2024 Annual Report
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Improving the Lives of More DC Children & Families
Our work in 2024 built upon nearly three decades of experience. With the longstanding support of thousands of donors, thought partners and visionary leaders, we met the changing needs of more than 5,000 children and families. We expanded our reach through new partnerships, increased our impact through innovative legal approaches and continued to make a difference, child by child and family by family.
The following 2024 highlights provide a snapshot on how we’re building a world in which all children have a strong foundation of family, health and education.
- Our appeal of a shelter care decision led to the first published opinion from the DC Court of Appeals explicitly stating that the judge must consider the harm of removing a child from their family when making a placement decision. The opinion also clarifies the need for sufficient evidence, reducing the likelihood that the implicit biases and assumptions of lawyers and judges will impact the decision-making process.
- Through new, innovative partnerships with community-based organizations and government agencies, we expanded our legal supports to reach expectant and new parents to ensure they can provide their child with a strong start and to reach parents who may be at risk of losing their child to foster care due to the burdens of poverty. Learn More about Families Together.
- Stable housing is an essential building block for children’s health and educational success. When the District announced it would end short-term rental assistance for 800 families, we successfully advocated for long-term vouchers to prevent the 2,000 children in these families from becoming homeless. When the government moved forward without screening families to determine their eligibility for the vouchers, we filed a class action lawsuit.
[When they said I was losing my housing funding], it made me feel like ‘oh my gosh, my world is about to spiral out of control.’ I know what being homeless feels like, I don’t want [my son] to have to go through that.
Ms. Gregory, in DC News Now
- As part of the Healthy, Green and Affordable Housing Program with the National Housing Trust, we secured $20 million to pay for remediation of housing conditions, impacting more than 700 District families. Through these investments, we aim to improve living conditions and mitigate asthma and other respiratory health issues among children.
- We filed a class action lawsuit against the District for failing to provide safe and reliable transportation to school for nearly 4,000 students with disabilities — denying them equal access to education. Buses regularly arrived late — or not at all — and students missed days of school. The case is ongoing but has already led the District to invest an additional $10 million to address the problem.
- As the District explored different ways to address truancy and chronic absenteeism, we successfully advocated against policies that would have entangled families in the abuse and neglect system. We believe that invasive investigations unnecessarily traumatize families without resolving the problems that prevent children from regularly attending school.
Responding to Emerging Client Needs
The children and families we work with know that we’re in it for the long haul – and often reach back out to us when they face new or emerging issues.
We helped Tala find stability during a difficult time. She reached back out to her Children’s Law Center lawyer a few years later when she was in college and had trouble with financial aid. We stepped in to support her with an appeal and ensure she secured the aid she needed to continue attending college.
Not all heroes wear capes – but suits! Being denied financial aid was a huge hurdle – it was so complicated to manage on my own. My Children’s Law Center lawyer is my hero. Having his help was like a whole window opening. I wouldn’t have been able to afford my tuition without that help.”
Tala Read More
Our Impact
In 2024, our more than 100 staff — together with DC children and families, community partners and pro bono attorneys — made a difference for 5,265 children and families through individual assistance.
Since 1996, we have reached more than 50,000 children and families directly. Our individual representation drives our city-wide advocacy and innovative partnerships—changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of children.
About Us
Together with DC children and families, Children’s Law Center uses the law to solve children’s urgent problems today, improve the systems that will affect their lives tomorrow and strengthen our community so that change endures.
Thank you!
Because of partners like you, we’re able to adapt to the shifting needs of DC children.
Thank you to the 3,500+ law firms, corporations, foundations and individual donors for making our work possible.
Thousands of individuals, law firms, corporations and institutional donors contributed to Children’s Law Center in 2024. View our financials here:
Meet our 2024 Champions for Children Winners
Through our Champions for Children Campaign, law firms and corporations challenge themselves, their corporate contacts, associates, partners, vendors and staff to raise critical funds for Children’s Law Center. These generous contributions strengthen families and ensure positive health and education outcomes for DC children.
Thank You to Our Boards
Our Boards provide strategic and financial support to ensure we remain an anchor institution for children and families in the District for years to come.