Free legal help and financial counseling for DC residents in debt.

The Challenge

Ninety-five percent of DC residents with low and moderate incomes received no legal support for debt-related problems, and predatory lending and debt collection lawsuits disproportionately target communities of color.

Without legal help, default judgments, impaired credit ratings, and outstanding fines and fees lead to problems that reduce future job prospects and harm long-term financial stability. In the worst cases, unfavorable debt judgments can set off a spiral of events leading to unemployment, homelessness, and prison.

Tzedek DC's Solution

Tzedek DC provides free legal assistance and financial counseling to help DC residents with the often life-altering problems that arise from debt. Their free legal support helps their clients achieve successful outcomes over 95% of the time, winning their case outright or settling on terms compatible with their cash flow, saving an average of $2,577 per full representation case (conservatively calculated).

They also offer financial education to deepen financial empowerment of all DC residents and reduce the odds of experiencing a debt crisis in the first place.

Importantly, client insights shape their work with the local DC government to remove policy barriers to financial freedom. In 2022 they helped end a DC policy blocking driver's license renewals for residents who owe money to the District, after clients raised the impact the policy had on their household financial health. And in September 2024, Tzedek DC was instrumental in erasing $42MM in medical debt for 62,000 DC residents.