What a year! Justice United saw on-the-ground results this year, after taking action on each of the top priorities we collectively set in 2021: Affordable Housing, Mental Health Access, and Criminal Justice Reform.

**Check out our Annual Report here and below, and recent updates on our wins below:

We invested in our local leaders...

• 800: Cumulative attendance of members at our recent public actions!
• 50+ community leaders organized 80+ research meetings to determine specific, measurable issues where we could win local changes.
• 100 leaders trained in organizing fundamentals of Power, Relational Meetings, Core Teams, and Listening Sessions.

...To win real change! 

1) Over $1.5 million for Spanish-language mental health services.

• Update: Four Community Health Workers, supervised by El Futuro, are ready to begin providing mental health intervention to 240 clients/year in Orange County! Our member congregation St. Thomas More will be one of the host sites where community members can receive services.

2) Affordable Housing/Preventing Displacement: $500,000+ to help low-income homeowners stay in their homes!

• Update: Property tax assistance checks just went out to hundreds of residents to ensure they can continue staying in their homes. The program currently provides the most funding per household of any program in the state.
• Update: 350 units of affordable and workforce housing at St. Paul Village (led by member congregation St. Paul AME) received the zoning permit needed to move forward!
• Update: Commitments from Lumos Internet for accountability in providing internet to unserved areas in northern Orange County, as well as a meeting with executive leadership on reinvesting in the community and job opportunities. 

3) Criminal Justice Reform: Diversion options, sentence review, drivers license restoration, and data tracking for transparency in the local courts.

• Update: DA Jeff Nieman has been prioritizing diversion, including signing an MOU to allow for more widespread use of diversion programming. Currently working with the County's Criminal Justice Resource Dept. to expunge 100 records/month, including license restoration, of eligible residents who were sentenced as juveniles. 

Below: Nov. 30 update from El Futuro on the Community Health Worker program, and the Dec. 5 Lumos Internet Action at Lattisville Grove Missionary Baptist Church.