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HONORING CONG. BARNEY FRANK "Save the Date" plus more info. >
April 11, 2007 Employment Openings at MCJ Health Law Attorney - Jackson > Housing and Consumer Rights Attorney - Biloxi > MEDICAID REPORT RELEASED Losing Ground: Declines in Health Coverage for Children and Families in Mississippi >> OPPORTUNITIES FOR LAW STUDENT INTERNS >> At the MCJ Katrina Recovery Office we work with pro bono attorneys and law students from all over the country. We recognize their valuable contribution and want to make their stay with us as easy and fruitful as possible. That's why we've produced this guide to show them how to get to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where to stay, and where to eat. Katrina Recovery Office Visitors Guide - Job Openings at MCJ - Biloxi - Housing and Consumer Rights Attorney EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS ANNOUNCES
EJW >> MCJ'S FALL NEWSLETTER > > MCJ's Fall 2007 Newsletter has been expended to include media work produced for our hurricane recovery partners: Video of Coastal Women for Change - The "Katrina / Tsunami Exchange" > Two new slideshows - The Gulf Coast STEPS COALITION issues a report card on Mississippi's use of Katrina CDBG funds > Biloxi NAACP / East Biloxi Coordination Relief & Reconstruction Agency > The work of MCJ and its partners depends upon comprehensive information and reliable statistics. For the data given in these slide presentations we are indebted to our intern Will McElhinney and his father, Harold, a valued member of our pro bono partner Morrison & Foerster. Martha Bergmark's Katrina Anniversay e-mail post >> After Katrina - The Untold Story Read Pro Bono Law Firms' Gulf Coast Experiences "Tales From the Pro Bono Trenches" >> MCJ honors LSC for hurricane relief efforts >> CHRONICLE OF PHILANTHROPY profiles MCJ: MCJ's Reilly Morse discusses Gulf Coast's "Dried Up Rental Market" on MSNBC >> Despite concerns, tax-credit housing can still be successful - MCJ study cited >> MCJ's Martha Bergmark chosen Mississippi Bar Foundation Fellow >> USC's Legal Aid Alternative Breaks Project hears from MCJ's Karen Lash >> WLBT's 3 On Your Side watchdog team tackles payday lending; MCJ's Paheadra Robinson and Beth Orlansky interviewed. >> Mississippi Public Broadcasting reports story of Vietnamese language legal clinic in Biloxi >> Martha Bergmark's Newsweek essay - After Katrina: Justice in Mississippi Beth Orlansky monitors child care facilities and develops handbook for attorneys >> Legal clinic meets needs of Coast's Vietnamese >> New MCJ manual explains the MS Homeowner Assistance Program >> PAYDAY LOAN TIMES offers opposing opinions >> Mike Lang Photographs - Mike Lang, MCJ's great friend and accomplished photographer, has offered to make a limited number of his Mississippi prints available for purchase. Proceeds will be used to support MCJ's work. See the photos at Mississippi Images. Prices available via this web site. Video: The Post-Katrina Coast Destruction wrought by the hurricane exposed harsh realities of poverty and racism in the poorest region of our country. MCJ produced this video to give you an up-close look. The Mississippi justice community address the myriad legal problems hurricane victims are facing. MCJ is working to build a strong legal delivery system that coordinates direct advocacy in individual cases as well as broader legal strategies for systemic impact. Reality has set in--we are involved in a marathon, not a sprint. Watch >> Fulfilling Our Nation's Promise The Mississippi Center for Justice is a nonprofit, public interest law firm committed to advancing racial and economic justice. MCJ was founded in June 2002 by civil rights advocates, attorneys, social service advocates, and others committed to pursuing systemic advocacy strategies that combat discrimination and poverty in Mississippi. Its creation is responsive to a specific and urgent need to resurrect capacity for statewide, systemic, legal advocacy on behalf of low-income people and communities of color. With the advent of the 21st century, Mississippi no longer had