Lighthouse Awarded Grant to Help Youth with Second Chance Succeed

GRANT TO HELP YOUTH WITH SECOND CHANCE SUCCEED
Partnership between Lighthouse Youth & Family Services and Children’s Law Center

CINCINNATI (March 22, 2018) – The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has awarded a grant to Lighthouse Youth & Family Services to partner with Children’s Law Center to provide civil legal services to youth returning to their families and communities following out-of-home placement. Through the Second Chance Act Juvenile Reentry Legal Services Initiative, the youth will receive civil legal services to address indirect consequences of justice system involvement. The goal is to reduce recidivism by removing barriers to securing housing, education, and employment. The initiative is funded by the DOJ’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Children’s Law Center selected Children’s Law Center Youth Reentry Staff Attorney Carrie Gilbert to coordinate this initiative with Lighthouse. Gilbert spends the majority of her time working within Lighthouse’s Hamilton County Community Juvenile Justice Reentry Services.

“This partnership with Children’s Law Center allows youth to receive streamlined reentry services, making what they need to succeed easily accessible and as a result, improving their outcomes, “said Gregory Bingham, Director of Lighthouse’s Hamilton County Community Juvenile Justice Services. ”Working together, we can support young people returning to our community in the best ways possible.”

Young people reentering their community frequently need assistance sealing or expunging their juvenile records, accessing education and stable housing, and managing court fines and fees. Ms. Gilbert assesses each young person’s legal needs and provides all necessary services, including attending all court and administrative hearings as well as school meetings, advocating for the youth, preparing motions, doing research, or contacting opposing counsel.

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About Lighthouse Youth & Family Services

Mission: advance the dignity and well-being of children, youth and families in need

Lighthouse Youth & Family Services is dedicated to providing the best services and compassionate care to children, youth and families in need. The agency is a nationally recognized innovator in services for youth and families in crisis, foster care and adoption, mothers and babies, homeless youth and young adults, and youth involved with the juvenile justice system. Lighthouse also provides opportunities for learning and achievement for all students as well as housing options for young adults learning to become self-sufficient. Lighthouse is a United Way Agency Partner and a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity. To learn more, visit www.lys.org.

 About Children’s Law Center

The Children’s Law Center (CLC), established in 1989, is a non-profit legal service center protecting the rights of children and youth to help them overcome barriers and transition into adulthood, better advocate for their needs, and successfully contribute to society. It provides individual legal advocacy to children and youth, and through public policy work, training and education, impact litigation, and juvenile defender support services, seeks to improve the systems that serve them. CLC offers services in both Kentucky and Ohio, and collaborates with other organizations within the region and nationally on a variety of topics. To learn more, visit http://www.childrenslawky.org/.