With the ongoing suffering, loss, and hardship families across the nation experienced in 2021, we are lucky to share that as a partner to the Philadelphia Nursing-Legal Partnership (NLP), in collaboration with the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium (NNCC), we were able to continue our mission of improving the health and wellness of mothers, children, and families in Philadelphia. The NLP serves families participating in two evidence-based maternal and child health programs, Philadelphia Nurse-Family Partnership and Mabel Morris Family Home Visit Programs.

Between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021, the NLP resolved 449 legal matters for 224 unique clients. A total of 289 consultations and 160 cases were addressed across a range of legal issues. The most common types of legal issues addressed by the NLP team included income and insurance matters (45%) and housing and utilities matters (29%). The NLP team’s collaborative advocacy efforts resulted in significant outcomes for families, including:

• At least 20 participants accessed unemployment benefits. The total amount of unemployment benefits obtained was $231,942.
• At least 15 families were connected to the NNCC Family Emergency Fund through the NLP providing $14,021 in rapid response grants to prevent crises.
• At least 8 families successfully obtained or retained Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The annual SNAP benefit ranged from $4,154 to $5,508 for families.
• Prevented or delayed evictions for at least 8 families.
• At least 6 families received rental assistance in amounts ranging from $3,637 to $8,000. A total of $36,266 in rental assistance was obtained for families.
• One participant had $12,000 of student loan debt forgiven by their institution due to NLP advocacy efforts.
• One participant obtained short term disability benefits in the amount of $4,000.

We are excited to continue our NLP work throughout 2022 helping families in Philadelphia overcome challenges to support safe environments and good health.