HOW CONGRESSWOMAN MAXINE WATERS & S&C HONORED FOR HOMELESSNESS PRO BONO WORK (3523 hits)
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S&C was honored with the Pro Bono Counsel Award at the National Homelessness Law Center's McKinney-Vento Awards. Each year, the award honors one institution that has shown leadership in the fight to end homelessness and poverty.
S&C was recognized for its work assisting the NHLC during the COVID pandemic. The pandemic disproportionately affected people experiencing homelessness. In response, the CDC issued guidance for communities providing support and other services to this population. A team of S&C lawyers tracked and collected policies and practices across the country and created a database for stakeholders, advocates and community members on the NHLC website. The S&C team also analyzed public and private sector actions to identify effective policies that other communities can replicate. They discussed these key findings with NHLC attorneys and presented them at a NLHC webinar.
S&C has a longstanding partnership with the NHLC, which was founded by former S&C litigation associate Maria Foscarinis in 1989. S&C has assisted the NHLC with developing the “Housing Not Handcuffs” initiative to shift the focus of law and policy from criminalization to the right to housing for all homeless and vulnerable people; as well as participating in the Education Rights for Homeless Families Clinic advising homeless people on their children's educational rights.
S&C lawyers Julie Jordan and Justin Smallwood accepted the award on behalf of the Firm. Other honorees included Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Jessica Bruder, author of Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, and Chloé Zhao, director of the Academy Award-winning film adaption of Nomadland.
