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G2S Project Code: 2015-DC-74830
State: District of Columbia
Fiscal Year: 2015

Grantee
District of Columbia Public Library

Project Director
Director Name: Eric Riley
Director Phone: 202-741-5986
Director Email: eric.riley@dc.gov

General Information
Title: Legal Barriers Program
State Project Code:
Start Date: 10/01/2014
End Date: 09/30/2016
Abstract: Job training alone is often insufficient to enable a low-income individual to obtain a job; obstacles that have an underlying legal dimension often thwart the ability of job seekers to move from training to employment. Many of these problems can be alleviated with the assistance of an attorney. Through information sessions, one-on-one counseling, referral, and client intake, this program will provide assistance to directly address the often multiple and interlocking legal problems that hinder low-wage workers, job trainees and recent entrants to the workforce experience.
State Goal: Employment and Economic Development

Budget Information

LSTA

MATCH-State

MATCH-Other

Total

$40,000.00

$0.00

$40,000.00

Intent(s)
Improve users’ ability to participate in their community.
Employment
Community Concerns

Activities
Activity Details
Title: Breaking Barriers to Employment
Narrative: DCPL contracted with Neighborhood Legal Services Program to offer regularly scheduled workshops led by local pro-bono attorneys and community advocates on legal issues that could be preventing them from finding meaningful employment. Workshops were held at libraries throughout the system, and consultations happened during our Jobseekers Clinic program series. Workshops directly addressed issues such as criminal record sealing and expungement, credit reporting, criminal background checks, suspended driver’s licenses, unresolved child support, wage theft and many other issues. At the end of each training session NLSP lawyers counseled job seekers regarding their personal issues and either referred them to lawyers or opened cases where applicable.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to participate in their community.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Program
Format: In-person

Quantity
Session length (minutes): 60
Number of sessions in program: 1
Average number in attendance per session: 4
Number of times program administered: 26

Partner Information

Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No

Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No

Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: Targeted
Geographic community of the targeted group: Urban
For what age groups: 18-25 years
26-49 years
50-59 years
For what economic types: Below Poverty
Unemployed
For what ethnicity types: Ethnicity Not Applicable
Is the activity directed at families: No
Is the activity directed at intergenerational groups: No
Is the activity directed at immigrants/refugees: No
Is the activity directed at those with disabilities: No
Limited functional literacy or informational skills: No
Is the activity category not already captured: No

Locale
Is the activity state-wide: Yes
Specific Locations: No
Library Types

Public Libraries: 1
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Activity Details
Title: Breaking Barriers Clinic
Narrative: DCPL Contracted with Neighborhood Legal Services Program to offer regularly scheduled workshops led by local pro-bono attorneys and community advocates on legal issues that could be preventing them from finding meaningful employment. Workshops were held at libraries throughout the system, and consultations happened during our Jobseekers Clinic program series. Workshops directly addressed issues such as criminal record sealing and expungement, credit reporting, criminal background checks, suspended driver’s licenses, unresolved child support, wage theft and many other issues. At the end of each training session NLSP lawyers counseled job seekers regarding their personal issues and either referred them to lawyers or opened cases where applicable.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to participate in their community.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Program
Format: In-person

Quantity
Session length (minutes): 120
Number of sessions in program: 1
Average number in attendance per session: 4
Number of times program administered: 68

