelessness by improving the programs, benefits,
resources and opportunities available to people challenged by the effects
of poverty.
The Legal Clinic has opened more than
25,000 individual client matters including:
- wrongful evictions and shelter
terminations
- applications for public assistance
and subsidized housing
- credit and other consumer
matters
- veterans benefits
- discrimination, probate, health
and mental health
- impounded property
- family law cases
In large measure our cases are handled
by our network of nearly 200 lawyers and paralegals who volunteer at
one of 7 intake sites.
Last year, the Clinic leveraged over
$3.2 million in donated legal services.
We work to develop and advance strategies
to lift up the voices of our clients so that they have meaningful
input in the decisions that affect their lives.
These are difficult times, to be sure,
and we are called to be faithful companions to our homeless neighbors
as they seek to end the injustices that keep them anchored in poverty.
The unfailing generosity of our many
supporters has allowed us, without hesitation, to respond to that call.
