just neighbors

What just neighbors does

Just Neighbors is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1996 by pastors and attorneys of the United Methodist Church to provide immigration legal services to low-income immigrants, asylees, and refugees. Headquartered in Annandale, Virginia, the organization operates seven offices across the Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region, including rural Virginia satellite locations in Warrenton, Waynesboro, and Winchester following a 2019 rural expansion and a 2020 merger with DC/MD Justice For Our Neighbors. Its core service offerings span the full spectrum of immigration legal representation — naturalization, work authorization (TPS, DACA), family unification, VAWA protections, asylum, U-visas, T-visas, and green card processing — plus grant-funded trauma-informed mental health services for survivors. Client services are delivered through a hybrid staff-and-volunteer model, with five staff attorneys, broader paid staff of approximately 23, and a network of over 200 volunteers, the latter providing more than 50% of case-related effort.

The business model is a hybrid of nominal client fees and philanthropic funding. Direct service revenue is a flat $100 per case — a deliberately low price point with fee waivers available for clients at or below 200% of federal poverty guidelines — while the substantial majority of operating revenue is raised through donations from individuals, churches, and foundations (including the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Meyer Foundation, Giving Circle of HOPE, and United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley). The organization is an affiliate of the Immigration Law & Justice Network and maintains faith-based affiliations with the Virginia Conference, Baltimore-Washington Conference, and Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. Go-to-market is community-led and referral-driven: clients enter via an online questionnaire or phone-based intake, and a staff attorney reviews cases within one week, supplemented by referrals from social workers, schools, courts, counselors, and faith partners. No walk-in legal services are offered. Technology is limited to a case management platform (Salesforce is referenced as a preferred skill); no proprietary product, API, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

The organization has remained under 30 staff despite 30 years of operation, reflecting its volunteer-heavy delivery model and nonprofit funding constraints. Recent strategic activity — the 2020 DMV merger, rural program buildout, and senior leadership refresh (Erin McKenney as Executive Director, Tori Andrea Babington as Managing Attorney of Rural Programs) — signals an organization transitioning from a single-state Virginia provider into a regional multi-jurisdiction platform, though revenue and case-volume disclosures remain opaque.

Name

just neighbors

Legal name

Just Neighbors

Website

https://www.justneighbors.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Just Neighbors is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1996 that provides low-cost immigration legal services — naturalization, work authorization, family unification, VAWA, and asylum — to low-income immigrants, asylees, and refugees across Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia, delivered through 23 staff and 200+ volunteers and funded primarily by donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immigration Legal Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG), Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI)

Keywords

• Immigration legal services
• Asylum and refugee assistance
• Citizenship and naturalization
• VAWA domestic violence visas
• DACA work authorization

Headquarters

HQ city

Annandale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Client Fees: Flat fee of $100 per case for immigration legal services. No additional fees from Just Neighbors, though USCIS may require application fees.
2. Donations: Relies on donations from individuals, churches, foundations, and organizations to fund operations. Runs periodic fundraising campaigns including matching gift campaigns.
3. Grants: Receives grants from foundations such as Meyer Foundation, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Giving Circle of Hope, and United Way to support operations and specific programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Just Neighbors provides low-cost immigration legal representation to low-income immigrants, asylees, and refugees across Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia, covering naturalization, work permits (TPS, DACA), family unification, VAWA, U-visas, T-visas, asylum, and green card applications. The nonprofit also delivers trauma-informed mental health services funded by grants and conducts community education on immigration law and legal rights, delivered through staff attorneys, volunteer attorneys, and 200+ community volunteers.

