The Shriver Center on Poverty Law announced Tuesday it will close at the end of the year, citing financial challenges.
The downtown Chicago-based organization has for more than 50 years litigated, shaped policy and trained lawyers, activists and community leaders working on economic and racial justice.
After evaluating the Shriver Center’s financial state this year following decreases in earned and donated revenue, the organization’s board of directors determined it could not overcome multi-year structural deficit, the organization said.
“This decision — while deeply painful — is the right one to honor the legacy and mission of the Shriver Center,” the organization said in a statement. “Much of our work on economic justice, housing justice, and healthcare justice can be found at other local and national organizations, and our network and training approach also is modeled at other local and national organizations.”
The Shriver Center was initially called the National Clearinghouse for Legal Services and was renamed in 2003 after renowned anti-poverty advocate Sargent Shriver, who was married to Eunice Kennedy, former President John F. Kennedy’s sister.
In its earlier years, the center was best known for the groundbreaking Clearinghouse Review publication, which gave legal analysis for lawyers and advocates working with low-income community members.
More recently, the organization has pushed for various economic, housing and judicial system changes locally and nationally. It has called for improving workplace conditions for low-wage workers, closing Illinois juvenile detention centers and numerous affordable housing initiatives.
“We have tremendous gratitude for our dedicated staff that continued to stay focused on our mission and work during this period of uncertainty,” the organization’s statement continued. “It is because of you that this transition is not the end of the fight for those living in poverty, but rather the beginning of a new chapter.”