Community Advisory Council

In 2018, Legal Aid DC created the Community Advisory Council (CAC), comprised of former Legal Aid DC clients, with the goal of engaging members of the community to provide feedback and guidance on our work. 

Members of the CAC are thought leaders with respect to issues facing our client community. CAC members meet with Legal Aid DC quarterly to share their ideas and develop clear and effective action plans to organize and advocate for the court and government to better meet the DC community's needs.

To date, the CAC has met with the Chair of the Human Services Committee for the DC Council to discuss areas needing improvement at Economic Security Administration (ESA) service centers which have long had issues in processing vital safety-net benefits to DC residents and testified before the DC Council in Performance and Budget hearings. CAC members have also worked with Legal Aid DC to provide testimony at the DC Council on ESA services, housing, and unemployment issues.

Currently, members are continuing to work on major outreach initiatives in order to create further change in DC before the Council. 

When asked why they were inspired to join the CAC, we heard one refrain over and over again. These individuals received life-changing help from Legal Aid DC – help that they didn’t even know existed. They wanted to give back to Legal Aid DC, and they wanted to give back to their community by ensuring that others know about Legal Aid DC and know how to access those services.