Equal Justice Works Katrina Initiative

As the Gulf Coast faces the second anniversary of the nation's most devastating natural disaster, Equal Justice Works honors the dedicated lawyers and law students who have answered the call of service. Equal Justice Works would also like to thank all of the donors whose incredible support has made the Katrina Initiative possible.

Katrina Legal Fellow Reilly Morse's work at the Mississippi Center for Justice is highlighted today on MSNBC at http://risingfromruin.msnbc.com/2007/08/hurricane-recov.html and on Salon at http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/08/29/gulf_coast/.
CBS Evening News is scheduled to air a story at 6:30 pm EDT on Friday, August 31st about Katrina Legal Fellow Ranie Thompson's work at New Orleans Legal Assistance.
In a short video produced by Equal Justice Works, participants in the Katrina Initiative talk about their efforts to help thousands of people left without basic needs and social services in the wake of the 2005 deadly hurricanes. This video entitled "Answering the Call" is now available at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20237691/site/newsweek/ and www.equaljusticeworks.org.

It has been two years since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast region. Since that time Equal Justice Works Lawyers continue to provide essential legal services to thousands of people affected by the disasters. They work in some of the poorest communities in the nation and often under the most challenging conditions to advocate for those struggling to rebuild their lives and their communities.

With the assistance of a generous one million dollar matching grant from the JEHT Foundation, Equal Justice Works established the Katrina Initiative to provide direct legal services to Gulf Coast residents and generate pro bono opportunities for lawyers and law students. This program has placed lawyers and law students at nonprofit organizations in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama to help the hundreds of thousands of people left without homes, jobs, access to health care and social services due to the damage from the 2005 hurricanes.

In this final year, the Katrina Initiative will continue to meet the substantial challenges of providing emergency legal assistance and focus on long-term goals. There is still much work to be done. The Initiative will build stronger legal foundations to provide access to justice so that individuals can stabilize their lives. By reaching one person at a time our Equal Justice Works Lawyers are helping rebuild communities in the Gulf Coast so that it will thrive once again.

Here are highlights of the Katrina Initiative accomplishments over the last year:

The 9 Katrina Legal Fellows and their volunteers assisted 7,425 hurricane survivors. Katrina Legal Fellows also held 133 legal clinics, offered 153 presentations, recruited 780 law students and lawyers to provide pro bono legal assistance, and participated in 182 task forces or coalitions.
The 10 Katrina AmeriCorps Attorneys and their volunteers assisted 3,572 hurricane survivors. Katrina AmeriCorps Attorneys held 161 legal clinics, offered 47 presentations, recruited 770 law students and lawyers to provide pro bono legal assistance, and participated in 144 task forces or coalitions.
The 65 Katrina Summer Corps members helped 2,991 hurricane survivors and worked with 175 organizations on community education presentations and outreach publications.

For a program that has impacted so many lives, the Katrina Initiative was launched rather quickly to meet the pressing needs in the Gulf Coast region. This unprecedented call to action would not have been possible with out the rapid response of our donors.

Equal Justice Works is deeply grateful to the following institutional sponsors for their contributions to fund the Equal Justice Works Katrina Initiative:

Our work continues in earnest because we all know there is still much to be done to help the individuals, families and communities struggling to rebuild their lives in the Gulf Coast region. Please continue to support this important work, our Equal Justice Works Lawyers and all those involved in the Katrina Initiative.