Franciscan Outreach Association 
1645 W. LeMoyne Street, Chicago, IL 60622
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Lawyers United for the Homeless

 

Calling all lawyers...

 

Do you want to make life better for the homeless?

 

Do you want to show the world the good deeds that lawyers are doing?

 

     Join your colleagues in a new group called Lawyers United for the Homeless. What is Lawyers United for the Homeless? It is a group that...

  • is open only to lawyers

  • helps the homeless of Chicago by supporting the programs at Franciscan Outreach Association

  • spreads the word that lawyers do good things for the homeless

  • was started in 2004 by Diana Faust, a Chicago lawyer who left the practice of law to work at Franciscan Outreach Association

What are the goals of Lawyers United for the Homeless for 2007?

  • help support the programs at our shelter, soup kitchen, and case management services. Your donations bring much-needed food, shelter, and case management services to the homeless. Lawyers can make a difference by providing financial support that will help keep our programs operating at full capacity.

  • fund a fourth case manager to work in Chicago's Loop at St. Peter's Church   Having a case manager is a critical step in moving off the streets and into a more stable life. Having one in the Loop, where many of the homeless spend their days, makes it easier for the homeless to make these important connections. A grant from the Streets-to-Home Project of the Chicago Department of Housing has enabled us to hire 2 housing case managers who help the homeless of the Loop find and keep housing and a general case manager. They are working out of donated office space at St. Peter's Church. Our allocation now includes 26 units of subsidized housing. Demand for our services is so high that we would like to have a total of four case managers in the Loop - two general and two housing specialists. Soon the 2 housing case managers will be spending most of their time ensuring that the clients whom we've placed into housing are able to stay housed and not end up back on the streets. We hope that lawyers, especially those who work in the Loop, will help us hire the fourth case manager.  For service stats, see the May 16, 2006 What's New posting.

  • attract new members through publicity - written materials, word of mouth, networking, events, articles, and any other methods that will work

    • . Think of how we could make life better for the homeless if the legal community supports Lawyers United for the Homeless!

Will I have to do anything other than write a check? Can I do anything else?

  • We know you are busy. So the quickest way to help is to make a financial contribution. There are NO MEETINGS for members of Lawyers United. If you wish, you could join the Leadership Council or help plan ways to spread the word about us, but you don't have to do any of these.

  • You won't be asked to provide pro-bono legal services to the homeless. However, we are forming an exploratory committee to determine if it would be feasible to start a legal clinic for our guests.

  • You are invited to get to know us better in any of the following ways:

  • visit us for a tour of our programs. Call Diana to visit the Loop Case Management Program on your lunch hour.

  • volunteer to serve dinner of soup and a sandwich at our shelter - evenings from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. See details and our on-line calendar at www.franoutreach.org/volatshelter.htm

  • Volunteer to help coordinate the activities of Lawyers United for the Homeless as part of the Leadership Council. Help with publicity to lawyers about joining and about Lawyers United to the public. Identify ways for lawyers to be involved in our organization. Guide the group as it becomes a force in addressing homelessness in the City of Chicago!

  • or ... attend a benefit dinner, participate in our Pooch Walk for the Homeless this Fall in Palos Heights, help plan an event four young adults in the Wicker park area, invite us to your office for an info session for your colleagues, ask to see our video, or just stop over sometime for a little due diligence.

For any of these, contact Diana Faust by email using her first name plus @franoutreach.org or call her at (773) 278-6724.

If Lawyers United for the Homeless is phenomenally successful, how will the programs at Franciscan Outreach expand?

 

Our first priority to is to operate in the black. Funding for basic shelter and food is hard to come by. Some years we're not in the black - others we're ahead by a little bit. Usually we have to borrow on a line of credit until the end of year donations come in. So the first donations will help keep all our programs operating at full capacity and make sure that shelter is available in Chicago.

 

We are also in the process of forming an exploratory committee that would determine if its is feasible and desirable to start a small-scale legal clinic at one of our locations. Let us know if you'd be interested in participating.

 

Once we are operating in the black, we'd like to hire a fourth case manager for downtown and more for our shelter and soup kitchen. We currently have seven case managers for the 3,300 different clients we see each year.

 

We'd also like to start a substance abuse recovery program for our Crew Staff guests at the shelter. This program would cost an estimated $134,600 more per year.  First, however, we need to make sure we don't have to borrow money just to stay in the black with our existing programs.

 

How do you most want to help the homeless?

 

What's the cost of a membership?

We have several giving levels. All memberships are for one year. You can pay in installments, if you wish. You can become a ...

  • Lawyers United Miracle Worker, for a donation of $5,000

  • Lawyers United Senior Partner, for a donation of $1,000.

  • Lawyers United Partner, for a donation of $500

  • Lawyers United Associate, for a donation of $250

  • Law Student Member, for a donation of $15

Law firm memberships are also available. Our goal for the remainder of 2007 - for 40 law firms to make a commitment at the Miracle Worker level for three years. This would put Franciscan Outreach in the black, let us pay off our debt, and allow us to consider additional programs.

 

Will my donation really make a difference?

 

Sometimes your help means the difference between life and death, other times it provides a better quality of life - happiness, health, connections to family, self-esteem, and dignity. Consider the story of one street-based guest who's story is on our 16th What's New archives page at http://www.franoutreach.org/what's%20new%20archives%2016th.htm#December%2028 or that of another guest who just needed to get out of town at

http://www.franoutreach.org/what's%20new%20archives%2016th.htm#December%2014

 

How do I join?

 

To print and mail a form to join, click here.  We apologize for not being able to offer the form electronically - it generated too much spam to our email box. You can make a donation on our secure donation page and note that it is for "Lawyers United" in the comment box.

 

For more information

 

Contact Diana Faust at (773) 278-6724 or by email using her first name plus  @franoutreach.org.