People who understand their rights to navigate the law can defend themselves, teach others, and serve as the pillars of a more resilient community
We help people faced with disasters solve and prevent legal challenges by providing free, accessible, and easily understandable information and services. Committed to a unified, nationwide approach, ELR addresses the intentional complexities of the legal system to empower communities in disaster-affected areas. We are the only nonprofit in the United States dedicated exclusively to disaster-related legal advocacy.
The current standard for disaster relief and emergency response is not set up to address the needs of people or their communities. The entire model is inadequate in building resilience in the face of climate change and its intensifying cycles of catastrophic natural disasters. Our legal system is also a deliberately elaborate labyrinth that purposefully excludes the common person. Just go to any disaster-stricken areas, and you will see billboards from disaster lawyers offering to help with basic essential legal needs at a premium that most cannot afford.
ELR has a different approach. Our legal specialists understand the terrain and how to navigate it. We seek to democratize our knowledge through:
Credible, collaborative, mobile-friendly legal resource for our community;
Free public legal clinics that empower the average person to fight for their rights; and
Training legal and social service providers on how to address the challenges their community faces before, during, and after a disaster.
OUR VALUES
We Unapologetically Stand For:
A holistic one-stop-shop for disaster survivors.
Equal access services for all persons.
Nonduplicative & streamlined processes.
Information that can be relied upon for clarity, accuracy, and trustworthiness.
Building unity through common struggle across barriers.
The freedom and ability to make one’s own decisions.