2024-10-07T01:27:20-07:00 2023-12-31 990 2023-01-01 273006526 LEGAL COUNSEL FOR YOUTH AND CHILDREN LEGA 2064940323 PO Box 28629 Seattle WA 98118 Rhea Yo Executive Director 2064940323 2024-10-06 1 2023 2024-10-15 13:58:12Z Rhea Yo PO Box 28629 Seattle WA 98118 4209293 0 X www.lcycwa.org X 2010 WA Legal Counsel for Youth and Children (LCYC) protects the interests and safety of youth in Washington by advancing their legal rights. We accomplish our mission through direct representation, strong community partnerships, and systemic advocacy. 9 9 27 113 0 0 3154811 3573254 550675 550984 3101 85055 0 0 3708587 4209293 39639 154974 0 0 1768714 2036723 0 0 131140 281167 281131 2089520 2472828 1619067 1736465 3267719 5004184 0 0 3267719 5004184 Legal Counsel for Youth and Children (LCYC) protects the interests and safety of youth in Washington by advancing their legal rights. We accomplish our mission through direct legal representation, strong community partnerships, and systemic advocacy. Our focus areas include: child welfare, juvenile court, immigrant youth and families, and youth homelessness. In 2023, LCYC served roughly 860 young people across 17 counties. The majority of youth served by LCYC are between 12 - 24 years in age. Due to historic exclusion and other forms of oppression, youth of color and LGBTQIA+ youth are overrepresented in the systems we work across and among the youth we serve. LCYC empowers youth by helping them understand and engage in complex legal systems, influencing court decisions that will impact their lives and their families forever. LCYC also engages in systemic advocacy, which is informed by our direct representation, community partners, and youth. 0 0 409483 0 405837 CHILD WELFARE:LCYC has supported youth with child welfare matters since our founding in 2010. LCYC's low caseloads, and youth centered service model positively affects the lives of the children we serve. LCYC provides proactive advocacy around issues like placement, family visitation, permanency planning, education, medical and mental health services. LCYC provides proactive advocacy, engaging with children, caregivers, schools, family, services providers, and other community supports. We strive not only to meet the immediate basic needs and rights of the child, but we look towards the future. We follow the child's stated goals, build support around these goals, and help our youth clients to realize long-term stability, positive connections, and school success. In addition to low caseloads, LCYC's model is grounded in a strong community of practice. LCYC is raising awareness of children's legal rights and the role of counsel in protecting and advocating for young people. Our unique position in this positive movement forward is through the example we set in our advocacy, the trainings we help plan and provide for children's attorneys around the state, and the data we collect and share regarding legal services and results. 1209339 123327 2213481 YOUTH HOMELESSNESS PROGRAM:LCYC's Youth Homelessness Program (YHP) provides free legal services to youth who are at risk of or are currently experiencing homelessness, helping them to maintain and/or secure stable housing. This program serves people 12-24 years old and experiencing or at risk of homelessness in communities across Washington State. Services provided may include legal advice, mediation or negotiation, and in-court advocacy. We are able to assist with a number of civil legal issues including, but not limited to: child protective services, emancipation, gender marker and name changes, identity theft, landlord/tenant issues, public benefits, consumer and medical debt, family law, warrants, immigration, and orders of protection. An independent evaluation conducted by MEMconsultants LLC found that "LCYC's legal advocacy had an immediate, positive impact on clients...65% clients reported safe and stable housing after working with an LCYC attorney, compared to 39% at intake. LCYC advocacy improved housing stability for 70% of minors served." LCYC works with community partners to provide multidisciplinary support to minors through a model called the Youth Engagement Team, which provides holistic support through legal services, housing navigation, and behavioral health services. 124621 0 164634 JUVENILE COURT. LCYC provides holistic legal advocacy to youth in King County with juvenile court matters, ranging from misdemeanors to felonies, as assigned by the King County Department of Public Defense. We also represent youth in other juvenile court matters including At Risk Youth (ARY) and Child In Need of Services (CHINS). LCYC advises and addresses the specific charges against the youth, while also offering advocacy around issues such as homelessness, special education, school discipline, access to benefits, and safety at home. In addition, LCYC is one of several legal service entities that provides on-call legal advice to youth who are placed under arrest, before they waive their right to silence. This service, Youth Access to Counsel, is offered through the Washington State Office of Public Defense. 