An Introduction to Bread for the City
Bread for the City was established in 1974 "to address the problem of increasing hunger in the District of Columbia." The organization’s mission is to "work with others to alleviate and address the effects of poverty by providing food, medical, legal , housing and social services and by striving for equitable social and economic policies" in D.C. and the region. Bread for the City’s Legal Clinic has played an essential role in providing low-income residents of D.C. with free civil legal assistance to meet important basic needs, including those related housing, public benefits and family law.
The Legal Clinic and Its Services
Bread for the City’s Legal Clinic provides a safe and supportive environment in which attorneys can give legal advice and represent low income residents of the District of Columbia in a variety of matters. The clinic is the only one of its kind in the area. All clinic clients are recommended to the Legal Clinic through Bread for the City’s intake process. Below are descriptions of each type of case handled by our Legal Clinic.
Family Law Cases
Bread for the City’s Family Law Practice helps families preserve their privacy and dignity, while getting the legal help they need. We assist clients with many aspects of family law, including divorce, custody and child support, adoption, guardianship, paternity and child neglect cases. We also provide Family Law work in our Neighborhood Partnerships in Action Program (DC Partners).
Housing Cases
Bread for the City’s Housing Practice provides services to District residents who believe that their rights as tenants have been violated or are at risk of violation. For example, we assist clients with problems such as: illegal rent increases, eviction notices, harassment by landlords or housing code violations. We also provide Housing Law work in our Neighborhood Partnerships in Action Program (DC Partners).
Benefits Advocacy
Bread for the City’s Benefits Advocacy Practice helps clients with eligibility, enrollment and appeal issues for D.C. Medicaid and the private-based insurance exchanges.
Who Is Served by the Legal Clinic?
The Legal Clinic at Bread for the City provides free services to DC residents who face a household income that is less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Line. All applicants must provide proof of income and residency to be considered for services. The Legal Clinic prioritizes submissions based on urgency and categorizes cases into three groups: cases eligible for representation, cases eligible for advice, and cases that do not qualify for either.
Stories of Success & Community Impact
The Bread for the City legal clinic has had a positive impact on many individuals and the broader community. By offering free legal advice and support, the clinic has helped low-income residents navigate complex legal issues that would otherwise be out of reach.
For instance, one success story involves a mother who came to the clinic seeking help with a child custody matter. With the guidance of a pro bono attorney from the clinic, she was able to secure legal representation and successfully navigate the family court system. The clinic’s volunteer attorneys were crucial in that case, providing the assistance and advocacy she needed to achieve a positive outcome for her family.
Another example of the clinic’s impact can be seen in the experience of a low-income tenant facing eviction. By connecting the tenant to free legal counsel through the clinic, the tenant was able to mount a successful defense against eviction and remain in his home. Without the clinic, the result may have been very different for this individual, who was able to secure legal representation for free.
The clinic has also had broader impacts on the community as a whole. Scholars at Harvard Law School examined the program’s effectiveness and found that there was a reduction in the number of eviction cases brought against low-income tenants and a decrease in the instances of domestic violence. The pro bono attorney assigned to a domestic violence case from the clinic was able to secure a temporary restraining order for a woman facing threats from her intimate partner. As an added bonus, the supporting agency was able to leverage additional resources from the pro bono attorney to address the tax issues associated with the couple.
Accessing Legal Services
In order to access legal services at the legal clinic, clients must first schedule an appointment with a legal staff member. When clients come in for their appointment, they will go through an intake process, at which point a legal services staff member will assess their needs and determine the best way that the clinic can help. As with the medical services offered, services are limited to low-income District residents.
These services include assistance with consumer law , housing issues, public benefits appeals, temporary protection orders, and immigration law. These are some of the most pressing consumer and civil legal issues a low-income resident may face in DC, and law services offered by the legal clinic are vital for some of the most vulnerable residents in our city. Housing and consumer law advice are always in high-demand, as economic downturns have hit many of the city’s most impoverished residents in this area particularly hard.
Partnerships and Collaborations
Collaborations and Partnerships With Other Organizations and Legal Entities
Part of the strength of the Bread for the City legal clinic is in the collaborations that it has formed. Each of the organizations that Bread for the City has partnered with has brought its own unique resources to the table to help families across D.C. alleviate the stress of poverty. These collaborations only strengthen the support and services that each legal clinic can provide.
For example, the legal clinic itself collaborates closely with neighbors such as the UDC Community Development and Justice Clinic, the Equality Before the Law Clinic, and the D.C. Elderly Legal Assistance Program, or DELAP. All three groups work as friends and allies of the legal clinic, allowing the clinic to offer clients dozens of services and legal solutions that would have been difficult for one organization to manage alone.
In addition to these partnerships, the legal clinic also collaborates with outside organizations such as MALDEF, or the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, which helps clients with immigration services; Ayuda, which works with victims of domestic violence; Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC), which can assist with business needs; and legal assistance for people with HIV/AIDS through The Whitman-Walker Clinic.
Get Involved and Support
Bread for the City welcomes volunteers in both the Legal Clinic and throughout the organization. Volunteer advocates assist our staff attorneys in providing free civil legal services to low income clients at our Legal Clinics. Volunteer opportunities and requirements vary, and positions are available in each of our locations. Applicants may volunteer at either of our two Legal Clinics. Volunteer application opportunities for law students include offices for 1L positions and clinics at all three Bread for the City locations thereafter. Volunteers sign a contract committing to work a minimum of six hours per week for one full quarter or semester during the school year and a minimum of 16 hours per week during the summer. Applicants who wish to volunteer in a clinic without representing a client may volunteer as a judicial intern.
Volunteer translators provide language interpretation and translation for clients seeking assistance in our Legal Clinics , and may apply for a paid contractual position for occasional assignments. Fluency in English and at least one other language is required. Preference will be given to candidates with experience in a medical or clinical environment.
Individuals interested in providing administrative support to our staff lawyers may volunteer for general lawyer support, records management, appeals, or advocacy.
Businesses or organizations can support us by donating pro bono assistance to handle our non-legal issues. Bread for the City welcomes in-kind donations of goods and services.