“Aside from the honor, I’d rather not have been on the list.” -Lee Hays, folksinger and advocate for peace, equality and racial justice, on being blacklisted during the 1950s McCarthy-era Red Scare
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget recently requested information from federal agencies about 49 nonprofits across the country. (See: Organizations | Federal News Network)
We have learned that Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. (CLASI) is one of six legal aid organizations included on the list. The listed organizations engage in a range of advocacy work in areas including civil rights, voting rights, equity, and supporting immigrants, refugees, and the LGBTQ+ community. We now understand that there is one thing all of the legal aid organizations have in common—we receive funding from the Office of Violence Against Women to support survivors of domestic violence.
The Office of Violence Against Women has notified CLASI that it will be conducting a financial audit of our domestic violence program later this month. Possible further consequences could include False Claims Act investigations, rescission of 501(c)(3) status, loss of eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness for employees, federal grant terminations or stop-work orders, or subpoenas or warrants seeking client information.
More than 20 percent of CLASI’s funding comes from federal sources. While right now, it seems the funding that is most at risk supports core representation for survivors of domestic violence, there are other particularly vulnerable clients who could be affected by significant changes in federal funding, including:
- immigrants through Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding;
- victims of housing discrimination through Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding; and
- people with disabilities through a variety of grants.
CCJ support is especially crucial in moments like this, when one of our agencies faces significant funding threats simply because it represents low-income and vulnerable clients.
Daniel G. Atkins, Esq.
Executive Director
Community Legal Aid Society, Inc.
