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Innovative Justice: Ensuring Access to Legal Aid During Crisis

Mission: enforcing and protecting the right of individuals and families by providing accessible, creative, and high quality legal assistance and working collaboratively for systemic change

PLA's executive director

Message from the Executive Director

Dear Friends, This past year has shone a spotlight on on what we have known since our inception in 1996: that civil legal aid is a life sustaining resource to low-income communities in Philadelphia. 

hotline staff

From the start of the pandemic induced financial crisis, calls came flooding into our office from community members with similar concerns.

"I lost my job"

"I haven't gotten my unemployment check yet."

"How am I going to pay my rent or mortgage."

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A Year of Challenges, A Year of Solutions

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People experienced loss of income

We worked on several fronts to maximize access to resources for Philadelphians impacted by the pandemic.

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Individual and Family Safety was Threatened

One of the most significant challenges our clients faced was threat to safety. Through trauma-informed, creative advocacy and outreach, our advocates ensured that Philadelphians were safe and supported. 

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Pandemic closures limited access to justice

We worked to make sure that Philadelphians were able to access the courts, public benefit programs, and critical information. 

Impact Stories

Alex's Story

Read how Alex overcame the loss of his sister and fought for custody of her kids

Robin's Story

Learn how Robin saved her home with support from the Save Your Home Philly Hotline

Advocating for Gig Workers

Read about our unemployment compensation win for Gig Workers

Community Impact

$50,299,916.50 Saved, Retained, or Recovered for Clients 

Outcomes

board of directors

Board of Directors

2020 Financials

Thank you to all of our funders, donors, staff, volunteers, and community partners for supporting our critical efforts to enforce and protect the rights of Philadelphia’s low-income population during the pandemic.

 We could not have continued to ensure access to legal aid during this crisis without you.

We look forward to continuing this work with you as we transition into a period of recovery with more resilience, understanding, and determination than ever. 

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For more information about our 2020 impact, read our full annual report!