Legal Services of Northern Virginia is applying under the category Second Chance Act Juvenile Reentry Legal Services

The Fiscal Year 2017 Smart on Juvenile Justice: Enhancing Youth Access to Justice Initiative aims to further OJJDP’s mission by funding efforts to (1) develop and implement standards of policy and practice to effectively manage well-resourced, statewide juvenile indigent defense systems; (2) develop state or regional resource centers that will help state, tribal, and local juvenile defense systems enhance the quality of legal representation, leverage resources, and collect and analyze data to measure the effectiveness of juvenile defense initiatives; and, (3) support community-based nonprofit organizations that provide direct reentry services, mentoring, and reentry planning to youth in secure confinement or out-of-home placement who are transitioning, or have recently transitioned, back to their families and communities. The goal of Category Three is to fund community-based service providers to offer and deliver reentry services to youth who are reintegrating into communities following secure confinement or out-of-home placement. Ultimately, these services will help youth overcome obstacles/barriers associated with the collateral consequences of justice system involvement. Awards under Category Three will be made pursuant to Section 211 of the Second Chance Act, 42 USC 17531; Pub. L. No. 115-31, 131 Stat. 135, 204.

Legal Services of Northern Virginia (LSNV), in partnership with Opportunities, Alternatives and Resources, Inc. (OAR), will assist youth up to age 24 who were recently released from secure confinement or out-of-home placement for offenses committed when they were 18 years old or younger. The partners will provide coordinated reentry services that will enhance participants’ opportunities to pursue education, find employment, and secure affordable housing. Through this program, LSNV will help up to 150 youth in a variety of matters, including expungement and sealing of criminal records, removing barriers to housing and employment, access to education placements and services, restoring driver’s licenses, obtaining Medicaid health benefits, enforcing consumer protections, and seeking resolution of child custody and other family law matters. OAR will provide supportive services for up to 50 reentering youth. OAR’s specific services will include case management, mentoring, employment readiness classes, skills development, and accessing mental health and substance abuse services. CA/NCF