168566 0 279619 SYSTEMIC ADVOCACY:LCYC's direct services in communities across Washington state informs our systemic advocacy and allows us to identify gaps in policies, practices, and procedures at the statewide level. LCYC is uniquely situated to provide input on system-wide issues impacting young people because of our exclusive focus on children, youth, & young adults' rights & legal interests across multiple systems. LCYC adds our unique legal services lens to advocacy efforts through the following tools: * Coalition work: partnering with community-based organizations-including those whose advocacy is driven by youth advocates with lived expertise-to identify systemic issues impacting young people *State and local legislative advocacy: reviewing bill language & providing technical assistance on draft bills, sending letters & emails to bill sponsors & committee members, testifying in public hearings, drafting & signing-on to advocacy letters, & engaging in legislative implementation work, and *Administrative advocacy: hold public agencies accountable for implementation rooted in best-practices and ensure policies & practices appropriately meet the needs of young people. LCYC prioritizes issues that are directly connected to the experiences of young people represented by LCYC through our legal service focus areas, focused on diversifying the legal services professional community working with young people, have been raised or confirmed by young people and/or external partners who support young people, and/or elevated by pairs of internal teams of experts who have a range of relevant professional & personal experiences, including people of color & LGBTQIA+ people. 167056 7847 171631 YOUTH AND FAMILY IMMIGRATION:In late 2016, LCYC developed a safety plan for parents who are at risk of being picked up or deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Safety Plan is a set of documents and steps for parents to complete, so that if they are picked up by ICE there is a plan in place for their child. The Safety Plan is intended to reduce the inevitable trauma of separation by providing children with as much stability as possible and avoiding unnecessary involvement in the child welfare system or prolonged separation from their parents. This plan is regularly updated. In addition to the Safety Plan, LCYC provides direct legal services to immigrant youth. The majority of immigrant youth receiving services from LCYC qualify for a unique form of immigration relief called, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). Youth up to 21 years may be eligible for SIJS if a state court determines that the youth was abused, neglected, or abandoned by their parent(s) and that it is unsafe for the youth to return to their country of origin. LCYC partners with Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) to support youth seeking SIJS. Youth seeking SIJS need help navigating two different legal systems. First, the youth needs an attorney to go to state court for an SIJS eligibility order. Second, the youth needs an attorney to help them apply to the federal government for SIJS. LCYC has expertise in state court to handle the first step. NWIRP and other legal aid providers have expertise in navigating the second step. LCYC also provides direct legal representation to youth whose parents have been placed into custody by ICE. 50155 0 12945 PRO BONO. LCYC's Pro Bono Program expands LCYC's capacity to serve young people and advance our mission with the support of volunteer attorneys and community members. Volunteers primarily assist with LCYC's immigrant youth and youth homelessness programs. Volunteer attorneys provide pro bono legal representation and legal expertise. Other volunteer opportunities for non-attorneys include research, language interpretation/translation, creation of legal literacy materials, and development of content for LCYC's blog and social media. Through Pro Bono, LCYC can increase the number of youth served, extend the organization's geographic reach, and strengthen our programs. 385777 7847 464195 2129220 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 1 27 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 X Stephanie Monroney 2065492200 PO Box 28629 Seattle WA 98118 Emily Meltzer Director of Development and Communications 40.00 0 X X 106011 0 7314 Erin Lovell Executive Director, LCYC President and Treasurer 40 0 X X X 110113 0 1069 Alexandra Narvaez Youth Access to Counsel Lead Attorney 40.00 0 X 102903 0 1136 Rhea Yo Director Legal Services, Youth Homelessness 40.00 0 X 101261 0 1081 Michelle Bagshaw Board Chair 2 0 X 0 0 0 Brandi McNeil Board Chair 1.5 0 X 0 0 0 Josh Walker Board Vice Chair 1 0 X 0 0 0 Manja Sachet Board Member, LCYC Vice President and Secretary 2 0 X X 0 0 0 Rojine Rudio LCYC Vice President and Secretary 1 0 X X 0 0 0 Zhi Li Board Treasurer 1 0 X 0 0 0 Lily Clifton Board Member 2 0 X 0 0 0 Catherine Gerlach Board Member 1 0 X 0 0 0 Libby Teerink Board