Connecticut AppleseedJoin Mailing ListContribute
photo photo image
Projects photo photo
HomeAboutProjectsCommunicationsContact

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.

H.E.L.P. Project Launched October, 2009

Hartford H.E.L.P. started providing free legal assistance to homeless individuals at two Hartford shelters in October, 2009. For nine consecutive months, these free clinics alternated between Mercy Housing and the House of Bread on Tuesday mornings. Between one and three attorneys staffed each clinic each week and were assisted by two students from the University of Connecticut School of Law.

During the initial 9 months, 33 clinics assisted more than 130 homeless individuals with the issues that troubled them and thwarted their independence. The issues most commonly raised, in descending order, were:

  • Social Security Disability (applications, claims and/or appeals)
  • Housing Issues (landlord/tenant, Sec. 8, liens/evictions, shelter placement)
  • Missing Identification
  • Pardons/Expungements, including outstanding warrants
  • Drivers License reinstatement, including driving history issues

Connecticut Appleseed’s Administrative Role

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

Appleseed also ensures ongoing communication with shelter management, collects and manages feedback from participating attorneys by means of a survey and reports on the Hartford H.E.L.P. project through the website (www.homelesslegalprotection.org) for the national H.E.L.P. program. Generous support from the Hartford Courant Foundation, the Melville Charitable Trust and the Stanley A. Fisher Foundation enabled Appleseed to handle these administrative tasks.

Taking Hartford H.E.L.P. Forward Into 2011

Law firms and bar associations have already committed to staffing weekly H.E.L.P. clinics from September through December, assisted as usual by students from UCONN Law School. Each volunteer attorney participates in a training course and receives a manual preparing them for the topics typically raised by homeless individuals. In October or November, the Hartford H.E.L.P. team will begin recruitment for the early months of 2011.


 

 

 


E-NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP:
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:
arrow Hartford H.E.L.P.
arrow Keep Kids in School: Improving School Discipline
arrow Dental Care for Disadvantaged Children
arrow Completed Education Projects
arrow Education: Increasing Parent Access to Basic Education Law Information
arrow Mental Illness and The Criminal Justice System
arrow Elder Law Education
arrow Expanding Access to Financial Services
arrow 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.
Join Our Mailing List Contribute