11/28/2018  Tungol Law  Immigration, organizations, Petitions, Reform "Vera Institute Expanding SAFE Network of Local Jurisdictions Supporting Universal Representation"

From the Vera Institute of Justice:

“The Vera Institute of Justice is excited to announce that we are expanding our Safety and Fairness for Everyone (SAFE) Network –  currently a diverse group of a dozen cities and counties across America dedicated to providing publicly funded universal representation for people facing deportation.

Building off of the success of the SAFE Network’s first year and the growing national momentum toward universal representation, Vera is expanding its network and invites applicants to be considered for one of three levels of membership: Member, Partner, or Affiliate. Vera will award up to five jurisdictions with Member status, which includes a catalyst grant of up to $100,000. We encourage government entities to apply to Member and Partner status and we encourage advocacy groups, legal service providers, and/or legal collaboratives to apply for Affiliate membership even if there is not currently local public funding or government involvement in their efforts.  Letters of Interest are due January 17, 2019, and there will be an informational webinar on December 14, 2018.

The SAFE Network launched in November 2017 replicating the successful  “public defender” model  pioneered by the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project. To support the local efforts of the Network, Vera provided catalyst funding and technical assistance to help design, launch, and administer these programs. Vera also partnered with local legal service providers to deliver ongoing substantive, procedural, and programmatic technical assistance to the Network and develop evidence of the impact of representation on case outcomes, families, and communities.

In its first year, the SAFE Network demonstrated that publicly funded counsel programs are an effective and common-sense approach to protecting immigrant communities from extended detention and erroneous deportation:  in year one, 38 percent of cases represented by SAFE attorneys and completed in immigration court resulted in successful outcomes, permitting SAFE clients to remain in the United States. By comparison, only approximately 3 percent of unrepresented cases nationwide are successful.

For more information about the SAFE Network and the Request for Letters of Interest, please visit our website.”

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