Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (AVLF) is proud to announce a $200,000 grant from Truist Foundation, aimed at fortifying its mission to provide essential pro bono legal resources to low-income tenants. This vital support will provide supportive funding for AVLF’s Standing with Our Neighbors (SWON) program – which is based on the understanding that families cannot thrive without affordable housing that is safe, stable, and allows for a healthy environment; schools cannot thrive with a student body forced to live in unstable housing and deplorable conditions.
“We believe that access to stable housing is not just a basic need, but a fundamental right,” said Michael Lucas, Executive Director, AVLF. “This grant from Truist Foundation allows us to deepen our commitment to ensuring that every member of our community, regardless of income, has a safe and dignified place to call home.”
By strategically embedding attorneys and community advocates within local schools, SWON delivers timely and impactful assistance to families facing housing crises. This innovative approach not only addresses immediate legal needs but also fosters long-term stability and empowerment within under-resourced communities. This transformative grant will enable AVLF to expand the reach and efficacy of the program, fortifying its commitment to serving low-income tenants. AVLF’s collaboration with schools and community partners underscores its holistic approach to combating the root causes of housing insecurity. By focusing on the intersection of housing conditions, children’s health, and educational outcomes, AVLF aims to break the cycle of poverty and inequity that plagues many low-income neighborhoods.
“Our purpose at Truist is to inspire and build better lives and communities,” said Katie Saez, Georgia regional president for Truist. “Access to attainable, quality, affordable housing is critical to the health of neighborhoods, and we are proud to collaborate with organizations such as AVLF. It is a priority for Truist.”
About Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation
Serving Atlanta and Fulton County since 1979, AVLF is the largest provider of free legal services to two groups: low-income tenants and survivors of intimate partner abuse. Our mission is to create safe and stable homes and families by inspiring the fight for equal justice. We believe no one standing up for their rights should have to do it alone. Whatever our clients are up against, we’re here for them. At AVLF, ‘here’ means many things. It means beside them in court; at our downtown legal clinics nearly every Saturday of the year; in our two offices in the Fulton County Courthouse; in our communities’ schools; and in our clients’ homes. For more information, visit www.avlf.org.
About Truist Foundation
Truist Foundation is committed to Truist Financial Corporation’s (NYSE: TFC) purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities. The Foundation, an endowed private foundation established in 2020 whose operating budget is independent of Truist Financial Corporation, makes strategic investments in a wide variety of nonprofit organizations centered around two focus areas: building career pathways to economic mobility and strengthening small businesses to ensure all communities have an equal opportunity to thrive. Embodying these focus areas are the Foundation’s leading initiatives – the Inspire Awards and Where It Starts. Learn more at Truist.com/Foundation.