<p> 10 AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION COMMISSION ON HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY</p><p>INFORMATIONAL REPORT TO THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES</p><p>The Commission on Homelessness and Poverty has jurisdiction over matters affecting the needs and concerns of poor and homeless people and the impact of laws, litigation and the legal profession on them. In carrying out its responsibilities, the Commission educates members of the bar and the public about legal and other problems of poor and homeless people and ways in which lawyers can assist in addressing them, encourages and assists in the development of bar and law school pro bono programs which provide legal services to homeless and near homeless people, trains lawyers to provide pro bono legal assistance to homeless and near-homeless people, works with ABA entities on issues arising within their jurisdiction that affect poor and homeless people, and works with state and federal legislative, executive, and judicial bodies to ensure that laws and regulations do not discriminate against people who are homeless and are enforced in a manner that helps ensure a productive outcome for homeless persons, the criminal justice system, the courts, and the general public. The Commission is presently implementing a 5 year strategic plan which includes reaching out to state and local bar associations (as well as local advocates and providers) in association with each business meeting to develop programming and report on local efforts. </p><p>Homeless Veterans Initiative The U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) approached the Commission in 2009 to partner on two important initiatives aimed at addressing homelessness among veterans in support of the VA’s 5 Year Plan to End Homelessness among Veterans: (1) fostering replication of Veterans Treatment Courts (as a means to prevent homelessness); and (2) removing barriers to housing and self-sufficiency by addressing child support arrears. The Commission continues to provide technical assistance and host programming in furtherance of these initiatives. Since its last report, the Commission presented “Helping Those Who Served: Addressing the Legal Needs of Veterans,” at the Equal Justice Works conference in Washington, DC on October 21, 2011.</p><p>The Commission is collaborating with the VA, Health and Human Services (HHS), the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), and the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) to sustain a pilot program aimed at addressing child support issues of homeless veterans (which often serve as barriers to housing and employment) connected to VA-funded housing, treatment, and services in ten cities. The initiative was formally launched in March of 2010, and the Commission is assisting with tracking progress and providing guidance and technical assistance to the lawyers at the various sites.</p><p>At the request of Jack Young, immediate past Chair of the ABA Coordinating Committee on Veterans Benefits and Services, the Commission assisted in drafting a letter encouraging pro bono representation of veterans that was submitted to the ABA President and circulated to Association members on his behalf on Veteran’s Day. The letter directs attorneys to the ABA website which contains information as to how lawyers can assist veterans in their community. The Commission will host a meeting of the Coordinating Committee on Veterans Benefits and Services at the ABA Midyear Meeting in New Orleans.</p><p>1 10</p><p>The Commission drafted an article on representing homeless veterans that was published in the October/November 2011 edition of the ABA GPSolo Magazine. </p><p>Finally, the Commission continues to meet regularly with staff from the VA, HHS, and several national organizations working on various initiatives aimed at assisting veterans. </p><p>Homeless Court Initiative The Commission continues to facilitate the creation of Homeless Courts throughout the United States by educating communities about this innovative response to the special legal problems of homeless people and equipping courts with the necessary tools to administer successful programs. Since its last report, the Commission provided technical assistance to the following communities in Michigan: Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Detroit and Grand Rapids. The Commission also provided technical assistance to the Chief Crown Prosecutor in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Councilmember Mills from Columbus, Ohio, and to court personnel in Long Beach, California. </p><p>Homeless Children, Youth and the Law Initiative Building on the success of its international roundtable on homeless youth and the law held in Toronto during the 2011 ABA Annual Meeting, the Commission secured support from the international law firm of Baker & McKenzie to help with research throughout the globe on these issues. The Commission also conducted a number of follow up meetings in DC in August 2011 with representatives from the National Alliance to End Homelessness, HUD, Casey Family Programs, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, ABA ROLI and ABA Center on Children and the Law to gauge interest in developing a more formal International Homeless Youth and the Law Initiative.</p><p>During its fall business meeting at the ABA Washington Office in October 2011, the Commission filmed podcasts for the Commission’s website of presentations on homeless youth and the law as a technical assistance resource for communities attempting to improve laws related to homeless and runaway youth. The Commission’s Model State Statutes publication continues to be a helpful resource, and states such as Georgia have successfully enacted new legislation aimed at addressing youth homelessness utilizing information from the publication along with technical assistance provided by the Commission. The Commission is presently providing technical assistance to lawyers, legislators and advocates in Maryland as they seek to enact a Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. </p><p>The Commission also contributed to an article on representing homeless youth that appeared in the October/November edition of the ABA GPSolo Magazine. </p><p>Midyear Meeting and Other Programming During the 2012 Midyear Meeting, the Commission hosted free CLE programming on preventing foreclosure and the impact of the courts’ budget crisis on homeless and low-income people. </p><p>2 10 Since its last report, and in addition to the aforementioned programming held in association with its primary initiatives, the Commission held the following programs:  Coordinated legal services section at Montgomery County Homeless Resource Day on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 in Gaithersburg, MD. Staff attorneys from the Office of the Public Defender, Legal Aid Bureau, the Homeless Persons Representation Project, Immigration Legal Services of Catholic Charities, the Montgomery County Bar Foundation’s Pro Bono Project, and the Office of Child Support Enforcement participated in the event.  Presented “The Indispensable Fellow” at the Equal Justice Works conference at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC on Thursday, October 20, 2011.  Co-hosted a breakfast at the Equal Justice Works conference at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC on Friday, October 21, 2011, to discuss careers in public interest law, the work of the Commission and the ABA as a whole with Equal Justice Works Fellows.  Participated in the ABA National Summit on Pro Bono in Washington, DC, October 24- 25, 2011.  Presented “Rebuilding Lives: Homeless Advocacy” at the NLADA annual conference on December 8, 2011 in Washington, DC. </p><p>Respectfully submitted,</p><p>Antonia K. Fasanelli, Chair February 2012</p><p>3</p>