Explanation
Background
This ordinance authorizes the City Clerk to enter into a grant agreement with Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio (LASCO) in support of the LASCO Reentry Project.
Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio (LASCO)’s mission is to provide civil legal aid and advocacy to overcome unfairness and injustice, reduce poverty, and increase opportunity. LASCO envisions a just and fair society where all can thrive and live free of poverty.
The LASCO Reentry Team focuses their efforts on assisting justice-involved individuals overcome the barriers posed by criminal records and other contact with the criminal court system. Their work includes helping clients with sealing and expunging their criminal records, filing for Human Trafficking/Safe Harbor Expungement, obtaining Certificates of Qualification for Employment and for Housing, and reinstating their driver’s licenses. LASCO Reentry clients have gone on to become coaches, healthcare professionals, commercial drivers, peer supporters, and work in many other jobs that are vital to the success of the Columbus community. LASCO Reentry clients are also more able to obtain stable housing and to regain their driver’s license and the resulting autonomy with which that comes. LASCO assists clients through direct representation on an individual basis and through large-scale legal clinics that serve hundreds of clients per day.
The LASCO Reentry Project ensures that individuals have the legal resources and support needed to fully participate in the economy, better positioning them to secure stable employment, obtain safe and affordable housing, regain reliable transportation, and support their families. By helping clients secure protections that remove structural barriers, LASCO legal advocates help clients access opportunities that lead to securing financial independence, reduced recidivism, and stronger community engagement.
Since the organization lacks the funding necessary to operate the program on a ...
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