concerted, statewide capacity to combat continuing problems of discrimination and poverty. In the 1960s and 1970s, nonprofit law firms provided critical legal support to Mississippi’s civil rights movement. In the 1980s and 1990s, federal funding from the Legal Services Corporation supported statewide advocacy for low-income people. By 2002, the legal needs of Mississippi’s low-income people and communities of color were addressed by a committed but overwhelmed few. In response,MCJ has committed itself to creating an infrastructure for legal advocacy that achieves social justice through multiple strategies. Equality continues to elude most Mississippians in the areas of housing access, fair credit, quality public education, consumer protection, voting rights, employment opportunities, and fair working conditions. If MCJ were to employ only traditional methods of legal advocacy to address these problems, a focused effort in any one of these areas could occupy the full attention of its small staff. Instead, MCJ economizes resources and accomplishes its goals by enlisting existing legal talent within the state and nation to supplement local efforts. MCJ's Four operating principles: Partnering with leaders throughout the state: we convene stakeholders and connect communities with legal resources. Generating the legal community’s commitment: we work with local leaders to develop legal strategies supportive of their campaign objectives and organize legal talent to support community goals. Making every event a call to action: we convene people in a way that generates commitments and causes “breakthroughs” in enrollment of leaders and legal talent. Seeking and adapting models that work: we publicize and celebrate community and legal examples that serve as inspiration, role models, and blueprints for action. |
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More than two years after Katrina improvements in the lives of low-income coastal Mississippians have come slowly; in fact, for some it hasn't improved at all. Thousands of families still live in damaged housing without water or electricity. Entire housing complexes remain closed and are not being replaced; what remains is priced beyond reach. As a result, the housing crisis on the Gulf Coast has created a new population of homeless poor in our state. Volunteer law students and prospective law students have been the backbone of MCJ's Katrina relief and recovery work. Link here to a page devoted to their work: news, videos, resources and first-hand accounts >> Karen Lash, MCJ's pro bono coordinator, shares top-ten-plus lessons learned from her Katrina diaster relief work >> Rockefeller Institute of Government report released: Gulfgov Reports: A Year and a Half after Katrina and "By far, the one issue that dominates the recovery effort is housing -- that is, the lack of it. In all of the hard-hit areas -- even those where economies seem to be mending -- the problem of affordable housing continues to defy resolution. Many efforts now underway are the result of nonprofit and volunteer groups, and some developers willing to take a risk. But what is under construction or in the planning stages now is not nearly enough to meet the demand. Thousands remain in FEMA trailers across Louisiana and Mississippi, while thousands more are on the streets." - >> Two Years After Katrina The Sun Herald's Geoff Pender reports
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| Headlines May 6 • Congressional leaders to hear from Mississippi about diversion of housing funds to port project WXVT April 21 • Advocates urge elimination of in-person Medicaid interviews WREG April 19 • Poor denied legal access Sun Herald April 14 • MS Lawmakers want to remove Medicaid face-to-face rule for eligibility Sun Herald April 2 • Fed hushed trailer risks Sun Herald March 27 • FEMA closing more trailer parks Sun Herald March 25 • Knight Foundation grant, volunteers support Habitat for Humanity project on Gulf Coast Sun Herald March 20 • People are coming back: coastal counties gain Sun Herald Report: state ranks at top in mortgage crisis Senate hears pleas of poor - Advocates