We are proud to announce that the Law Offices of the Public Defender San Bernardino County has received a 2021 National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Award for our partnership with New Hope, a program of Abundant Living Family Church in the High Desert. New Hope prevents recidivism and assists indigent clients with reentry needs, including transportation, referral to social and rehabilitative services, and navigation of terms and conditions of probation. The collaboration transforms the traditional model of referring clients to off-site support services by moving New Hope reentry case managers into the Public Defender’s physical office space within the courthouse. New Hope bridges a gap by providing services to clients that the Public Defender social workers cannot provide, including transportation and financial assistance with housing.
Our office’s holistic, client-centered programming has earned us eight NACo awards in the past 10 years. San Bernardino County agencies received a total of 60 NACo Achievement Awards this year, the second highest number of all California counties.