A Welcome From Our Executive Director and Board President
Dear Friends,
Every day at the Justice & Diversity Center (JDC), we see how life can change in a single moment.
A mother faces eviction with nowhere for her children to go. A teenager stands alone in immigration court, fighting to stay in the only country they’ve ever known. A family living on the margins is one paycheck or one legal notice away from crisis.
And too often, they are expected to navigate these moments on their own.
That’s why your support matters.
In 2024, with your partnership, JDC provided free legal help to thousands of people in San Francisco. People who would otherwise be forced to face eviction, deportation, and injustice without an advocate by their side. Together, we prevented homelessness, secured immigration protections, reunited families, and expanded pathways for young people from underserved communities to pursue college and explore careers in law.
The truth is clear. The need is growing. The risks are greater than ever.
Across California and the country, we are witnessing an erosion of legal protections for low-income and immigrant communities. Fear is rising. Rights are under attack. Too many people are facing legal systems that are overwhelming and impossible to navigate without an attorney.
That’s where JDC comes in to fill the gap, and that’s where you can play a role.
Your support fuels this work. It allows us to show up for people when they need us most, with fierce legal advocacy and unwavering commitment to equity and dignity.
As we look to the rest of 2025, we are not backing down. We are doubling down: expanding services, training more volunteers, and standing with our clients in the courtroom and beyond. Justice cannot wait.
If you believe in this work—if you believe that everyone deserves a fair chance and a legal advocate in their corner to preserve fundamental human rights—please consider making a gift today.
Your support ensures that we can continue to meet this moment with the urgency, care, and expertise it demands.
Thank you for walking with us and for standing up for justice.
With deep appreciation,
Yolanda Jackson
Executive Director and General Counsel,
BASF & JDC
Charles Jung
2025 Board President,
BASF & JDC
The Justice & Diversity Center's Programs
We reach these goals through four programs that empower and advocate for thousands of people a year in San Francisco. Meet our Program Directors below.
Homeless
Advocacy Project
Katie Danielson
Director and Managing Attorney, Homeless Advocacy Project
Immigrant Legal
Defense Program
Milli Atkinson
Director, Immigrant Legal Defense Program
Pro Bono
Legal Services
Antonia More
Director and Managing Attorney, Pro Bono Legal Services Programs
Educational
Programs
Kerry Guido
Director of Educational Programs
The Homeless Advocacy Project
The Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) provides legal and supporting social services to individuals and families who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness, focusing on the most vulnerable individuals and families in our local community. We are partners with organizations and agencies across the city to ensure everyone we connect with receives the support they need.
HAP Program Areas
The Homeless Advocacy Project is comprised of five program areas:
HAP's Eviction Defense
In partnership with the Eviction Defense Collaborative (EDC), we provide full-scope representation to clients facing eviction with a priority for disabled clients and clients with severe mental health disabilities.
We connect clients with essential social services resources and assist with eligibility requirements and applications. HAP's Social Services Component supports the legal work of HAP by addressing clients' underlying social services needs.
CARE Court was created by a new state law that allows family members, first responders and others to file petitions seeking services for persons who have schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders. In October of 2023, San Francisco became one of the first counties in the state to implement CARE Court. HAP was awarded funding by the California State Bar to represent Respondents in CARE Court.
HAP provides immigration services for immigrants experiencing or at risk of homelessness, such as applying for citizenship, visas, asylum, or adjustment of status, or renewing work permits.
We assist disabled and low-income applicants with the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) advocacy process, including initial applications and appeals. Without an attorney the chances of acceptance are low and cases can take years.
How the Homeless Advocacy Project Helped Brenda Ellis Move from Crisis to Stability
Immigrant Legal Defense Program
The Immigrant Legal Defense Program (ILDP) increases access to justice and protects the due process rights of low-income and unrepresented immigrants facing deportation.
San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative
ILDP helps build legal capacity as the legal lead of The San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative (SFILDC), a collective of 16 San Francisco organizations that provide free, high-quality, culturally competent legal services to adults, children, and families in removal proceedings. This means Northern California agencies are better coordinated and equipped to defend individuals in deportation proceedings in the San Francisco Immigration Court.
