FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: November 10, 2020   PUBLIC HOUSING TENANTS REACH SETTLEMENT WITH HOPEWELL REDEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING AUTHORITY ON CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT     Richmond, VA — Public housing tenants and the Hopewell Redevelopment and Housing Authority (HRHA) have reached a proposed settlement valued at nearly $300,000 in a…

Download PDF version here STATEMENT: Tenant Protections in Proposed Budget Will Leave Too Many Virginians At Risk of Eviction During this national emergency, tenants in Virginia need a comprehensive eviction moratorium to protect themselves, their families, and the community. While the language in the proposed budget provides some protections for…

After years of advocacy by the Legal Aid Justice Center and numerous other dedicated community partners, community members, and youth, we celebrate a substantial victory on the road to ending school pushout in Richmond Public Schools. Monday’s unanimous vote by the City of Richmond School Board in support of a…

   CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST LAW FIRM WHO ILLEGALLY PROFITS FROM MASS EVICTIONS ACROSS VIRGINIA   The Legal Aid Justice Center (LAJC), along with the Legal Aid Society of Roanoke Valley and the Charlottesville law firm MichieHamlett, today filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of tenants throughout the state of…

Download PDF here   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, July 15, 2020 Critical Protections Passed Protecting Workers Against COVID-19 Emergency temporary standards mandate common-sense protections for Virginians in the workplace   Richmond, VA— Today, the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board acted to protect the Commonwealth’s workers by adopting emergency temporary…

As of July 1st, the law allowing the suspension of a person’s driver’s license in Virginia due to unpaid court debt has permanently ended.  Watch a short video produced by LAJC and Nolef Turns on what you need to do to have your license reinstated and read and download our…

Ending Virginia’s Driver’s License Suspension Trap Six years ago, a Charlottesville jail superintendent brought a serious problem to the local reentry council: the jail was full of people locked up just for driving on a suspended license. What’s worse, they lost their licenses due to criminal/traffic court debt they just…

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Download PDF here Eviction Crisis to Catastrophe   New Data Predicts an Avalanche of Evictions in Virginia  A report from the Legal Aid Justice Center examines new Census data that show low-income communities and communities of color are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain stable housing   Richmond, VA— The…

  Legal Aid Justice Center Statement On the Proposed Re-opening of Virginia     (click here to take action) Governor Northam’s jaw-dropping announcement on Monday, reiterated today, that Virginia could be partially re-opening for business as early as May 15 is reckless and cruel. A partial reopening on May 15…

        Listen to, and read, a statement from Cynthia Scott who is currently incarcerated at the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women in Troy, Virginia. Ms. Scott, one of the five plaintiffs in our lawsuit addressing the insufficient medical care in the facility in 2012, is now living…

In the midst of a crisis, it can be hard to talk about anything else, but we wanted to take a minute and share with you some truly transformational outcomes from our advocacy efforts at the 2020 Virginia General Assembly session that ended on March 12. Your support helped make…

       All Legal Aid Justice Center offices are currently closed to walk-in visitors. If you need assistance please contact us via phone or email. Click here for contact information.      STATEMENT FROM THE LEGAL AID JUSTICE CENTER ON PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC    In light of current…

Info & Legal Rights: RRHA REPAYMENT AGREEMENT Option During Eviction Freeze until May 1 (download PDF version here)      Eviction Freeze   The eviction freeze ends May 1, 2020 When the freeze ends, any outstanding balances owed are subject to legal proceedings by RRHA. There is no freeze on…

  We are halfway through the 2020 Virginia legislative session, and the bills that have passed through both the House and Senate have now “crossed over” to be considered in the opposite chamber. LAJC is happy to report that a majority of the legislation that we have supported is still…

The 2020 Virginia legislative session is under way and LAJC has put forth an ambitious set of priorities to advocate for this year. With the legislature looking to take on some long-standing issues that affect our communities, we are optimistic that meaningful policy change is possible and are working with our elected…

Statement on Governor Northam’s Proposed Budget Governor Northam’s K-12 budget is being announced as a major $1.3 billion investment in our public schools. The proposed budget would direct state resources to needed staffing and services in Virginia public schools, yet it falls short of what it will take to fairly…

Note: Shortly after this report was published, DOLI acknowledged that the wage-claim data it had originally provided to LAJC was incomplete: DOLI did not disclose to LAJC any information about cases where the agency had ordered an employer to pay a fine or back wages but then failed to collect…

Rally to Protect DREAMers!* On November 12th the Supreme Court will hear arguments that will determine the fate of our DACAmented immigrant community. Let’s make sure they hear from us! Join Legal Aid Justice Center, VACOLAO, and VACIR at 9am at 3rd and East Capitol Streets NE, and march to…