Cheyenne Green’s Post

As we head into the New Year, we are reflecting on what we accomplished in 2023 and looking ahead optimistically into 2024. We send a big thank you to everyone who supported the impact we are having on the communities we serve. If you have not made a year end gift to LCLC, you have one more day to donate here: https://lnkd.in/gE669Tyz If you have already donated, we hope you take a moment this weekend to reflect on the difference you have made -- the lives you have touched that will be better off because of you. The impact we've had is the result of all of us working together to make it happen. THANK YOU! Let's play the 2023 highlight reel (enjoy!): - Robin Steinberg, the national leader in community holistic defense, is supporting us with help from The Bail Project, one of our best-ever partners - Nearly completed the consenting process for our RCT -- 630 of the 660 consented with more coming in this week - Secured $3MM funding to sustain our successful roll out of Community Release with Support + expand into Maywood and Rolling Meadows - Illinois ended cash bail in September! And we are proving it's safer and successful! - Deepened our partnership with CLIHTF to connect our clients to housing - Awarded $5MM in city funding to house our clients, the largest investment in our clients' housing needs likely in the history of Chicago! - Raised $21MM in capital funding to construct our Residential Workforce Development Center! - Completed nine-month SWOT analysis and have been implementing solutions since - Unprecedented earned media coverage due to the great work our team is doing! The impact we're having is undeniable: - Community Holistic Defense -- ~340 youth served annually, 82.2% not catching new cases while in our care, 75% are being connected to critical social supports, 53% progressed in employment, 66% progressed in school, 46% no permanent felony records, 62% stay home instead of prison - Community Release with Support -- ~3,000 clients served annually, 98% returned to court, 64% cases dismissed, 100% received court reminders and transportation as needed, 57% linked to social services pending trial - Restorative Justice Community Courts -- we started the first in North Lawndale, two more have been added, 219+ emerging adults served, 84% charged with felony weapon possession, 86.9% have not caught new cases compared to 34.8% from a matched control group (conversely only 13.1% caught new cases in RJCC vs. 65.2% outside of RJCC) - Housing Justice -- We linked ~50 clients to housing with over 100 family members + another forty families in the queue for 2024. We go into 2024 with the unique expertise and value we have created in the field of criminal justice over the last fourteen years. We go into 2024 with a bright future, bold vision, and a great team of people dedicated to making our world better. Thank you and Happy New Year!

🏠 A Historic Milestone for Housing Justice in Pennsylvania! ⚖️I am thrilled to see that Pennsylvania is taking a monumental step forward by offering free legal representation to low-income renters facing eviction or other housing-related issues. For the first time ever, this critical support is available, and it’s a win for fairness and dignity for so many individuals and families across our state.We have long recognized the pressing need for counsel, and it’s inspiring to see this recognition turn into meaningful action. Ensuring legal support for vulnerable renters isn't just about addressing housing instability—it's about protecting basic human rights and paving the way for healthier, more resilient communities.This initiative is a reminder of what can be achieved when we advocate for what’s right and work collaboratively towards justice.#HousingJustice #EvictionPrevention #LegalSupport #Pennsylvania https://lnkd.in/gCFrTUtx

Check out my conversation with CCRJP about starting Restorative Jeff Co!

Clan Childlaw are celebrating the passing of The Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill, which brings Scotland in line with the UNCRC by confirming that all under-18s are children, and should be treated as such. This means ALL children who are in need of care and protection, including those who are in conflict with the law, will have access to the Children’s Hearing System.  Significantly - regardless of the forum to which the child is referred - the Bill outlaws the imprisonment of children in young offender’s institutions and remand centres.     This achievement alone signifies a huge, and welcome, shift in the way in which we view Scotland’s young people and their needs. A move that acknowledges that children who display offending behaviour are often those who are the most vulnerable in our society. With this in mind it is apparent that the Bill seeks to create a balance between the rights of all children and young people - regardless of the type of behaviour they are exhibiting or party to - with the aim of creating a needs based justice system that treats all children as children.      And while there is more work to be done, this Bill is a welcome part of the journey to a Scotland where all children's rights are protected, respected and fulfilled.     Watch this space for more thoughts and analysis on how this Bill will impact our work.