Product overview

Just Neighbors is a nonprofit organization offering a unified suite of immigration legal services rather than a modular technology product. The core offering consists of immigration legal representation and advocacy for low-income immigrants, asylees, and refugees in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Services include green card applications, naturalization/citizenship processing, work authorization (TPS, DACA), family unification, and specialized assistance for domestic violence survivors (VAWA, U-visas, T-visas). The organization also provides trauma-informed mental health support services funded through grants. All services are delivered through a combination of staff attorneys, volunteer attorneys, and community volunteers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Immigration Legal Services Provides high-quality immigration legal services to low-income immigrants, asylees, and refugees including assistance with green cards, naturalization, work permits, VAWA, DACA, TPS, U-visas, T-visas, and asylum applications, delivered by staff attorneys, volunteer attorneys, and community volunteers for a flat $100 per-case fee.
• Domestic Violence Victim Legal Assistance Helps immigrant survivors of domestic violence apply for special visas including VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) and U-visas, enabling them to become independent of abusers and obtain work authorization.
• Family Unification Services Assists immigrants in navigating the immigration legal system to keep families united, including family-based immigration petitions and related documentation.
• Work Authorization Assistance Helps eligible immigrants obtain work permits through programs such as Temporary Protective Status (TPS) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
• Mental Health and Trauma-Informed Care Services Provides time-limited, weekly psychotherapy sessions to immigrant clients who have suffered trauma, funded through grants from foundations and partner organizations.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Immigration Law & Justice NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJust Neighbors is an affiliate of the Immigration Law & Justice Network, a network of immigration legal service providers.
• Virginia Conference The United Methodist ChurchminorOthersAffiliation with United Methodist Church denomination, which founded the organization in 1996.
• Baltimore-Washington Conference The United Methodist ChurchminorOthersAffiliation with regional United Methodist Church conference.
• Global Ministries The United Methodist ChurchminorOthersAffiliation with United Methodist Church global mission agency.
• The Closet of the Greater Herndon AreaminorOthersCommunity organization partner.
• County of Fairfax VirginiaminorOthersLocal government affiliation/partnership.
• Arlington VirginiaminorOthersLocal government affiliation/partnership.
• Department of Criminal Justice Service VirginiaminorOthersState government agency affiliation.
• DC/MD Justice For Our NeighborscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMerger in July 2020 combined DC/MD Justice For Our Neighbors with Just Neighbors to serve the DMV area more effectively. Processes and resources merged to serve more clients in the District, Maryland and Virginia.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ayuda: Ayuda provides immigration legal services, social services, and language access in the Washington DC metropolitan area to low-income immigrants - the most direct geographic and service overlap with Just Neighbors.
• Tahirih Justice Center: Tahirih provides direct legal services, advocacy, and education for immigrant women and girls fleeing violence, including VAWA, U-visa, and asylum work - sharing Just Neighbors' vulnerable-population focus and trauma-informed model.
• Justice For Our Neighbors: National faith-based network of immigration legal aid clinics; Just Neighbors merged with its DC/MD affiliate in 2020. Operates with similar low-fee, volunteer-driven immigration legal service model.
• CASA: Mid-Atlantic immigrant advocacy and services organization with strong presence in Maryland and Virginia, offering immigration legal services, education, and community organizing to low-income immigrants.
• Capital Area Immigrants' Rights (CAIR) Coalition: Provides legal services, advocacy, and education to immigrants in the DC region, including detained and non-detained adults and children - a regionally proximate peer with comparable service lines.
• CARECEN: Central American Resource Center offers immigration legal services and education to low-income immigrants in the DC area - geographic and service overlap with Just Neighbors in the DMV region.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC): National network of immigration legal services affiliated with Catholic Charities; operates as a broader umbrella that trains and supports affiliated agencies including faith-based immigration legal programs like Just Neighbors.
• Hogar Immigrant Services (Catholic Charities): Faith-based immigration legal services program in the DC area; comparable low-fee immigration legal aid model with similar client base and donor ecosystem.
• HIAS: Jewish-founded global refugee resettlement and legal services agency with US legal programs for asylum and refugee cases - comparable mission around legal protection and resettlement of refugees/asylees.

Others

• Immigration Law & Justice Network: Affiliation network of immigration legal service providers of which Just Neighbors is an affiliate; they coordinate training, resources, and DOJ-recognized accreditation across member programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about just neighbors