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| Update
My Year Facing Homelessness: A Legal Clinic Client Tells His Story
*Check out Antonio Gibson on NPR talking about his experience with homelessness on Dec. 25, 2010* By Antonio Gibson, Former Legal Clinic Client Once a two parent household, myself and the mother of my children both had pretty substantial jobs. She would later be laid off from Bank of America in August, 2008. I then had no choice but to try to make my 1200.00 monthly income cover an eight hundred dollar rent along with other living expensive. After a year long effort I then found myself alone and facing eviction October, 2009. After unsuccessful attempts to contact organizations that… Read more…
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| Update
Rest In Peace Mary Ann Luby
By Patty Mullahy Fugere Dear Friends – It is with great sorrow that I write to inform you of the passing of our beloved colleague, Mary Ann Luby. She succumbed to cancer late last night after learning of the disease not even two weeks ago. As you might expect if you know Mary Ann at all, she was at peace on the final days of her earth journey. She remained restless, though, about the injustices around her and managed to prepare a “to do” list of work that must continue on in her absence. To honor all that she was… Read more…
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| Update
Giving Thanks
These are challenging times, to be sure. On Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Fenty released his proposal to close a budget gap for the current fiscal year of over $185 million. As feared, his proposal includes cuts to some of our community’s most basic safety net programs, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Interim Disability Assistance (IDA) and the Local Rent Supplement Program (LRSP). These are programs that have helped many of our low- and no-income neighbors in the District to meet their families’ basic needs when they are unable to work; to maintain some stability in their lives as they… Read more…
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| Update
Join us for the Nov. 20 “Help the Homeless” Walk-a-Thon
Join the Legal Clinic for the annual “Help the Homeless” Walk-a-Thon on November 20. Our group will meet at 8:30am by the carousel in front of the old Smithsonian building on the National Mall. Please RSVP to Laura Russello, Development Associate, at laura@legalclinic.org. You can register for the event by clicking on this link. https://secure3.convio.net/hth/site/SPageServer?JServSessionIdr004=0p3lln65q2.app304a&pagename=10_involved_walk_landing Please be sure to enter the “Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless” as your beneficiary organization. We hope to see you there! Read more…
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| Advocacy
Homeless Services Reform Amendment Act of 2010 Will Harm DC Residents, Increase Financial and Administrative Burdens, and is Legally Unsound
Bill 18-1059, the Homeless Services Reform Amendment Act of 2010 (HSRA), introduced by Council member Tommy Wells, presents a number of serious problems for at-risk District residents (including vulnerable children), for providers of homeless services, and for the DC government itself. The bill puts the lives of DC residents at risk, is administratively and financially cumbersome, and opens the District to potential legal trouble. Additionally, the proposed law would reduce homeless services while increasing cost of administration. What Bill 18-1059 does: • Requires verification of DC residency before one can access emergency shelter or almost any other homeless service, including… Read more…
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| Advocacy
Voting “No”…
By Scott McNeilly, Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless Staff Attorney The Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) voted on Tuesday to approve the Winter Plan for 2010-2011. The Winter Plan describes how the District will implement the severe weather provisions of the Homeless Services Reform Act –how individuals and families can exercise their right to shelter on freezing nights and the steps the District will take to prevent weather-related deaths and injuries. The Plan was developed by the ICH’s Operations and Logistics Committee through a process that involved lots of meetings and hearings and consequently lots of community input. (I… Read more…
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| Advocacy
Alert: Vote on Winter Plan for Hypothermia Season Will Be On 10/26
The DC Interagency Council on Homelessness is holding a special meeting on Tuesday, October 26th at 9:30am, to vote on the Winter Plan for the upcoming hypothermia season. The meeting will be held at MPD Regional Operations Command (ROC) 801 Shepherd St NW. With regard to meeting the needs of families this winter, the current version of the Plan relies upon outplacing families into housing at a quick enough pace to free up capacity in the shelters. Already the District has been unable to keep up the anticipated pace, and there is no back-up plan identified. We urge concerned community… Read more…
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| Advocacy
Update on Bill 18-1059
Here is a copy of the permanent legislation that Mr. Wells introduced on Tuesday. To listen to the statement that he made when he withdrew the emergency version of the bill, click here. There will be a hearing on November 8, 2010 at 11:30a.m. We are currently reviewing the language and will update the blog with a more substantive post soon. In the meantime check out Kathryn Baer’s blog post on this issue. Read more…
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| Advocacy
Thank You For Speaking Out…Your Voices Have Been Heard!
By Nassim Moshiree, Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless Staff Attorney Responding to the community’s concerns, Councilmember Wells pulled the emergency bill at yesterday’s legislative meeting. In its stead, he has introduced a permanent version of the legislation that he said he will move quickly through the Council process. Co-sponsors of his new bill (B18-1059) include Councilmembers Catania, Bowser, and Michael Brown. Mr. Wells’ stated reasons for pulling the emergency bill are to ensure greater discussion on this issue and to prevent unintended consequences. From the dais yesterday, Mr. Wells correctly raised the concern that the city is facing a… Read more…
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| Advocacy
ACTION ALERT: Emergency Legislation Up Tomorrow Will Put DC Residents At Risk of Death This Winter!
By Nassim Moshiree, Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless Staff Attorney Contact your Councilmember NOW and Ask Them to Vote “NO” on the “Homeless Services Reform Amendment Act of 2010.” Background: Councilmember Wells plans to introduce as emergency a bill that will significantly change the District’s obligation to provide life saving emergency shelter. The vote on this bill is scheduled to take place tomorrow morning, October 19, 2010 at 10:00am. There has been no community input. At the very least, this should not be emergency legislation. The Proposed Bill: Requires verification of DC residency during emergency conditions that many DC… Read more…
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