About Us

Center for Civil Justice will work to advance racial justice by combating structural and institutional racism and advocating for access to resources and opportunities in society so that ALL individuals and communities can live a full and dignified life. 

Center for Civil Justice seeks to help people meet basic needs, secure dignity, and seize opportunity in the face of poverty, prejudice and other barriers.  CCJ does this by improving public policy and increasing access to governmental programs and services through the strategic use of systemic litigation strategies.

By providing legal and technical assistance to low-income people and their allies, CCJ ensures that Michigan’s low-income population has greater access to basic needs and services, particularly related to healthcare, housing, food and nutrition, and monetary support in order to improve economic stability and self-sufficiency.

CCJ collaborates with low-income people and advocates to identify and address significant emerging issues through systemic advocacy strategies.

CCJ is a non-profit organization that uses its expertise on laws and policies affecting low-income people in order to act as a voice for those individuals and enable them to receive assistance through social safety net programs. Through legal action, legislative and policy advocacy, educational initiatives, and collaborative strategies, CCJ achieves systemic changes that improve the lives of thousands of low-income individuals and families. We also provide legal and technical assistance to advocates and organizations statewide on a variety of policy issues, especially those related to housing, healthcare, food and nutrition and economic self-sufficiency.

We address statewide legal and policy issues.

• HEALTHCARE ELIGIBILITY LAW PROJECT:  CCJ’s Healthcare Eligibility Law Project (HELP) provides low-income people access to governmental health insurance programs and monitors and corrects errors in eligibility calculations, policies, and practices.

• HEALTHCARE:  CCJ works with advocates to ensure state compliance with state and federal healthcare laws. CCJ is a member of the Medical Care Advisory Council, which advises the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on policy issues related to Medicaid. Where necessary, CCJ litigates to ensure compliance with laws pertaining to state and federal health programs.

• HUNGER AND NUTRITION: CCJ monitors changing state laws, policies, computer systems, and practices related to hunger and welfare-to-work programs. We share our findings and concerns with state officials and the human services community. We use informal advocacy, and when necessary, litigation to ensure that state and local agencies follow the law in administering safety net programs.

• HOUSING & UTILITIES: CCJ monitors laws and policies concerning subsidized housing and utilities, and advocates on behalf of people facing issues such as predatory lending, housing-related frauds, and foreclosure.

• EDUCATION & DISABILITY: CCJ monitors federal and state laws and policies to ensure that schools as well as state and local agencies follow the law to provide appropriate accommodations in their programs.

• LANGUAGE ACCESS:  CCJ advocates to ensure that language is not a barrier in access to social safety net programs, healthcare, and other social services.

• TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: CCJ provides training and technical assistance to legal services, anti-hunger and health advocates, human services, and faith-based organizations so that they can ensure their clients know about and receive the critical safety net services for which they are eligible. Advocates can contact CCJ by phone to ask questions about recurring or significant problems they see in their low-income client community. CCJ does not provide direct legal representation for clients.