want more housing Sun Herald Mississippi: Lawmakers hear housing plight Houston Chronicle February 20 • Barbour awards affordable housing grants WLOX February 11• Face-to-face requirement challenged Daily Journal February 10 • Katrina grant deadline remains March 15 February 8 • Group works to get Katrina grant deadline extended Clarion-Ledger February 5 • Study: lack of face-to-face aid impedes Medicaid rolls Sun Herald January 31 • Enrollment decline spurs Medicaid changes December 9 • Katrina Grants Editorial Clarion-Ledger December 6 • Medicaid Editorial Clarion-Ledger November 16 • MCJ FEATURED IN NEW YORK TIMES STORY: In Mississippi, Poor Lag in Hurricane Aid November 9 • FEMA bars workers from stored trailers - formaldehyde feared; 48,000 still being lived in November 4 • Study finds Coast worse than N.O. - Harvard looks at the signs of mental illness Sun Herald October 22 • Editorial: Keeping Katrina Aid Away From Casinos New York Times October 21 • Ellen Ann Fentress "Barbour's agenda on Gulf Coast drawing fire" Clarion-Ledger October 18 • Stalled health tests leave storm trailers in limbo New York Times October 16• Mississippi Public Radio reports on MCJ's Gulf Coast legal clinics October 15• Mississippi Public Radio reports on MCJ's Great Mississippi Road Trip to the Gulf Coast October 13 • WLOX' Krystal Allan reports MCJ's "Great Mississippi Road Trip Tours South Mississippi" WLOX October 7 • Port of Gulfport - Should MDA divert $600 million in housing funds to restore port? MCJ's Reilly Morse and Karen Lash answer in the negative October 1 • FEMA trailers: 'tough love' warranted in time Insurance for the Next Big One New York Times "Three Little Pigs" cartoon - Port of Gulfport expansion September 28 • Amazing Exhibit of Neglect September 27 • More Housing Woes in Mississippi September 25 • MDA mum on how $600 million from storm relief would be used Clarion-Ledger Test on FEMA trailers expected Houston Chronicle Insurance bill up for vote - Taylor likes chances of proposal to add wind to flood policies Sun Herald Balancing jobs / housing difficult Clarion Ledger September 23 • Housing advocates raise a $600 million question that desrves an answer Sun Herald September 12 • Coast advocates blast proposal to steer housing funds to port project WLOX Mississippi now tops another issue - dropouts Daily Journal Study: Mississippi's poor taxed unfairly Clarion-Ledger Group criticizes Mississippi taxes; Barbour calls for study of system Sun Herald September 5 • Study: Jackson ranks high in subprime mortgage lending Clarion-Ledger September 4 • FEMA announces health-related Emergency Lodging Assistance (ELA) guidelines >> September 3 • Hurricane account mostly untapped September 2 • Despite best efforts, Mississippi leads nation in poverty Sun Herald August 30 • Coast not yet whole Clarion-Ledger Media ignored Mississippi's use of waiver to redirect funds designated for low-income Katrina victims August 29 • Tale of Two Cities: Biloxi and New Orleans CNN August 28 • Hurricane Recovery, Republican Style SALON August 27 • Institute for Southern Studies Report: Billions in Katrina aid not reaching Gulf Coast; Gulf leaders outline blueprint for recovery ISS Report Barbour: Housing biggest challenge Clarion Ledger August 26 • Governor's report brimming with confidence Sun Herald Mississippi governor's 2-year report emphasizes need for housing Sun Herald August 21 • More Gulf Coast residents thinking suicide, showing PASD symtoms Picayune (MS) Item Gulf Coast clergy, residents decry Barbour's grant process Sun Herald 14 Million Hours - Volunteers are increasing two years after the strorm Sun Herald August 20 • Advocacy Groups Want to Know Where Grant Money is Going Sun Herald WLOX WAPT August 15 • Phase II grants available on Coast Clarion Ledger August 11 • FEMA to buy back trailers Los Angeles Times August 6 • Mortgage Maze May Increase Foreclosures New York Times August 5 • Katrina Victims Feel Trapped by Trailers July 31 • Extentions point to continuing need for housing July 20 • FEMA faulted on response to risks in trailers New York Times July 19 • Pas council votes to close