NCLEJ has had several reasons to celebrate recently. The first is the public announcement at the May 28, 2019 Awards Dinner Benefit of a generous challenge grant of $100,000 from NCLEJ Board member Sara Werder and her husband Rick. An anonymous fellow Board member has stepped up with an additional $100,000. With this Werder Challenge, donations of up to $200,000 made in 2019 will be matched dollar for dollar, for a total of $400,000.

These donations are urgently needed to support the Center as it continues its work on a broad range of issues, such as preserving safety net programs and protecting low-income workers in this time of ever-increasing attacks on the poor. NCLEJ's ground-breaking litigation and advocacy have improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of low-income people, and the Werder Challenge makes it possible to continue having a positive impact on the lives of even more individuals.

Recently, NCLEJ has experienced successes in its work that exemplify what the matching grants will help support. In June, a Georgia federal court approved a landmark settlement in R.H. v. Rawlings, an action brought in 2017 under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which NCLEJ and partners brought on behalf of indigent clients with disabilities who need and are entitled to reasonable accommodations to help them navigate complicated public entitlement eligibility procedures. Low-income persons with disabilities across the nation too often face insurmountable hurdles in accessing and keeping critically needed entitlements like Food Stamps and Medicaid, despite meeting all the eligibility requirements for those programs.

The R.H. v. Rawlings settlement provides systemic changes in the way the State of Georgia public benefits agencies will meet ADA obligations. The State will be obligated to put into place new policies and procedures which will ensure timely receipt of benefits, and will be required to notify clients of their rights under the ADA and the means to pursue complaints when those rights are violated. Overall, ADA compliance will be improved, and all staff will receive training on their obligations to assist clients with disabilities. NCLEJ attorneys Marc Cohan, Travis England, and Katie Deabler worked on the case.

On June 14th NCLEJ entered into a settlement agreement in Brooks v. Roberts, a challenge to New York State’s implementation of the food stamp work requirement. Under the agreement, New York State will improve its notices and implement better procedures for determining when food stamp recipients must comply with work requirements. NCLEJ attorneys are Greg Bass and Katie Deabler.

These victories are significant, but client needs still vastly exceeds NCLEJ’s resources. In the face of such overwhelming need, the Werder Challenge offers the opportunity for NCLEJ to do the work that it does so well on behalf of even more people.

Please help us meet our Werder Challenge goal by going to www.nclej.org and clicking on the Werder Challenge button—and doubling your gift—today.