Get Help/Ayuda

Because of staffing capacity, our intake line will be closed from 2pm on Friday, May 22^nd to 9am on Monday, June 15^th. We will not be answering calls or responding to online intake forms. You will not be able to leave voicemails or fill out an online form until June 15^th.

If you have a housing conditions emergency prior to that, you can reach out to:

Call 311 for City Services
The Department of Buildings (DOB) at 202-671-3500 or DC Department of Buildings.
- Don’t have air conditioning? DC renters have a right to AC if their landlord provides it in the lease. AC should cool to below 78 degrees or at least 15 degrees cooler than the outside temperature (whichever is cooler). You can contact the OAG Consumer Mediation hotline or the Department of Buildings for assistance.
For other tips on what to do, see: How to Get Help for Emergency Housing Issues from the Court

If you have an emergency related to your child’s school, you can reach out to:

Advocates for Justice in Education at 202-678-8060 or Home – Advocates for Justice and Education
The Office of Student Advocate 202-741-4692 or student.advocate@dc.gov or | studentadvocate.dc.gov.

Do you need legal help? Children’s Law Center provides free legal services to low-income parents and caregivers in the following areas:

Access to healthcare issues for children
Adult guardianship
Child disability-related issues such as SSI applications and SSI appeals
Education and special education
Housing conditions

Powers of attorney and assisted decision-making
Third-party caregiver cases (non-parents, such as a grandparent or other caregiver, seeking custody, guardianship, or adoption of a child(ren)). * Please note that intakes for third-party caregiver cases are currently paused.

Children’s Law Center cannot help with:

Criminal Cases
Custody cases between two parents

Child Support

We only provide attorneys and legal representation for cases in DC. We do not provide attorneys for cases in Maryland or Virginia, but you may still fill out the form or call us as we may be able to provide referrals in those states for certain legal areas.

How to contact us:

Children’s Law Center accepts referrals from our medical and legal organization partners, or you can request help by:

Filling out the form below.
Calling 202-467-4900 x502 on Monday or Thursday from 9am-5pm only, which is when our voicemail box is open.

We will respond to form submissions and voicemails within 5 business days. We cannot provide exact timing for how long it will take for us to make a decision on accepting your case as it will depend on your case needs. We will discuss this more with you during our intake process.

We do not accept walk-in intakes. Please fill out the form or leave a voicemail to request assistance.

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