Efficient and Effective Strategies for Meeting the Needs of Low Income Marylanders in Challenging Times: Using a Human Rights Framework

All-Staff Conference

October 12, 2009

Strategic Plans

Provides a framework to focus resources to achieve desired results in an effective and efficient matter

Provides a framework to determine whether desired outcomes are achieved

Are dynamic and respond to implementation experience and evaluation of results

Strategic Planning Process

March 2008 Strategic Planning Oversight Committee convened

April 2008 four work groups charged to study and make recommendations:

Substantive practice areas

Internal organizational needs

Underserved populations

Funding and external relationships

Strategic Planning Process (cont.)

May 2008, all staff participate in discussions of work group topics in Ocean City

Summer and fall 2008 work groups meet and prepare final report

December 2008-April 2009, SPOC reviews recommendations

April 2009, Strategic Plan completed and presented to Executive and Deputy Directors

Strategic Planning Process (cont.)

83 104 196 100

Strategic Planning Process

83Staff participating in work groups

104Reports read, websites reviewed, individuals interviewed

196Pages in final work group reports

100Work group recommendations

Maryland Legal Aid Mission Statement

To provide quality legal services to the State’s poor through a mix of services and to bring about the changes poor people want in the systems which affect them.

Vision and Values

To provide high quality legal advocacy to protect and advance human rights for low-income individuals, families, and communities

Human Rights are Indivisible and Interdependent

“It is now indisputable that rights including the right to privacy, the right to family life, the right to equal protection and benefit of the law, the right to gender equality, the right to be free from discrimination, the right to due process of law, the right to security of the person, the right to freedom of movement and the freedom to choose one’s residence, the right to free association, the right to freedom of expression, the right to property, the right to remain in place, the right to seek, receive and impart information and other rights are intrinsically linked to the full realization of the right to adequate housing. To separate these rights from housing rights…undermines the principles of indivisibility and interdependence…” The Right to Adequate Housing, UN Special Rapporteur,

1995

Without Human Rights, Civil Rights Are Empty Promises

We as lawyers will get righteous about a homeless person’s rights to privacy and confidentiality, but will spend less time and energy on achieving his or her right to housing.  He can live on the street, but “if you try to take away his rights to privacy you’re going to have to go through me!”  Certainly, this is about dignity and respect, but let’s be honest—without the substantive economic right, how valuable is the civil right? 

Peter Sabonis, October 6, 2009

Values: Maryland Legal Aid

Brings about lasting social change

Reaches out and serves underserved populations

Is client-directed

Values: Maryland Legal Aid

Advances human rights associated with most pressing needs of low-income Marylanders

Establishes presence in and listens to client communities

Assesses effectiveness with clear goals and measurable outcomes

They Never Seemed To Pass Anything

Highlights of Strategic Plan

“Now here, you see, it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get to somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that,” the Red Queen to Alice in Carroll, Lewis, Through the Looking Glass.

Highlights: Group Action

The power of group action may be the most efficient way to address individual legal problems, yet achieve lasting results for many.

Maryland Legal Aid should establish a priority for matters that affect a group, are requested by a group, or involve creating a group and which fall within matter acceptance guidelines. (Recommendation 1)

Highlights: Housing

Identified need: Affordable housing Human right to housing: affordable, available,

habitable, accessible, adequately located, culturally adequate, secure of tenure

Prioritize resources for three years to preserve and increase availability of housing and further human right to housing (Recommendations 3-5)

Highlights: Employment

Identified need: A living wage Human right to work: opportunity for fulfilling

and dignified work under safe and healthy conditions with fair wages affording a decent standard of living

Individual representation by itself not an effective strategy unless it is to further relationships to advance a right to work

Pro se and pro bono strategies needed (Recommendations 6-7)

Highlights: Affordable Health Care

Identified need: Affordable health care and health insurance

Human right to health care is affordable, available, acceptable, and adequate and provided without discrimination

Legal Aid’s representation of individuals allows us to gauge how policy actually is implemented and to inform policy changes

