The Center for Community Justice
Regular Office Hours:
Monday-Friday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
We are closed for lunch: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
We follow the federal holiday schedule and will be closed accordingly
We will close at 3:00 pm on Fridays during the summer months of July and August
Phone
Phone 518-346-1281
Fax
Fax 518-346-1311
We're proud to work for our community. Our programs, based on restorative justice principles, include Reentry services, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Restitution, Community Accountability Boards, and Community Service.
Peaceful resolutions
Accountability and justice
Community-based solutions
Over the last five decades, our services and our volunteers have helped tens of thousands of people get through difficult times. Without these services, local courts would be overloaded with minor cases, and many people would have suffered needlessly because there is no one else to turn to for the services they need.
Our programs don’t work without volunteers. Find out what you can do to help people in need.
The CCJ Story
Providing access to low-cost legal services since 1973
Free/subsidized services ensure our programs are accessible
We're in the courts for the common good
Volunteer driven
Founded in 1973 by community members, seeking to provide legal services for low income people in Schenectady County, The Center for Community Justice has never lost sight of that core mission to help the needy in our community. The people who use our services usually have no other alternative, or can’t afford the cost of the options available. We’re dedicated to providing free or highly subsidized services so people have a place to turn when they’re in need.
CCJ staff and volunteers have helped tens of thousands of people throughout the Capital Region, while easing the financial and administrative burden on social service agencies, overcrowded jails, and local courts. Our collaboration with judges, district attorneys, probation and parole officials, schools, community groups and other service providers, has been a vital component of our success.
Our volunteers give back to the community, be it as a child’s voice in family court through our CASA program, or by sitting on a Community Accountability Board and helping a young adult through a crisis.
Visit our volunteer page for more information about how you can help your community
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Your contribution will be used to help people in our community.
85% of every dollar goes to direct program work. -
CCJ needs you!
The more volunteers we have the more people we can help.
Thank You! Your supports Allows us
News & Notes
CCJ Receives Three New Grants Starting January 1, 2020
Our Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program received a large grant from the New York State Office of Victims Services that will allow us to hire a Program Assistant for CASA. We're very excited because this will allow us to train and supervise more volunteers, and to help more children live without fear of abuse or neglect. This should be a very exciting year for CASA of the Capital Region.
The county of Schenectady has awarded CCJ two new grants. One grant will expand our Community Service Program. The other grant will increase the reach of the Ready, Set, Work! training CCJ already provides.
All three grants give CCJ important new opportunities to increase the reach and scope of our current programs in 2020. It's going to be a very busy new year.
CCJ Fundraiser Raises Thousands to Help Kids
20 Young Performers Sang Their Hearts out at
Proctors Theatre on April 25, 2019
An amazing selection of youth vocalists appeared on Proctor's stage on April 25’th, competing to win the annual Raise Your Voice singing competition. All proceeds from this event benefited CCJ’s CASA of the Capital Region program. CASA has helped thousands of abused and neglected youth find safe, permanent homes.
The quality of our contestants blew away the audience. While our 2017 Raise Your Voice winner Madison VanDenburg gained fame in 2019 with her riveting performance on American Idol, this year's performers were amazing as well.
This year so many of talented young vocalists applied that twice as many performers made it to the audition stage than we’d planned for. At the event, our judges had a difficult time picking the winners because the talent was that good. While we salute all the talented young people who competed on the Proctor's stage, we congratulate Raise Your Voice Winner Caitlin Tizzone, Blake Zardezad who took second and third place finisher Christina Regar.
Every year local luminaries donate their time and energy as judges and emcees and their work underlies Raise Your Voice’s success. This year Dave Ahl and Renee Lussier-Ahl from award winning local country rock band Skeeter Creek emceed the show. Skeeter Creek’s helped other worthy causes and as Dave told us, "Renee and I are honored to emcee at Raise Your Voice. We love to give back to the community especially when it involves kids. We donate a lot of time to organizations like HUGS, Make A Wish and, Families in Need of Assistance. So helping CASA is right in line for us."
CCJ would also like to thank our sponsors: The Times Union, Neal and Jane Golub, Pioneer Bank, Berkshire Hathaway Realtors, Mohawk Honda, Christian Brothers Academy, YMCA, Colonial Car Wash, Mediation Matters, Stewarts, & Adirondack Screen Graphics. With their help we were able to raise thousands of dollars for CASA of the Capital Region that will be used to help abused and neglected kids find safe homes.
