SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- La Casa de Amistad announced Tuesday it's been awarded a $500,000 grant from the "Crime Junkie" podcast's host Ashley Flower's GiveAF Foundation to support and strengthen its immigration legal services.

Officials say a large portion of the award will fund a full renovation of the immigration legal services wing, including the addition of private offices, confidential meeting rooms, and secure conferencing spaces.

Flowers stated, “With Erik and I being from the South Bend area, the critical work that La Casa does for residents of our hometown is more important to us than ever. Recent events depicting families being broken up, children being detained, or worse have been deeply troubling to us. This support of La Casa is to ensure they have what they need as they provide essential services for families in need of representation to pursue the legal pathways available to them to remain together and live and work in the community they call home.”

The grant is also set to provide initial capacity-building support to hire a firm administrator to oversee case management and daily operations, add an additional DOJ-accredited representative, and expand legal counselor positions to manage the growing caseload and strengthen the clinic’s legal services infrastructure.

Besides additional staffing and renovations, the grant will fund travel and case management costs associated with representation in Chicago and Indianapolis immigration courts, where an increasing number of La Casa clients’ cases are heard.

Juan Constantino, CEO of La Casa de Amistad, stated, “This investment is transformational for our community and for the families who rely on La Casa during some of the most uncertain moments of their lives. For years, our legal team has delivered exceptional work under extremely limited conditions. This grant allows us to finally give them the space, staffing, and infrastructure they need to do their jobs well and to serve many more families.”