VLJ September 2023 Supporter of the Month: South Ward Promise Neighborhood

For Volunteer Lawyers for Justice’s September 2023 Supporter of the Month, we proudly feature the South Ward Promise Neighborhood (SWPN), the catalyst for VLJ’s SWPN Program. SWPN's generous funding—$540,000 since 2017—plays a pivotal role enabling VLJ to provide essential civil legal services to families in Newark's South Ward, ensuring children can thrive from the cradle, to college and career, and beyond.

The SWPN is a powerful collaborative effort of more than 25 organizations working together to invest in South Ward families. SWPN’s partners offer free programs and services to ensure children receive support at every stage of development from prenatal to college and career. The goal of SWPN is to ensure every child growing up in Newark’s South Ward has access to high-quality services and community support.

As the sole legal services provider in the SWPN, VLJ assists families facing a myriad of challenges, including evictions, difficulties obtaining services for children with special education needs, and navigating complex family law issues. When asked about this partnership, Eilleen Ingram-Willis, the managing attorney for VLJ’s SWPN Program, shared, “VLJ strives to identify the legal and supportive service needs of SWPN families and to provide them with holistic legal assistance. Having access to 30+ partner organizations in this program strengthens VLJ’s ability to go even further to help eliminate barriers that exist in the household and allows us to connect families to vital community resources and services, including access to healthcare, child care, educational opportunities, and social-emotional support.”

Through SWPN's support, VLJ is not only breaking down legal barriers but also forging pathways to brighter futures for families in Newark’s South Ward. Indeed, access to justice is not merely a legal concept, but an important ingredient for overall well-being, and SWPN's partnership with and support of VLJ embodies this belief. Together, SWPN and VLJ are making access to justice a reality, ensuring children and families have a chance to thrive.