Connecticut Appleseed

Related Link: Recent Accomplishments

HARTFORD H.E.L.P.

U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey organized the first Homeless Experience Legal Protection (H.E.L.P.) program in 2004 to provide pro bono legal assistance to the homeless in New Orleans and has since expanded it to 15 other cities. Prompted by a January, 2009 visit from Judge Zainey, Connecticut Appleseed began developing a H.E.L.P. program for Hartford.

Fall, 2009 Project Launch

Beginning in October, 2009 Hartford H.E.L.P. will provide free legal assistance to homeless individuals at two Hartford shelters. These free clinics will alternate between Mercy Housing and Soromundi Commons on Tuesday mornings from 8 to 10 am. Two or three attorneys will staff each clinic each week.

Connecticut Appleseed’s Role

Connecticut Appleseed leads the recruitment of local attorneys and law students, has prompted and overseen development of a training manual for the volunteer lawyers, helped recruit trainers for the volunteer attorneys and has assumed ongoing administrative responsibilities for the program. Those responsibilities will include motivating, scheduling, reminding, debriefing and thanking the participating volunteer attorneys.

We will also ensure ongoing communication with shelter management, collect and manage feedback from participating attorneys by means of a survey and report on the Hartford H.E.L.P. project through the soon-to-be-launched website (www.homelesslegalprotection.org) for the national H.E.L.P. program.

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Sign-up to receive our free e-newsletter. Simply type in your email address below and click on the submit button. QUICK LINKS TO OUR PROJECTS:

	Hartford H.E.L.P.
	Breaking Schools to Prisons Pipeline: Best Practices to Keep Kids in School
	Dental Care for Disadvantaged Children
	Education: Improving Parental Involvement in No Child Left Behind (“NCLB”)
	Education: Parent Empowerment Workshops in 2007
	Education: Increasing Parent Access to Basic Education Law Information
	Mental Illness and The Criminal Justice System
	Elder Law Education
	Expanding Immigrants’ Access to Financial Services
	Literacy Connects Inmates & Their Children

A PART OF THE APPLESEED NETWORK
www.appleseednetwork.org

Appleseed, a non-partisan and non-profit organization, is a network of public interest law Centers working to identify and address injustices in their communities. Appleseed works to build a just society through education, legal advocacy, community activism and policy expertise, addressing root causes and producing practical solutions. As one of the nation's largest legal pro bono networks, Appleseed Centers work both independently and collectively, bringing their own experiences to create local solutions that are nationally relevant. We connect the top private practice lawyers, corporate counsel, law schools, civic leaders, and other professionals to tackle problems locally, at their root cause.