Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Rights

National immigrant justice center the Heartland Alliance national immigrant justice center (nijc) is dedicated to ensuring Human Rights protections and access to justice for all immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. Nijc provides direct legal services to and advocates for these populations through policy reform, impact legislation, and public education. With the support of hundreds of pro bono attorneys, nijc provides legal services to more than 10,000 individuals each year and maintains a success rate of 90 percent in obtaining asylum for those fleeing persecution in their home countries. Since its founding twenty-five years ago, nijc has been unique in blending individual client advocacy with broad-based systemic change.

Research, policy and innovation our initiatives are broad and inclusive because we know that we can't end poverty on our own. We center equity and inclusion in all our work, so that every community we partner with has a voice. We are committed to building and sustaining movements for change. In chicago and communities across the country, we are collaborating with partners to discover, nurture, and share innovative policy and systems change solutions that address the root causes of poverty and inequity.

Readi chicago the rapid employment and development initiative (readi chicago) is an innovative transitional jobs and cognitive behavioral therapy program. Readi chicago is designed to target those at highest risk of being victims or perpetrators or gun violence, with the goals or decreasing violence involvement among this population, creating an alternative path and viable opportunities for them to change their life trajectory and decrease criminal justice involvement, and helping build a community-level infrastructure that promotes long-term safety and opportunity in chicago's most impoverished communities. Heartland Alliance is leading and managing a network or community based organizations on chicago's south and west sides to implement readi chicago.