How is your foundation thinking about the effects of the SCOTUS decision around affirmative action? How are you preparing your foundation and your grantees? We also have created a resource page on this here: https://lnkd.in/g2yJzqPm

Yesterday, we were in Parliament to meet with the Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, David Johnston OBE MP. Top of the agenda were the Government's plans for reforming children's social care and our proposals for ensuring more children can live safely and thrive in their families with proper support. We had a lot to cover, including: ☎️ The importance of early specialist advice for families so they can understand what is happening and their rights, options and responsibilities 👨👨👧👦 How family group conferences galvanise the strengths of families to make a safe plan for children and avert them from the care system 💜 Why the national kinship care strategy needs to be ambitious to make a real impact on kinship families across the country 🧑🤝🧑How investment in our Lifelong Links approach is transforming the lives of children and young people in care and care leavers, by making sure they have a support network around them ⚖️ The urgent need for legal aid reform for families when their children are deprived of their liberty, often isolated far from home 📸L to R: Jordan Hall, Minister Johnston, Caroline Lynch, Cathy Ashley, Pam Ledward

Regardless of the wealth of documentation of extensive, long-term research into the incredible power and efficacy of arts in education in regards to student engagement, academic outcomes, attendance, mental health, and post-high school preparedness for career & college, many, many schools at all grade levels still do not meet CA Ed Code requirements for arts in schools. Far more troubling is that, after the incredible efforts behind devising, supporting, and passing Prop 28 in CA with unprecedented majority support for both arts and education legislation, a shocking number of schools - and even districts - are misusing Prop 28 funds - and many are doing so despite intense efforts and advocacy by students and teachers to grow and expand offerings. Yes, it’s a tough year and scary look forward financially, but Prop 28 was passed to protect arts in education especially during these lean years. Elective offerings continue to expand at schools, but not in the arts, because they’re not funded and not prioritized despite their documented importance. Class enrollment numbers are often cited as the reason why programs are cut - but programs are cut without properly using post-Covid funding and now Prop 28 funds meant to provide the consistency necessary to grow and strengthen the arts programs and build strong enrollment. It’s not enough, clearly, to pass the legislation. We all need to demand that Prop 28 funds be spent as mandated in the legislation - with proof. All doesn’t just mean students or teachers - it means our smallest to our largest companies, businesses, organizations, it means our leaders in government and industry, it means anyone who cares about the strength of our schools and thus our great state into the future.

SAL Community Services' President & CEO, Marcy Mendenhall, shared about the Illinois Department of Early Childhood Act (IL HB5451) which would consolidate Illinois early childhood services into a single state agency as a means to enhance coordination, efficiency, and effectiveness. Learn more about the importance of this new state level alignment and the impact it will have on local families as we strive to create equitable access to child care in our region. https://lnkd.in/gjVjmHCv

This is what restorative justice looks like. More of this please. #HonoringMartingLutherKingJr

@Equal Justice America : Week 3 Update! This past week has afforded me new opportunities to learn about how to communicate as a (student) attorney, with the best interests of my client held to the forefront. For instance: One of my clients has been locked out of his apartment for 3 weeks, since he lost his key. Instead of management providing a new lock or key to my client, he has had to sometimes leave his door unlocked, or pay $5 to have his door unlocked if he wants to lock it behind him and leave his home. Knowing the other harassment that my client has endured, and how unsafe I have felt in my own home when it comes to privacy and safety concerns, I really wanted to just call his apartment’s management team, and demand that they fix this issue, and more personally, express my anger towards them. But, I was instead directed by my supervising attorney to send a letter to management and the opposing counsel who works for the apartment building. Another example:  We are doing motion practice for a nuisance holdover case, and one of the nuisances alleged against my client has been completely falsified - based on video evidence that my client provided to me. I know that if we could present this video to the court, we would more easily be able to dismiss the case. But, based on procedural standards and the plan set by my supervising attorney, we won’t be using that video. Each of these examples have shown me how important it is to be able to wisely wield the law, and to have a full skillset, so that you can use strategy to assist your clients, as opposed to ‘brute force’, for lack of a better phrase. Sometimes this feels frustrating, especially when I consider all of what my clients are suffering through, and that I want to be able to provide relief more immediately. But, I know that this casework is an opportunity to continue honing my skills so that I can communicate and make procedural strategies that serve the same purpose as say, making an angry phone call to building management. (Note: I have a terrible poker face, and am terrible at hiding my tone when aggravated. I want to work on this too.) @Lincoln Square Legal Services Inc. with @Fordham University School of Law https://lnkd.in/eSkECrY4