Member 0.5 0 X 0 0 0 420288 0 10600 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 53016 0 1184059 2336179 0 3573254 Legal Services 541100 550984 550984 0 0 0 0 0 0 550984 85055 85055 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 53016 0 4209293 636039 0 0 0 0 154974 154974 0 0 420307 252448 86926 80933 1344407 1277568 54162 12677 13832 12065 1043 724 103782 94643 2274 6865 154395 134243 12137 8015 1305 1305 0 0 29398 0 29398 0 0 68819 61193 5676 1950 31172 10042 5263 15867 31788 26352 4236 1200 44883 35229 7446 2208 28664 27843 680 141 15545 14871 434 240 17286 15828 1138 320 Taxes & Licenses 359 0 359 0 Membership Dues 11912 10616 1296 0 2472828 2129220 212468 131140 2466066 3168852 801653 1835332 3267719 5004184 0 0 X 1920491 2601410 1347228 2402774 3267719 5004184 3267719 5004184 1736465 0 0 0 0 0 X 1 0 1 0 X 790314 1293142 1725426 3154811 3573254 10536947 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 790314 1293142 1725426 3154811 3573254 10536947 5498850 5038097 0 0 391 3101 85055 88547 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10625494 0.47415 0.45281 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED Fall Fundraiser 53016 0 53016 0 0 2040 8193 0 5318 0 0 53016 0 53016 0 0 2040 8193 0 5318 15551 37465 1 Housing Justice Collective 6417 Penn Ave S Ste 7-1006 Minneapolis MN 554231196 872123061 23800 The purpose of this grant is provide systemic advocacy work in advancing minors' access to housing in Washington. 0 1 Basic Needs (Food, Safety, Phone, etc.) 32 77908 0 Fines, Legal Filing Fees, Licenses 29 43126 0 Transportation 15 8413 0 Medical Help 1 1727 0 Schedule I, Part I, Line 2 Staff must review and follow the written Flexible Financial Assistance Policy created for the program team in accordance with the grant rules for financial assistance. The policy includes eligibility requirements, approved purchases, and the process for documenting the purchases. After reviewing the policy, staff send a request for financial assistance for a particular grantee to the Director of Legal Services for approval and payment with the organization's credit card. The Director ensures the funds are used for approved purchases according to each grant's requirements. After the purchase, the staff is responsible for submitting the receipt to the accountant with information on the grantee, the type of grant funds, and the purpose of the purchase. The accountant ensures each purchase recorded in Quickbooks has a corresponding receipt allocated to the correct grant. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 11b LCYC contracted a third-party professional to conduct a financial review, as to our 2023 finances, before we completed the 990 form. LCYC's independently contracted bookkeeper worked on the initial draft of the 990 financials based on the completed financial review. LCYC's Director of Finance and Director of Development & Communications worked on the narrative portions and various questions on the 990. LCYC's Board Finance Committee then reviewed the 990 draft, with the opportunity to ask questions and make edits before it was presented to the full board. The full board then reviewed the 990 draft, again with an opportunity to ask questions and make edits before it is voted on. If the board votes to approve the 990, it is then filed by the Executive Director. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 12c Directors are required to review our conflict of interest policy annually and sign off confirming that no conflict exists. If a question arises during the year regarding director or key employees as to their relationship or connections with others and our organization, LCYC's Executive Director and Board Chair engage in an initial dialogue regarding any concerning situations. If there is an identified potential conflict the issue is then discussed with the individual in question and addressed with the full board. In the first quarter of the year, LCYC's Director of Development and Communications made sure all board members completed and signed off on the conflict of interest forms. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 15 In 2022, with input from staff, LCYC established a salary scale that corresponds with years of experience. Each role has a base salary, with a set salary scale for each year of experience from zero years of experience up to ten years of experience. Spanish speakers are eligible for an additional $3,000 annually, beyond their set salary. LCYC's salary scale was discussed with and approved by the Board of Directors. LCYC has reviewed the salaries and benefits provided to attorneys and other staff in relation to other nonprofits and public defense in the area. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19 LCYC's governing documents and financial statements were available to the public upon request. Appropriate extension form was filed for November 15th deadline. Could not meet May 15th deadline as the annual CPA Review and financial statement preparation was incomplete at May 15th.