State support unit should coordinate health care work across substantive law areas (CINA, employment, elder, public benefits) to advance human right to health care (Recommendations 8-9)

Highlights: Family Law

Identified need: Individual representation in family law matters

Human right to counsel in civil matters, to remedies for domestic violence, to further best interests of children, to protect children from violence, injury, neglect, and abuse

Collaborate to develop a strategy for assuring affordable, fair resolution of family law matters that meets needs of isolated populations (Recommendations 10-12)

Highlights: Transitioning Youth and Health Care for Children and Youth Identified needs: vulnerable children have

many Human rights of children recognized by all but

two countries: US and Somalia Transitioning youth share problems with

adults represented by Legal Aid Child advocacy should be better integrated

with other practice areas to share expertise and develop common strategies (Recommendations 13-14)

Highlights: Consumer

Review and implement strategies for achieving economic justice

Pro se bankruptcy services should be expanded

Pilot program to develop statewide bankruptcy group to serve all offices (Recommendations 15-18)

Highlights: Education

Children in out-of-home care and children denied enrollment or homeless student services have the highest priority for representation in education matters

As only parents now have right to challenge education decisions, we should work within restrictions for law reform that would establish child’s independent right to education and special education services (Recommendations 20-23)

Highlights: Issues Affecting Foreign Born Work with other organizations to develop

strategies and partnerships to meet current and future needs for representation of foreign born

Train key staff in assessing the need for legal services for low-income, foreign born, Marylanders if funding permits and Legal Aid’s capacity to meet this need (Recommendation 24)

Highlights: Funding

Funding restrictions impose undesirable limits on what we can do for clients

National efforts to ease funding restrictions may result in more flexibility to meet client needs

Legal Aid should continue to find ways to ease the impact of restrictions, such as collaborations with unrestricted programs and the private bar

Revisit restructuring if restrictions not lifted (Recommendations 25-28)

Highlights: Volunteers

Expand pro bono/private attorney efforts with such opportunities as courthouse clinics, court monitoring and research projects, etc.

Develop reporting and documentation systems to keep track of pro bono/private attorney activities

Hire a pro bono coordinator (Recommendations 29-34

Highlights: Communications

Continue development of communication strategy that makes use of new media and online tools

Advocacy and other staff should engage in client education/outreach and work with community groups

Consider changing name to reduce confusion (Recommendations 35-38)

Highlights: Fundraising

Coordinate short and long-range giving campaign and expand fundraising efforts statewide

Inform all staff about their role as ambassadors for Legal Aid

Create a culture that recognizes the competitive nature of the not-for-profit funding environment and the connection between fundraising and our work (Recommendations 39-42)

Highlights: Intake

Ensure that intake is conducted efficiently and consistently across the state, such as development of intake manual, training on standardized intake protocols

Ensure that staff can conduct intake with LEP callers, children, elderly, and clients with disabilities

Investigate web-based or other electronic intake systems and portable devices for intake in the community (Recommendation 47)

Highlights: Disaster Response

Develop and implement a comprehensive disaster recovery plan that takes into account replacing ruined computing and telecommunication equipment, damaged physical structures, loss of staff, and continuity of operations

Establish statewide and local disaster recovery team (Recommendation 48)

Highlights: Organizational Structure

Conduct a management structure and performance assessment to ensure delivery of effective and efficient legal services

Develop and implement a formal management training program

Make frequently used and necessary administrative information, forms, and documents readily available to staff (Recommendations 43-46)

Highlights: Staff Recruitment and Retention Continue efforts to recruit and retain high

quality, effective staff Establish a structured summer associate

program (Recommendations 49-50)

Implementation

Presentation to supervisors May 2009 Presentation to Board of Directors July and

September 2009 Presentation to all staff October 2009 Review by Board of Directors Implementation overseen by executive and

deputy directors, chief counsel, state support unit, task forces, and you

Group Discussion

What excites you about the Strategic Plan?

What questions or concerns do you have?