Shelter Legal Services Foundation

CONTACT:

885 Centre St.
Newton Center, MA 02459
617-552-0623
shelterlegalservices.org

Dawn Messer, Executive Director

DESCRIPTION:

"Homelessness" is not simply the lack of a home. People on the periphery of having homes are also often on the margins of employment, personal health, family life, credibility in business and personal relationships, and of the law—they have bad records, and often they owe money. We all know that troubles tend to multiply and to complicate each other; homelessness is a condition in which the problems have multiplied out of control, and have become mutually exacerbating. People in that situation can be helped with legal guidance, which however they cannot afford and are unaware of as a potential resource, often because the law is part of their problems. In the day-to-day struggle to secure basics such as food and shelter, outstanding legal issues generally are ignored until they have to be addressed, frequently at the last minute. Shelter Legal Services Foundation (SLSF) provides pro bono, and often emergency, legal services to homeless and other low-income individuals in Greater Boston. Founded in 1991 by a group of Boston College Law School students, SLSF operates five weekly legal clinics in Boston and Cambridge. Each clinic is staffed by a student management team, an average of 15-20 volunteer law students on any given night, and a supervising attorney (60 practicing attorneys throughout greater Boston volunteer pro bono to train and supervise students, accept cases and answer questions; together they serve more than 800 people each year. This is very cost-effective philanthropy; SLSF's entire budget in 2004 is $201,545. Obviously there is no fundraiser on staff--this is where the Catalogue comes in.

(1997: HUMAN SERVICES: Well-Being)