FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2023
CONTACT
Eric W. Hughes
Bershad Communications Manager
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice
(973) 233-5724
Email: ehughes@vljnj.org
FurtherJustice Foundation Awards $100,000 Legal Accelerator Grant to Volunteer Lawyers for Justice to Address Legal and Social Issues That Contribute to Housing Instability in Essex County
Newark, NJ – According to recent reports, Essex County leads New Jersey with the largest backlog of eviction filings (at more than 15,000). Exacerbating the backlog is a long-standing fact that New Jersey is one of the most expensive states in the U.S. for renters, with the fair market value of a two-bed apartment far exceeding most households’ ability to afford. This means more families in New Jersey, especially Essex County and Newark, are unable to afford safe, quality housing. Realizing that unconventional times call for unconventional measures, and to aid VLJ in its efforts to help more tenants in Essex County stay housed at home, FurtherJustice Foundation recently awarded a $100,000 Legal Accelerator Grant to VLJ’s Tenancy Program.
The Legal Accelerator Grant from FurtherJustice provides VLJ with funding for the next two years. Most importantly, the grant leverages the power of partnership by placing VLJ and Newark Community Solutions (NCS) at the intersection of law and social change, leading to greater housing stability in Essex County. This collaborative new program will create a formal partnership between VLJ and NCS, and the goal of the grant is not only to build capacity to identify and address legal and social issues that contribute to housing instability, but also create an effective model for community lawyering in New Jersey.
FurtherJustice is a private foundation that helps organizations launch and expand civil legal service programs working to increase access to justice, power, and equity for historically underrepresented people and communities. One of the ways FurtherJustice powers their approach is through Legal Accelerator Grants: grants that support client-centered civil legal services programs within community-based organizations by pairing multi-year financial support with intensive organization-specific programmatic assistance.
Akilah Browne, a co-founder of FurtherJustice, remarked on VLJ and NCS joining forces to serve residents of Essex County, “We are proud to support this community-based partnership, which recognizes that client-centered civil legal services can be a tool not only for addressing the immediate legal housing needs of tenants, but also for empowering tenants by meeting clients where they are and protecting their right to remain in their homes and communities through holistic legal support and community education.”
Under the FurtherJustice Legal Accelerator Grant, VLJ’s Tenancy Program will work to keep tenants in the Greater Newark area securely housed in safe, quality housing. VLJ’s partnership with Newark Community Solutions will ensure that residents receive holistic, wrap-around services to further support and ensure their long-term wellbeing, thus avoiding homelessness and the traumatic destabilization that likely follows.
Of the FurtherJustice grant, Cathy Keenan, executive director of VLJ said, “The confidence and support from FurtherJustice not only affirms VLJ’s tireless advocacy ensuring access to justice for people experiencing poverty, it looks to expand the traditional ways in which civil legal services are provided. The grant shows an understanding of and appreciation for community lawyering, noting that true change and justice will be realized when lawyers are present in and connected with the communities and neighborhoods they serve. VLJ is grateful for the support from FurtherJustice, and we look forward to a vibrant, impactful partnership with Newark Community Solutions (NCS) that holistically serves neighbors in need with the issues that threaten their security and stability.”
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About Further Justice
FurtherJustice is a private foundation that helps organizations launch and expand civil legal service programs working to increase access to justice, power and equity for underrepresented individuals and communities. In furtherance of their mission, FurtherJustice provides Legal Accelerator Grants and Other Grants to exceptional organizations working at the intersection between law and social change. To learn more, please visit https://www.furtherjustice.org/about/.
About Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ)
VLJ is an award-winning, comprehensive nonprofit legal services program based in Newark, NJ, with a statewide reach. VLJ's mission is to ensure access to justice for people experiencing poverty. The Newark-based organization ensures fair access to the legal system through partnerships with corporations and hundreds of volunteer attorneys. In 2021, VLJ’s work impacted nearly 3,500 people—including veterans, children, tenants, families, and survivors of human trafficking—and our volunteer attorneys provided $3.3 million in free legal services.