Side by Side: 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, across Pennsylvania, and throughout the country. 

In moments like these, we return to the basics. At Philadelphia Legal Assistance, that means working alongside our clients, partners, and supporters every day to advance a more just and accessible legal system in Philadelphia - one person, one family, and one issue at a time.

Working alongside our clients takes many forms. It means listening carefully when someone calls our hotline in crisis. It means showing up in neighborhood health centers, ready to help patients navigate urgent legal needs where they live. It means approaching each case with creativity, persistence, and a deep commitment to justice. This year, we also expanded our community outreach and education, connecting with residents at neighborhood events, sharing resources for homeowners, and visiting farm labor camps across the Commonwealth to assist vulnerable agricultural workers.

At the same time, PLA faced a potential financial crisis, as funding from the Legal Services Corporation came under serious threat in Congress. In response, so many of you, our dedicated supporters, stepped forward with generosity, advocacy, and partnership. Because of you, as well as new partnerships with the William Penn Foundation, TD Bank, Vanguard, and Phillies Charities, and bipartisan support for LSC in Congress, we were able not only to sustain our core services but to grow. 

This year marked an important milestone: for the first time in our history, PLA began providing eviction defense representation. With support from the City of Philadelphia, our partners at Community Legal Services, and the Skadden Foundation, we are now able to stand in court with tenants at risk of losing their homes, expanding our impact at a time of urgent need. 

We are so grateful to all of you as we embark on our 30th year of operation. Your support makes it possible not only to respond to the urgent legal needs of our Philadelphia communities, but also to challenge the systemic barriers that create inequality in the first place. 

As we look ahead, the need for civil legal services remains profound. But so does our resolve. Together, we will continue building a Philadelphia where everyone, regardless of income, can protect their rights, secure their future, and thrive. 

Thank you for standing with us.

Maureen Olives
Executive Director

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