My sincerest thanks to outgoing LCE Board Chair Patrice Harris, Nixon Peabody LLP, for her thoughtful leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. She is pictured here with current Board Chair Karen Ellis Carr, ArentFox Schiff, and a token of our appreciation.

LCE is in the fight to make sure the DC budget allows older adults to have a home just as it does for sports teams. One of LCE’s Managing Attorneys, Sunny Desai, testified today for the LCE team when he called upon Council of DC to remember the needs of its citizens.

LCE appreciates Department of Aging & Community Living’s support of our work on behalf of DC elders and know it understands their growing needs. Today I asked Council of DC to approve $206k for an additional Hotline Attorney and Social Worker to help us address the 400-500 calls a month to our Hotline.

Please join me and LCE Attorney Melanie E. Bates as we talk about LCE's work, our Racial Equity Initiative and much more on the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice Chair Chat tomorrow at 2 pm ET - youtube.com/watch?v=lhiwv8…

Thrilled to ‘serve up’ our thanks to LCE volunteers at our Volunteer Recognition Luncheon. Special thanks to Department of Aging & Community Living Director Charon Hines for her inspiring words to our volunteers. Our volunteers are true champions in every sense of the word!

In my testimony today I let CM’s know how devasting this cut would be for older adults. It’s predicted that in 2030, 16% of DC residents 65+ will be living in poverty. Services for them must increase, not decrease, to help promote stable housing and a stable community. DC Access to Justice Commission

LCE joins DC Access to Justice Commission in thanking Phil Mendelson and committee members for restoring Access to Justice Initiative funding to $31.6M. We hope the full Council of DC supports the budget so DC residents in need are allowed equal access to justice. DC Bar Foundation.

As LCE’s ED, I see first-hand why Tina is being honored with this prestigious award. Her dedication to her clients comes with a great deal of expertise and experience and a lot of heart.

It was my pleasure to participate as a panelist for DC Bar Foundation Avenues to Justice fundraising event. We discussed the importance of Securing Legacies in the District through estate planning and I was proud to talk about LCE's work to ensure intergenerational wealth.

For nearly six years Melanie was a dedicated attorney and advocate for LCE clients. We know she'll be a great judge. Our loss, is the Court's gain.

Thank you DC Bar Foundation for your profile of LCE attorney Bryony Coiner. We are so proud of Bry's dedication to our work and clients.

The Scoutt Prize is the most prestigious award bestowed on a legal services attorney in DC. Tina’s dedicated career to low-income clients has made an impact on so many lives. We thank the DC Bar Foundation for recognizing what we see in Tina every day.

LCE clients are already impacted by SSA’s processing delays, long phone wait times and staffing shortages at field offices. The proposed changes will make this even worse. LCE joins @aarp's strong call for SSA to improve its customer service and accountability.

Social Security is the only income for most of LCE’s clients. They earned it from their years of hard work and they rely on Social Security to cover all their living expenses. We echo AARP and Nancy LeaMond’s call to protect Social Security.

The requirement for Social Security beneficiaries to make in-person visits to SSA field offices are set to take place in 2 weeks. This creates increased burden for homebound LCE clients who have relied on accessing SSA services by phone.

Social Security is often the only source of income for our clients. As Joanne says, ‘it’s a lifeline.’ If you or someone you know is a DC resident and has questions about their public benefits, call the LCE Hotline at 202-434-2120.

Great conversation Wednesday night on heirs property issues with former AL Senator Doug Jones and LCE Managing Attorney Tina Smith Nelson at an LCE 50thAnniversary celebration event. Thank you to our friends at ArentFox Schiff for hosting.

No one chooses to go into #MedicalDebt but thousands of DC residents are bearing the burden. Read Tzedek DC's latest report, More Than a Band-Aid, to learn why medical debt happens and how DC can prevent it: bit.ly/4kB6ToI

. Council of DC – look for emails from LCE Board members asking you to prioritize ATJ Initiative funding & for Department of Aging & Community Living funding for an LCE Hotline Attorney. Funding will level the playing field for DC elders in need of legal services. Phil Mendelson DC Access to Justice Commission

So very proud of the LCE team who advocated for the wills registry, part of the same bill (B26-0053), we helped draft language for that protects homeowners from having their property deemed blighted or vacant without giving the homeowner their due process.