Side by Side: Philadelphia Legal Assistance's 2025 Annual Report
Philadelphia Legal Assistance (PLA) enforces and protects the rights of individuals and families by providing accessible, creative, and high-quality legal assistance, and working collaboratively for systemic change.
A Letter From Our Executive Director
Closing the book on 2025 comes with a sense of relief. It was a year marked by uncertainty and challenge, one that tested the resilience of our clients, our staff, and the broader community of nonprofit service providers here in Philadelphia.
Saving the Family Court Help Center
Staffed by PLA, the Philadelphia Family Court Help Center is a vital resource for parents and caregivers who seek help with family court matters without an attorney or need general information about court proceedings.
Expanding the Eviction Diversion Program
For the past five years, PLA has played a central role in the success of the City’s Eviction Diversion Program. Philadelphia Legal Assistance is seeking to expand its work to support tenants assigned to the Direct Negotiation Pathway.
The Impact of the UC Navigator Program
PLA’s Unemployment Compensation Navigator program helps workers secure unemployment benefits they are entitled to when they lose a job through no fault of their own, with a particular focus on supporting parents and caregivers.
Meeting Patients Close to Home
For more than twelve years, PLA’s Medical Legal Community Partnership (MLCP) has helped address the legal problems that often stand in the way of good health.
Asking the Community What They Need
In 2025, PLA undertook a comprehensive legal needs assessment to better understand the challenges facing low-income communities across the city and to ensure that our services continue to respond to those needs.
Keeping Communities Intact, Keeping Homeowners in Their Homes
When a Philadelphia homeowner fell behind on his mortgage payments, he turned to PLA for help. Nicole Piusienski, a PLA paralegal, worked with the client to secure a Homeowner’s Assistance Fund grant.
The People Behind the Produce
In Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, known as the “Mushroom Capital of the World,” the mushrooms that appear on dinner tables across the country begin with the work of farmworkers.
Every day, our clients, supporters, and community remind us what is possible when we work together. Their strength and partnership inspire us to keep pushing forward, using every tool at our disposal to expand access to justice and build a fairer Philadelphia.
None of this work happens alone. We are deeply thankful to the funders, donors, staff, volunteers, and community partners who make our work possible. Your commitment ensures that Philadelphians facing critical civil legal problems have somewhere to turn for high-quality legal help.
Thank you for believing in this work and for being an essential part of it.