An Update from Justice At Last
Dear Friends of Justice At Last,
Now that the Bay Area shelter in place orders have been with us for seven weeks - and the order has been extended for at least another three, we wanted to check-in again and share how our work at Justice At Last has been evolving in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
New Challenges
Justice At Last clients are being hard hit by Covid-19 and the shelter in place orders. Many of our clients have lost their jobs, have emergency essential needs for food and clothing, and are having trouble retaining safe residences because of challenges with securing rental deposits.
For those clients still able to work, they are being required to provide their own personal protective equipment (PPE) including masks and gloves. These expenses come out of their limited wages.
Additionally, many survivors’ crime victims’ rights were ignored with the implementation of the California Judicial Council’s Emergency Order Bail Schedule in response to the pandemic. This Order meant that bail was set to $0 for some offenses, including human trafficking. As some jailed defendants who were awaiting trial were released on supervised parole, many of our clients were not notified until after their perpetrators had been released to home confinement, causing them significant distress and fear.
Meeting Clients' Needs
We're continuing to be creative in our approach to serving our clients during this difficult time. We are finding new ways to offer much needed support. To date, this has included working closely with our clients on the phone to continue providing holistic wrap-around services including assisting clients in accessing unemployment benefits, disability insurance, renter protections, wage theft and victim compensation; appearing in court by video conference to enforce clients’ crime victims’ rights; providing food and gas gift cards; and securing PPE for our clients who are working with at-risk populations and are required to provide their own health and safety equipment.
We're truly embracing the maxim that necessity is the mother of invention - our drive to continue meeting clients' needs has led us to build some wonderful new partnerships and find support in new ways. The following have allowed us to respond quickly to emerging client needs in these last few weeks -
Dignity Health Sequoia Hospital heard our request for PPE for clients and acted quickly on their behalf. Last week, their amazing staff in Redwood City provided us with a donation of hospital masks, cloth masks, rubber gloves, and hand sanitizer, which we packaged together with gift cards and sent to clients in need.
Thanks to Emergency Covid-19 grant monies, made possible in part by Silicon Valley Community Foundation and community members who contributed to their emergency fund and from the Community Foundation of San Carlos, we were able to send clients gift cards to help with basic needs.
We are incredibly grateful to our partners and everyone who made all of this support for our clients possible.
One of our clients who received a care package from us shared, "The gift cards are so needed, I am so happy I am tearing up. I am telling everyone how proud I am be connected to Justice At Last.”
How You Can Help
The support we've seen from our community has been tremendous. But, sadly, it's only the beginning of what is needed to continue our work for clients through this pandemic and beyond. If you are in a position to help today, here are some ways to give that will have a direct impact on the lives of Justice At Last clients -
Share this email on Facebook to raise awareness of our work
Tweet this email and encourage others to support
Forward this email to a friend who might want to learn more
If you may be in a position to help later this month, and want to have your gift DOUBLED, mark your calendar for our May 20 crowdfunding day.
This is an unprecedented time in all of our lives, and we understand that Covid-19 is affecting every single member of our community in myriad ways. Please know how much we value every single member of our community, and are grateful for any way you are able to support our clients at this time.
We hope that you and your loved ones are staying safe and well.
With warmest regards,
Rose Mukhar, Executive Director,
Andy Lincoln, Board Chair, &
The Board of Directors of Justice At Last