DOJ Issues Letter to Courts Regarding Fines and Fees for Youth and Adults

The Justice Department on April 20, 2023 issued a Dear Colleague Letter for state and local courts and juvenile justice agencies regarding the imposition and enforcement of fines and fees for adults and youth. The letter addresses common court-imposed fines and fees practices, and cautions against those practices that may be unlawful, unfairly penalize individuals who are unable to pay or otherwise have a discriminatory effect. The department provides this letter as part of its ongoing commitment to fairness, economic justice and combating the policies that disproportionately contribute to justice system involvement for low-income communities.

The letter highlights a number of key issues regarding fines and fees, such as the importance of conducting a meaningful ability-to-pay assessment before imposing adverse consequences for failure to pay, considering alternatives to fines and fees, guarding against excessive penalties and ensuring due process protections, including the assistance of counsel when appropriate.

The letter reminds court systems and other federal financial assistance recipients of their ongoing obligations not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex and disability; to provide meaningful access to individuals with limited English proficiency; and to ensure that appropriate recordkeeping can help identify and avoid potential violations of federal nondiscrimination laws. The department will also follow up on this letter by building a best practices guide, highlighting innovative work by states and court leaders in this area.

Read More about the Letter by clicking here!

Download the Letter by clicking here!

Congressional Caucus to improve the lives of those experiencing homelessness

Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), Cori Bush (D-MO), and Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) announced the reestablishment of the Congressional Caucus on Homelessness on February 28. The caucus will provide a dedicated forum for members of Congress to work toward the common goal of ending homelessness in the U.S. Fenix Youth Project Inc. strongly supports the creation of the Congressional Caucus on Homelessness, which will play a vital role in educating legislators and their staffs, securing additional resources for key programs, and identifying policy opportunities to address the crisis of homelessness.

The Congressional Caucus on Homelessness plans to analyze the complex factors contributing to homelessness and educate members on the federal programs that are key to serving people experiencing homelessness. The caucus will continue to advocate for funding for these programs and explore policies needed to secure affordable housing and voluntary support services for the 580,00 individuals experiencing homelessness on any given night in the U.S.

“Housing is vital to a full and meaningful participation in society, but too many people in Oregon and across our country lack a safe and stable place to call home,” said Rep. Bonamici. “I am grateful for the opportunity to reestablish the Congressional Caucus on Homelessness with my colleagues Reps. Barragán, Garcia, and Bush. The caucus will help members find common ground as we pursue humane, research-backed policies to address homelessness.”

“The United States is experiencing a national homelessness crisis,” said Rep. Barragán. “In Los Angeles County alone there are over 69,000 people experiencing homelessness. Addressing this serious issue requires collaboration, education, and advocacy to improve the lives of our unhoused community members. The Caucus will help to open dialogue and facilitate important conversations about the best ways to solve this crisis.”

“The need for housing is universal, yet over 500,000 people across the country experience being unhoused,” said Rep. Bush. “This is the result of policy failures, and Congress has a moral responsibility to address the unhoused crisis. This caucus provides an important forum for leaders in Congress to cultivate ideas and encourage our fellow Members to support legislative solutions to continue to tackle the housing crisis and ultimately solve it once and for all.”

“It has always been one of my top priorities to ensure equitable opportunity for all Americans, regardless of background, financial condition, ability, or housing status,” said Rep. Garcia. “As a Member of the House Financial Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, I will dedicate my efforts to finding legislative solutions, advocating for critical funding, and keeping our nation’s most vulnerable people housed. We, as Co-Chairs, will fight for homeless individuals alongside our Caucus Members with the collective goal of eradicating this failure in our system, as we believe that housing is a human right.”

Read the press release for more information and a full list of caucus members: https://bit.ly/3JbY2cx

Why do you Care? - Message from our Founder

Fenix Youth Project empowers youth to use their voices and provides a safe space for them to ask questions. As adults, we tell youth to ask first before taking action but we never consider if we truly are ready for the question they have. Have you ever been asked, “Why do you care?” Have you ever been able to give an answer without stumbling over emotion? Did you spew the easiest and quickest response or did you digest the question and sit with your own inner child?

Young people are facing crises left and right. Youth often struggle in silence for long periods before figuring out how to tell someone about their experiences. Their experience matters. Their experience is why they choose to decline a shelter bed and rather sleep in a vehicle. Their experience is why they may respond to gestures intended to be nice, with anger. Their experience is why they ask, us adults, “Why are you tripping?” or my personal favorite, “Why do you even care?”

Do you know the answer? Why are you tripping? Why do you care? Those answers will reveal more than what you, the person answering, are bargaining for. Once you answer, your actions moving forward matter. I welcome those questions because call me a Leo, I love seeing my reflection. I want young people to hold a mirror to my face and see me being proud of what I see. I love being an example for them.

Adults get upset with young people because they tend to expose the adult’s inner child. Young people hold up a mirror and Adults don’t like what they see and now they have to make a choice to address their issues. I’m here to tell you, a lot of adults make the choice to not address their issues. They blame the young person and as all young people do, they follow in our steps whether they see it or not. Anyone under the age of 25 is impressionable because they are still mentally developing.

I ask you this question this holiday season and want you to truly sit with your inner child and be real. Why do you care? Listen to those answers. Check yourself - before you wreck someone else’s life.

Happy Holidays,

Amber Green

Founder/Executive Director