Did you know that Bread for the City’s lawyers assist people who are struggling with family law issues?

Much of Bread for the City’s legal practice focuses on housing law (defending tenants’ rights) or public benefits (helping people secure food stamps, Social Security disability benefits, etc). Our family law practice is now growing, too!

Our Family Law team provides help to low-income D.C. residents struggling with family issues like domestic violence, divorce, and child custody. This summer, Bread for the City’s legal clinic brought on our eleventh full-time staff attorney: Vanessa Batters-Thompson, who has joined us to work on our new Child Support Project.

People in DC’s child support court are in particular need of legal services. When child support is properly implemented, it can drastically improve the quality of life for the children it impacts. In addition to helping lift families out of poverty, studies show that children who receive financial support often show improvement developmentally and academically. Additionally, parents who owe child support are more likely to be involved in the child’s life when they are able to comply with the court order.  Courts, therefore, have an interest in setting child support orders at a reasonable and manageable level.

Unfortunately, our legal system often results in flawed child support orders that can make difficult situations worse. Obligations are often set too low or too high because parents’ difficulty in navigating the legal system prevents them from sharing important facts and legal arguments with the court.

In response, Bread for the City has partnered with the Legal Aid Society of DC to start the Child Support Court-Based Legal Services Project — which is where Vanessa comes in.

This new project builds off of the success of our similar Landlord Tenant Court-Based Legal Services Project. Both projects place our attorneys on site in court, where they can provide same-day representation to those facing serious legal matters.

That enables us to help more people like Mr. B.

Mr. B was in court as a result of his inability to pay child support.  While he had been reliably paying $400 a month, he was laid off from his job.  Mr. B told the child support agency that he lost his position, but he was not aware that he also needed to file a motion with the court asking for a reduction until he found another job.  In addition to unnecessarily accruing substantial arrearages, Mr. B was now facing jail time for not complying with an unmodified court order.

Vanessa was able to represent Mr. B in his hearing and get his support payment reduced to an amount he could pay until he finds a job. As a result, Mr. B made his payment on the spot.

Bread for the City is excited about expanding our family law services to help clients like Mr. B and countless others.  Through this Project, we will have more resources to increase access to justice for parents, improve the operation of the child support court and, ultimately, ensure DC’s families receive the necessary support they deserve.