Partner Information

Public Libraries: 1
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important findings or outcomes from your project:
Outcome 1: Customer Consultation and Referrals Total attendance at presentations/ workshops: 207 Total one-on-one consultations in clinics: 174 Number of people referred to legal aid: 159 Number of extended representation cases taken on by NLSP: 16 Outcome 2: 16 NLSP clients referred directly from libraries. 7 record sealing cases (2 closed because investigation revealed that clients not eligible to seal, 4 remain open and pending, 1 client’s records are now sealed) 4 student loans cases (received assistance/ brief services with discharging federal student loans) 1 power of attorney case (client received assistance creating a power of attorney) 2 “Ban the Box” cases (client received brief services regarding filing complaints against DC employers who violated the “Ban the Box” law. 1 client decided not to pursue case, and other client’s case is still pending). 1 SSDI disability denial claim (client received brief services and advice) 1 credit reports/ background check case (client receiving services regarding identity theft resulting from past domestic violence). Outcome 3: Access to legal information and referrals. One of the most valuable services provided by the clinics and presentations is access to legal information. Patrons consistently gave positive feedback at the workshops and presentations regarding this access, as the workshops often became places where people could work together to understand concepts that they previously viewed as inaccessible. At presentations about credit reports, patrons learned about ways to access their reports and dispute inaccuracies. At presentations about discrimination, patrons learned about protected traits in DC, how to file complaints themselves in DC with the Office of Human Rights, and what to expect from the complaint process. At presentations about workplace rights, patrons learned aboutwhich organizations to contact should various issues arise. At presentations about background checks, patrons learned about criminal record sealing, the Fair Criminal Records Screening Act (“Ban the Box”), and what to expect from the process of utilizing these legal remedies. The most informative moments during these presentations and workshops occurred while patrons participated and helped each other to understand the material through questions and personal stories. The clinics also played the role of helping patrons to navigate the web of legal services available in DC and the DMV as a whole. Several patrons of the walk-in clinics followed up with the attorney by phone or found her at other libraries as we found the most appropriate referrals or legal information for them. While these patrons’ legal issues were outside the scope of NLSP’s practice areas, they received assistance in finding the most appropriate referrals, reconnecting with attorneys with whom they had lost touch, investigating the status of criminal cases, or accessing legal information online. Outcome 4: Criminal Records Sealing Eligibility screening and “Ban the Box” outreach Another service provided throughout the clinics was an initial screen for patrons regarding whether they were eligible to seal criminal records, based on searching public court records onsite at the clinics. The NLSP attorney conducted approximately 40 of these screens throughout the course of the year regarding eligibility to seal criminal records. Where patrons were ineligible, she gave them information about DC’s “Ban the Box” or Fair Criminal Records Screening Act. The “Ban the Box” law in DC protects job applicants from revealing criminal history information any time prior to a conditional offer of employment, and applies to most DC employers with 11 or more employees. It also requires employers to have a “legitimate business reason” for taking an adverse employment action due to a criminal record, and requires them to consider a number of factors such as the relevance of the charges to the job tasks, the length of time which has passed, and the applicant’s job history and rehabilitation following the charge(s). The NLSP attorney spoke with patrons at length about how to use this law as a tool during the job search process. This information included helping them to understand the main protections of the law and helping them to compile documents to emphasize their rehabilitation and qualifications. She found that most patrons she spoke with about the law (both at our workshops about background checks and during the clinics) had not heard of the “Ban the Box” law. Where patrons had out-of-state records which were likely eligible for sealing or expungement, she provided them with appropriate state referrals.
Please briefly describe importance of findings:
This program had a direct impact on the lives of hundreds of residents of the District. By learning about these legal issues, and working in collaboration with an attorney they were able to make strong decisions about how to improve their life, and how they can get help to make those changes.
What methods did you use to determine your findings? Check all that apply:
Interview/Focus Group
Based on outputs, outcomes and/or other results, explain any significant lessons learned from these findings for either the SLAA or others in the LIS field:
Public libraries around the country work with pro-bono attorneys to regularly address the legal needs of their customers. This program, however, focused specifically on targeting low-income and unemployed residents who had legal issues that were preventing them from finding meaningful employment. This laser-focus has allowed us and our partner to chip away at some of the deepest issues that lead to structural unemployment in our communities. Combining this program with our regularly scheduled Job Seekers clinics we were able to bring a service directly to where people needed it, and that approach has yielded excellent results.
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort:
Yes: Our partner NLSP has been awarded a two-year $400,000 grant from the Legal Services Corporation to expand the scale of the Breaking Barriers program. We intend to operate three monthly Job Seekers Legal Clinics, and increase the number of program workshops over FY17 and FY18. No LSTA funds will be allocated to this project during that time.
Do you anticipate any change in the project's scope:
No
Do you anticipate any other changes in the project:
No

Exemplary: No
Exemplary Narrative

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