Program areas at California Access to Justice Commission
INFRASTRUCTURE AND INNOVATION GRANT PROGRAM: IN THE CALIFORNIA STATE BUDGET ACT FOR THE STATES FISCAL YEAR, THE EQUAL ACCESS APPROPRIATION INCLUDED $5 MILLION FOR GRANTS TO NONPROFIT LEGAL AID ORGANIZATIONS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS AND INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS. THE ACCESS COMMISSION IS AUTHORIZED TO SELECT, AWARD, MONITOR,AND REPORT THESE GRANTS. FORTY-EIGHT ORGANIZATIONS OF VARYING SIZES WERE SELECTED TO RECEIVE GRANT FUNDS. (REPORTS CAN BE FOUND AT https://calatj.org/past-ii-grants)
Loan repayment assistance program for legal aid lawyers:the California state legislature has recognized the California Access To Justice Commission (calatj) in statute (gov. Code sections 68655-68659). It has appropriated $250,000 To provide funding To the California Access To Justice Commission To administer a tax-advantaged student loan repayment assistance program for service providers employed by qualified legal service projects and support centers. (stats. 2023, ch.34, sec.23 (sb133) effective june 30, 2023.) The need for this program is manifest. New legal aid job openings now stay unfilled for months. Retaining experienced lawyers is, if anything, a bigger problem. One-third of California legal aid lawyers leave for other jobs each year. Candidate lawyers considering legal aid jobs and veteran lawyers deciding whether To stay report that the number one concern is money. Student loan payments are a major factor. Over 84% of entry-level candidates and over 75% of all legal aid lawyers have educational debt, with the median amount being between $125,000 and $149,000, with typical interest and principal payments of $8,000 per year. The problem is even worse for legal aid lawyers of color with a median educational debt range of $200,000$225,000 (2014 To 2018 graduates) and higher interest and principal payment burdens. (plans for implementation of the lrap can be found at https://calatj.org/lrap)
GRANTS FOR EVICTION ASSISTANCE: THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT PROVIDED THE ACCESS COMMISSION WITH $400,000 TO FUND GRANTS TO CONTINUE AND ENHANCE EFFORTS BEGUN IN RESPONSE TO THE EVICTION AND HOUSING LEGAL NEEDS CREATED BY COVID-19 AND THE END OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS. FOUR LEGAL SERVICES ORGANIZATIONS AND THEIR COMMUNITY PARTNERS RECEIVED THESE GRANTS. (A REPORT CAN BE FOUND AT httpscalatjorggrantsevictiontsuna...