ILDP helps build legal capacity as the legal lead of The San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative (SFILDC), a collective of 16 San Francisco organizations that provide free, high-quality, culturally competent legal services to adults, children, and families in removal proceedings. This means Northern California agencies are better coordinated and equipped to defend individuals in deportation proceedings in the San Francisco Immigration Court.
Attorneys of the Day (AODs) are experienced immigration lawyers who appear at the San Francisco Immigration Court to assist unrepresented respondents in their initial deportation proceedings. The AOD Program has partnered with Salesforce, PG&E, and Canal Alliance to hold two asylum clinics in 2024. These clinics have proven critical to ensuring that asylum seekers receive adequate time to secure full scope legal representation and qualify for employment authorization – serving 39 total respondents, of whom three have secured asylum, two have obtained employment authorization, and six received AOD assistance in filing their work permit applications.
Pro Bono Legal Services
Each year, our staff and more than 2,000 volunteers assist 6,000 clients with legal consultation and representation in nearly every area of civil law.
In 2024, 550 volunteers donated 58,480 hours to support all of JDC's pro bono legal services programs. This represents about $53,099,840 in attorneys’ fees.
Pro Bono Legal Services Areas
Our staff and volunteer-based projects include:
Community Organization
Representation Project
Since 1996, the Community Organization Representation Project (CORP) has provided pro bono assistance to existing nonprofit organizations, and organizations seeking nonprofit status, that provide direct services to low-income and underserved Northern Californians. We assist these organizations, which do not have sufficient funds to pay attorneys: transactional issues of any kind, including nonprofit formation, employment law, corporate governance and structuring, commercial leases, reinstatement with IRS, risk management, intellectual property and business contract issues.
Tenant Advocacy Project
The Tenant Advocacy Project (TAP) assists low-income tenants in San Francisco to avoid eviction by negotiating with landlords, rent boards, master tenants, and property managers. 93% of tenants served by TAP remained stably housed in their current residence.
The Family Law Project (FLP) assists low-income individuals and families with family law and related probate matters including divorce, legal separation, nullity, parentage, domestic abuse, guardianship, and conservatorship cases. JDC collaborates with CROC, WOMAN Inc, and the Superior Court of San Francisco to form a continuum of trauma-informed care, from restraining order advocacy to personal safety planning to holistic legal representation.
Federal Pro Bono Project
The Federal Pro Bono Project (FPBP) provides information and advice to pro se civil litigants in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. This is done via Legal Help Centers in the San Francisco and Oakland federal courthouses. The Project also facilitates placement of civil cases with pro bono attorneys for limited or full scope representation when the court appoints counsel.
Legal Advice and Referral Clinic
Legal Advice and Referral Clinic (LARC) provides four legal clinics every month. LARC is open to the public with no bars to entry in the Mission, Civic Center, Tenderloin and Bayview neighborhoods.
Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic
Our Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) assists low-income taxpayers who have tax issues with the IRS. This includes taxpayers in controversy with the IRS, individuals who have filed a petition with the U.S. Tax Court, and individuals who need help in obtaining other relief for a tax obligation.
Our Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) assists low-income taxpayers who have tax issues with the IRS. This includes taxpayers in controversy with the IRS, individuals who have filed petitions with the U.S. Tax Court, and individuals who need help in obtaining other relief for a tax obligation.
Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) Project
The SIJ Project assists immigrant children to obtain SIJ findings in the San Francisco Superior Court. With these findings, the children then apply for SIJ Status with the help of JDC’s Immigration program, which sets them on the path to legal, permanent residency.
The SIJ Project assists immigrant children to obtain SIJ findings in the San Francisco Superior Court. With these findings, the children then apply for SIJ Status with the help of JDC’s Immigration program, which sets them on the path to legal, permanent residency.
Educational Programs
Our educational programs help students succeed and explore their interest in a career in the law. From high school to law school, our programs break down barriers, build confidence, and show that the legal profession is for everyone.
Educational Programs
Educational Programs offer opportunities to students of all ages and inclusive networks to foster belonging. Our programs include students that range from middle school all the way to law school.
Investing in Justice: Supporting the Next Generation of Legal Leaders
