Arlington Municipal Court will continue its annual walk-in community court services – and create a permanent home for the program through a federal grant.
The city will host the second annual Walk-in Community Court event at 1 p.m. Thursday at the East Library and Recreation Center. The event offers people who cannot pay off tickets for low-level offenses GED courses or city services in order to waive the fee.
A bevy of government and nonprofit agencies will also be onsite to offer services that include job placement, veterans’ services, low-cost medical and veterinary services and information about income tax preparation.
Associate Municipal Judge Danielle Dulaney said the first iteration of their program last summer helped people get back on their feet. One of the nonprofits, Destiny Empowerment Enterprises, helped a community court participant start a business.
“They were able to not only get him to graduate through that program, but also take steps towards opening his own catering company,” Dulaney said.
Arlington Municipal Court resolved 338 unpaid Class C misdemeanor violations, 262 of which were in warrant status, during the inaugural event last summer.
Agencies onsite include:
- Arlington Charities
- Arlington On-Demand
- Goodwill North Central Texas
- Destiny Empowerment Enterprises
- Meals on Wheels
- Legal Aid of Northwest Texas
- United Way of Tarrant County
- Arlington Public Library
- Arlington Housing Authority
People planning to attend can register for a time slot online, though pre-registration is not a requirement. Those who attend should bring pay stubs or documentation of any form of public assistance to determine eligibility. People interested in spaying and neutering their pets can sign up on a first-come, first-served basis at the Spay/Neuter Network website.
Those interested in Goodwill North Central Texas’ job placement program should bring two forms of identification.
Arlington Community Court
The city received a $900,000 grant through the Bureau of Justice Assistance Fiscal Year 2023 Community Court Initiative to offer the same services year-round. Dulaney told KERA News in 2022 she saw a permanent home for the program as a long-term goal.
The permanent incarnation of the program will be more targeted than the annual event, and work with participants for a longer period.
“It’s going to allow us to really track and identify what is working for people as well as what’s not working for people as well as long-term success stories,” she said.
Got a tip? Email Kailey Broussard at kbroussard@kera.org.
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