The Community Justice Fund, which launched six weeks ago, has already awarded grants worth nearly £1.9m to legal advice charities in need, it has been announced
The Fund was set up on 12 May by the Access to Justice Foundation (AJF) and five other leading social justice funders to help not-for-profit legal advice organisations be effective and sustainable in the face of responding to COVID-19.
Grants of £10,000-£75,000 have been awarded to 35 charities supporting disadvantaged and vulnerable people across the UK, in areas such as: disability, employment, housing, immigration women’s rights, benefits, debt and welfare.
For example, the Brighton Housing Trust, which helps house the homeless in the south-east, received £72,000 to ensure it remained open during the pandemic.
Shelter Cymru, which assists those with housing problems in Wales, helping to prevent homelessness in 86% of cases where it was threatened, received £75,000 to help mitigate loss of income since 1 April and keep services at full capacity, and help it cope with anticipated increased demand caused by the pandemic. Youth Legal and Resource Centre, which gives advice to vulnerable and destitute children and families, care leavers and carers, received £25,000 to help replace the loss of legal aid income during the pandemic.
Ruth Daniel, CEO of the AJF, said: ‘We have tried to make the application process as straightforward and streamlined as possible to provide the vital financial support that the not-for-profit legal advice sector needs as quickly as possible.
‘We are working hard to issue multiple grants every week and strongly encourage applications from specialist legal advice charities across the UK who need urgent and flexible financial assistance to stay open and sustainable at this time of crisis.’
Charities in receipt of grants so far have included: Child Poverty Action Group, Disability Law Service, Brighton Housing Trust (BHT), Welsh Housing Aid (trading as Shelter Cymru), Mary Ward Legal Centre, JustRight Scotland, Just for Kids Law, Norfolk Community Law Service Ltd (NCLS), Advice on Individual Rights in Europe Ltd (The AIRE Centre) and Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA).