last FEMA trailer park Mississippi Press July 12 • FEMA: Molasses Response Still Plagues Coast Clarion-Ledger editorial Road to new life after Katrina is closed to many - New York Times Lawsuit filed over treatment of girls at state reform school in MS - New York Times July 9 • Teen details life on 'chain gang' Clarion-Ledger July 6 • Oh Lawyer, Where Art Thou? How law firms are failing New Orleans [article notes MCJ's pro bono success] Slate July 3 • Only a fraction of governor's strom relief fund spent Clarion-Ledger June 21 • Low-income housing funds used to spruce-up park Sun Herald June 19 • FEMA ordered to stop collection efforts; MCJ's Crystal Utley interviewed Clarion-Ledger June 18 • Weill Gotshal & Manges press advisory re. FEMA ruling >> June 17 • State Education Department mandates course in financial literacy Clarion-Ledger June 16 • MCJ update from Martha Bergmark link here June 15 • MCJ ally Weill Gottshal & Manges wins injunction vs. FEMA on Katrina appeals and recoupment >> June 15 • $485 million overpaid to storm victims, according to FEMA; MCJ's Crystal Utley quoted USA Today June 15 • Juvenile Justice: State Must Accelerate Plan Clarion-Ledger editorial June 8 • Homes at the end of the road Los Angeles Times May 30 • MCJ files suit to prevent closure of FEMA trailer parks Clarion-Ledger Ocean Springs allows feds time to find homes for Katrina trailer dwellers WLOX May 28 • A Bridge Restores a Lifeline to a Battered Town New York Times May 25 • A Harder Look at Haley Barbour's post-Katrina miracle; some Coastal towns "are at risk of going under" SALON Lawyers question Pascagoula's decision to close FEMA trailer parks - WLOX May 22 • Formaldehyde in FEMA trailers Gulf Restoration Network May 19 • Landlords may obtain forgivable loans Sun Herald Jackson County suicides up Clarion-Ledger May 14 • Coast Recovery: Affordable housing key issue Clarion-Ledger editorial Coast under mental strain Clarion-Ledger May 10 • SCHIP: Health Care for 60,000 Mississippi Children of Working Poor Threatened Clarion-Ledger May 3 • Hearing held for Walthall Students Clarion-Ledger April 30 • Mortgage crisis addressed by MCJ Advocacy Director Clarion-Ledger April 26 • Hearing set for suspended Walthall students Clarion Ledger April 18 • Walthall Co. suspended students still held out of class; MCJ's Shakti Belway interviewed Clarion-Ledger April 11 • MCJ's Shakti Belway chosen one of Jackson's most influential - Jackson Free Press April 10 • MCJ's Shakti Belway reviews racial incident on Walthall County school bus - Clarion-Ledger, WLBT-TV, WAPT-TV April 8 • Law-student sees Shakespearean theme on coast Sun Herald April 6 • Thompson queries FEMA on repayment; MCJ's Crystal Utley discusses issue - Clarion-Ledger March 30 • Historic homes workshop set - MCJ research is used Sun Herald March 21 • Congress puts big insurers in dog house - Kiplinger March 18 • Law students help Mississippi residents know rights - WLOX-TV February 22 • MCJ Biloxi director testifies before House Subcomittee on Housing and Community Opportunity in New Orleans Sun Herald
. . . February 9 • Reilly Morse Editorial - FEMA should extend disaster housing at least another year WLOX January 24 • Reilly Morse - State Farm's Katrina deal changes 'wind vs. water' equation USA Today January 13 • Housing expert to speak; seminar to discuss trust funds Sun Herald January 11 • Time Winds Down in Bay St. Louis Sun Herald January 5 • Katrina victims find a solution: modular houses New York Times January 2 • Charity must begin at home - Strong foundation in philanthropy lacking in state Sun Herald December 29 • Affordable Housing Needed Now The Mississippi Press November 14 • Reilly Morse featured in Super Lawyers October 31 • Apartment losses near 50% 10,000 units fell victim to Katrina Sun Herald l[MCJ survey results] Apartment losses near 50%; 10,000 units fell victim to Katrina Sun Herald October 21 • Mission Accomplished!!! Wordpress Seattle woman gives translator equipment Sun Herald October 20 • Translation Device Will Help More People Participate In Public Meetings WLOX
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