Colleen Rodriguez, CEO of Jewish Family & Community Services, accepts the Kathy Para Outstanding Pro Bono Award on behalf of the Jacksonville Eviction Diversion Program on Sept. 18 at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s 23rd Annual Robert J. Beckham Equal Justice Awards.
Rodriguez said that in the past year, 361 families have been able to remain in their homes thanks to the collaboration and that 90% of them have remained housed for at least six months after receiving one-time assistance through the program.
Watching, from left: City Council member Michael Boylan; Duval County Judge Gary Flower; Melanie Patz, president and CEO of United Way of Northeast Florida; Jody Phillips, clerk of the Duval County Circuit Court; Duval County Judge Michelle Kalil; and Rafael Mas, director of the Fair Housing Unit at JALA.