IMPACT: Safe and Sound

Impact

It is no secret that violence in the streets is one of Philadelphia’s most pervasive problems. Often unseen, however, is the rampant violence hidden within Philadelphia’s homes, despite its widespread, cross-cultural, and cross-generational presence.[1]Even more unrealized are the collateral effects of sexual and domestic abuse; victims suffer not only the physical[2] and emotional consequences of abuse[3], but also  the legal issues that arise, such as denial of housing, or eviction based on past incidents of violence. Although more than 100,000 domestic violence reports are filed to the Philadelphia Police Department annually, the city has just two shelters designated for victims of domestic violence, with only 200 beds. Housing discrimination, coupled with a crippling lack of resources for victims of domestic and sexual violence, often leaves the abused with nowhere to turn but the streets.

IMPACT: Capreece Lackey

Impact

Capreece Lackey finally got her pardon in June 2013 and her record has been expunged to a clean one, giving her a fresh start. She is looking forward to beginning her healthcare career.Below is Capreece’s story, reprinted from our FY2012 Annual Report:Capreece Lackey is striving for a career where she can help people and provide for her family in a meaningful way. Clean and sober for 13 years, Ms. Lackey has a goal of becoming a Certified Nurse’s Assistant someday.

IMPACT: Protecting Restaurant Workers

Impact

CLS’ Employment Unit has represented hundreds of restaurant workers over the years, recovering stolen wages and enforcing labor laws. The vast majority of our clients facing exploitation in the restaurant business have been undocumented immigrant workers, although our clients fit many other demographic profiles.Wage theft is a common practice by employers looking to cut costs in this low regulation, low union density industry.  We have helped clients with a wide variety of issues, including people who were not paid their last few paychecks, were denied overtime despite working more than 40 hours in a week, had their tips stolen by their employers, had improper deductions from their paychecks, had to pay for dine-and-dash customers, suffered discrimination, and were injured on the job but not given proper medical attention.

IMPACT: Fighting Youth Homelessness

Impact

Like far too many youth aging out of foster care, Ryan was homeless.He was working hard to find a job when he learned he had a bench warrant for a retail theft citation issued to him when he was just 12 years old. He never received the notice for court because his family was homeless at the time. This bench warrant was standing in the way of Ryan getting a job and an education.