Ascend Justice

Our mission is to empower individuals and families impacted by gender-based violence or the child welfare system to achieve safety and stability through holistic legal advocacy and system reform.

We are working toward strong communities where people have the power to navigate fair systems and overcome violence.

Legal Advocacy

We currently provide the following types of legal assistance to individuals and families:

• Economic legal services for survivors of gender-based violence such as help with finances and housing
• Family defense legal services for families who have DCFS investigations or appeals
• Family law services for survivors of gender-based violence such as help with divorces, custody arrangements, visitation, and child support
• Orders of protection services for survivors of gender-based violence
• Immigration services for survivors of gender-based violence

Our services are unique and holistic, and many clients are served by a team of attorneys and other professionals who help address the range of legal needs they are facing. Many of our clients also benefit from being able to work with a client support coordinator, who can provide additional emotional support and help with logistics for individuals or families who are going through a particularly challenging time.

We do not provide the following at this time:

• Representation in juvenile court
• Divorces or custody assistance for individuals who are not survivors of gender-based violence
• Immigration legal services for individuals who are not survivors of gender-based violence

System Reform

We build coalitions and collaborate with partners to change policies and practices. In particular, we are deeply committed to reforming how survivors of gender-based violence and their families are impacted by the child welfare system.

Our team is leading a groundbreaking pilot program, in collaboration with DCFS and many other partners to place survivor advocates in child welfare investigative offices to build the capacity of investigators to respond appropriately and effectively when they are working with a survivor and their family.