Because the quality of justice in America should not depend on how much money a person has, National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) leads public defenders, community advocates, and civil attorneys to advance justice and expand opportunity for all by promoting excellent delivery of legal services for people who cannot afford counsel. NLADA’s AmeriCorps VISTA program, Defending Communities in Service, builds sustainable community relationships, data systems, and practices that allow public defender offices to more holistically support communities in need. AmeriCorps members build capacity within their host organizations focused on two separate tracks of service; community partnerships or data systems.
In the community partnerships track, members serve as the driving force connecting the hosting public defender office to other justice system stakeholders, community organizations and service providers, strategic leaders, and to other relevant local National Service operations. These connections help public defenders to more effectively provide wraparound services to their clients, become more client-centered, address racial equity, and more clearly understand and communicate the overall local services landscape upon which their clients rely.
Within the data systems track, members explore opportunities to utilize technology and automation to create communication and data-sharing channels between public defenders and human services organizations designed to last beyond the period of their projects, with minimal maintenance required. All projects taken on by AmeriCorps members, from police misconduct databases to client support funds to analysis on the effectiveness of social workers, are developed with a racial equity lens and with input from community and clients. Apply today to be part of expanding access to justice for all!
To learn more about NLADA's AmeriCorps VISTA program, please contact Warsame Warsame at [email protected]
