What is Project Homeless Connect? This is how I describe it to potential law student volunteers: “There are dentists pulling teeth on one end, barbers cutting hair at the other end, and the legal team somewhere in the middle.” Project Homeless Connect is a one-stop shop of services for people experiencing homelessness, held three times a year in the metro and occasionally in greater Minnesota.
Every time I volunteer with the legal team at Project Homeless Connect, I leave awed, inspired, and humbled:
- awed by the resilience and fortitude of the many Minnesotans experiencing homelessness (especially in the depths of winter)
- inspired by the many volunteers, especially the busy private legal practitioners and paralegals, legal services attorneys, members of the bench, and law students who make time to volunteer
- humbled by my privilege and the opportunity to use my skills and training to help others in need
When I volunteered, I assisted a young woman complete an intake and pro se divorce forms. Initially, she appeared apathetic and didn’t think that we would be able to help her. Nonetheless, 70 minutes, 24 pages, many questions, three lawyers and a law student later, she was all set to file her IFP and Divorce Petition. She had been seeking a divorce for several months. This divorce, from an incarcerated man she hasn’t seen in several years, means a fresh start for her.
While legal team leaders are still tallying up the numbers from last Monday’s event, I can tell you that last May, the volunteer legal professionals served 400+ people with 450+ legal issues in the areas of housing, family, criminal, youth, and various civil law issues.
The event challenges my perceptions of homelessness and is a great way to give back. More information on training and volunteering is on the Project website.
© rinal for Practice Blawg, 2011. |
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