A California where everyone has a home
OneJustice helps legal services organizations better support those who experience homelessness throughout California.
From 2007 to 2023 California saw a 40.5% increase in the number of individuals facing homelessness. During the pandemic, California became the number one state faced with the largest increase of individuals experiencing homelessness. In 2023, 181,399 people experienced homelessness.
In 2020, California accounted for 28% of the total unsheltered population in the United States. Since the pandemic, the struggle for our friends and family who experience homelessness or housing insecurity has increased drastically.
- Approximately 12% of the total unsheltered population of the United States is in California.
- 6/10 cities in the country with the highest unsheltered populations are located in California.
- As of February 2022, 740,000 renters owed their landlords $3.5 billion in back rent.
OneJustice works to end homelessness by providing technical assistance and innovation labs to homelessness prevention legal services providers.
OneJustice has also launched a 2024 Data & Resources Workshop series connecting providers with industry experts in pro bono programs, financial sustainability, AI, and data scraping.
DATA & AI Resource Workshop Series
OneJustice’s 2024 Data & AI Resource Workshop series provides a forum for homelessness prevention nonprofits and pro bono partners to find collaborative solutions to collective problems using data driven analysis and design as well as AI automation in emerging best practices.
Series topics include:
- Data Scraping Tips and Tricks
- AI & Automation Tools
- Pro Bono Partnerships in Homelessness Prevention
- Long Term Financial Stability Planning
For additional information about the workshop series, or for more dedicated Data and AI resource technical assistance, please email us at:
ta-request@one-justice.org.
Court Watch
In 2022, OneJustice launched our Court Watch Project and trained volunteers to gather information on how Small Claims Courts administered new COVID-19 rental debt laws and procedures. Volunteers collected information on COVID-19 rental debt cases and conducted 590 court observations throughout the state.
OneJustice’s Court Watch toolkit is available for advocates who seek to launch a Court Watch project in their own communities.
Small Claims/Back Rent Toolkit
Aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, many low-income families face wage losses due to lost jobs and are unable to pay their rent. These families are forced to defend themselves in small claims court against unfair rental debt collection: often without legal representation.
Families are often unfamiliar with the complicated court systems. Families face a huge disadvantage and risk becoming unhoused with long-term debt in their futures due to these barriers.
In response to the crisis, OneJustice has created The Small Claims/Back Rent Toolkit. The Toolkit has been used by legal programs, pro bono programs, Small Claims Bench Officers, Self Help Centers, and law schools to help community members in need. Legal services organizations across the state are using the toolkit to expand their services to more families facing rental debt.
The Toolkit is free and available to anyone in the legal services community who needs it.