Community Legal Services Of Mid-Florida, Inc.

Community Legal Services Of Mid-Florida, Inc., doing business as Community Legal Services, is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization based in Orlando, Florida, that receives federal grant funding to deliver legal services and fair housing enforcement to vulnerable populations across the Central Florida region. The organization operates as a prime grant recipient (80% of recent awards) and subordinate grant recipient under federal programs administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Justice.

Community Legal Services' federal footprint centers on fair housing enforcement and legal assistance for economically disadvantaged and protected populations. The organization is a primary recipient under HUD's Private Enforcement Initiatives program (CFDA 14.418), receiving a $425,000 project grant award dated March 1, 2026, to conduct fair housing investigations, testing, and enforcement activities addressing Title VIII Civil Rights Act violations in the Central Florida region through February 28, 2027. Under HUD's Fair Housing Organization Initiatives program (CFDA 14.417), the organization has received funding to develop and implement housing discrimination enforcement programs, compliance audits, legal assistance to discrimination victims, and fair housing education and outreach targeting members of protected classes, including LGBTQ+ communities. Community Legal Services also serves as a prime grant recipient under the Department of Veterans Affairs' Legal Services for Homeless Veterans and Veterans At-Risk for Homelessness Grant Program (CFDA 64.056), holding a $425,649 project grant effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027, to provide comprehensive legal representation, advice, education, and advocacy across housing law, family law, income support, criminal defense, healthcare access, military discharge upgrades, consumer law, and employment law, with at least 10 percent of funding dedicated to serving women veterans. The organization also holds a prior VA grant (CFDA 64.056) worth $131,056 for the August 2024 to July 2025 period. Additionally, Community Legal Services operates as a sub-recipient under the Department of Legal Affairs Florida for victim services grants, with multiple sub-awards dated October 1, 2024, and October 1, 2025.

The organization's customer concentration is heavily weighted toward HUD's Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (21 awards), followed by the Department of the Treasury's Internal Revenue Service (11 awards), the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs Victims of Crime division (8 awards), the Office on Violence Against Women (2 awards), and the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration (2 awards). These five agencies account for 98% of recent awards. Combined dollars obligated across all federal awards total $13.7 million. Activity has fluctuated over the past five years, ranging from two awards in 2023 to seven in 2024, with five awards received in 2025 and one in 2026. Two awards reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months.