Addressing Homelessness
Addressing Homelessness
Establishing a First-of-Its-Kind Shelter
For the past five years, DWT proudly assisted PorchLight (formerly Congregations for the Homeless) in the creation of a first-of-its-kind permanent men’s shelter in the fast-growing suburbs east of Seattle. Our team devoted hundreds of hours to land acquisition, entitlement, and construction of the new facility, which opened its doors in 2023.
In recognition of DWT’s contributions, PorchLight awarded the firm its inaugural Steve Roberts Partnership Award, named for a former executive director and longtime PorchLight benefactor, “with sincere gratitude for your unwavering commitment, collaboration, and dedication to our mission and vision.”
Establishing a First-of-Its-Kind Shelter
For the past five years, DWT proudly assisted PorchLight (formerly Congregations for the Homeless) in the creation of a first-of-its-kind permanent men’s shelter in the fast-growing suburbs east of Seattle. Our team devoted hundreds of hours to land acquisition, entitlement, and construction of the new facility, which opened its doors in 2023.
In recognition of DWT’s contributions, PorchLight awarded the firm its inaugural Steve Roberts Partnership Award, named for a former executive director and longtime PorchLight benefactor, “with sincere gratitude for your unwavering commitment, collaboration, and dedication to our mission and vision.”
Team: James A. Greenfield, Warren Koons, Crissa Cugini, David J. Ubaldi, Jonathan A. DeMella, Brian D. Hulse, Nancy A. Brownstein, Catherine Maxson, Brenda Nixdorf.
Team: James A. Greenfield, Warren Koons, Crissa Cugini, David J. Ubaldi, Jonathan A. DeMella, Brian D. Hulse, Nancy A. Brownstein, Catherine Maxson, Brenda Nixdorf.
Helping Secure Essential Personal Identification
For someone experiencing homelessness, having a birth certificate can open many doors. It facilitates job applications and can help make it possible for the person to access housing and benefits. If a person no longer has their critical identity documents, obtaining new copies can be challenging and costly. To assist in this crucial process, DWT attorneys and staff teamed up with the Philadelphia-based Homeless Advocacy Project to help. “It's a labor-intensive process,” says DWT’s Sharon O’Shaughnessy, who oversees the engagement. DWT volunteers fill out applications in jurisdictions throughout the U.S., draft cover letters to the relevant agencies, and conduct associated follow-ups. In 2023 we devoted 120+ hours to this effort and helped more than 40 people.
Team: Sharon A. O’Shaughnessy, Sadia Collins, Leo Liu, Margie M. Laketa, Areeb Asif, Matthew C. Gurr, Amy Ocean, Sandra Walton, Jojo Mills, Jessica Peyton Roberts, Leena Charlton, Seth Slade, Sean Gibson, and Ailease Bullard.
Team: Sharon A. O’Shaughnessy, Sadia Collins, Leo Liu, Margie M. Laketa, Areeb Asif, Matthew C. Gurr, Amy Ocean, Sandra Walton, Jojo Mills, Jessica Peyton Roberts, Leena Charlton, Seth Slade, Sean Gibson, and Ailease Bullard.
Helping a Vulnerable Client Escape a Debt Trap
For people about to lose their homes due to financial hardship, traffic tickets can have a life-altering impact. Without the ability to pay the fines or late fees, a person’s freedom to drive can be automatically suspended, making it that much harder to work and pay off the tickets. That was exactly the situation Sam F. Cate-Gumpert’s client was in—stuck in a vicious cycle of debt and at risk of losing her home.
Referred to this client by L.A.’s Inner City Law Center, Sam, with the assistance of the city prosecutor, got the client’s two citations cleared. As a result of his success and dedication, Sam was named the Inner City Law Center’s Pro Bono Champion of the month.
“For me, helping the most vulnerable and marginalized among us is more important than anything else in this profession,” said Sam. “I could not practice law without prioritizing that work.”
For me, helping the most vulnerable and marginalized among us is more important than anything else in this profession. I could not practice law without prioritizing that work.
Sam Cate-Gumpert | Associate
Helping a Vulnerable Client Escape a Debt Trap
For people about to lose their homes due to financial hardship, traffic tickets can have a life-altering impact. Without the ability to pay the fines or late fees, a person’s freedom to drive can be automatically suspended, making it that much harder to work and pay off the tickets. That was exactly the situation Sam F. Cate-Gumpert’s client was in—stuck in a vicious cycle of debt and at risk of losing her home.
Referred to this client by L.A.’s Inner City Law Center, Sam, with the assistance of the city prosecutor, got the client’s two citations cleared. As a result of his success and dedication, Sam was named the Inner City Law Center’s Pro Bono Champion of the month.
“For me, helping the most vulnerable and marginalized among us is more important than anything else in this profession,” said Sam. “I could not practice law without prioritizing that work.”
For me, helping the most vulnerable and marginalized among us is more important than anything else in this profession. I could not practice law without prioritizing that work.
Sam Cate-Gumpert | Associate
It was such a rewarding experience. Theo is a wonderful and talented person who highlights important and sometimes overlooked issues.
Jay Jimenez | Associate
Bringing New Awareness to Issues Experienced by the Unhoused Via Podcast
Theo Henderson knows exactly what it’s like to experience homelessness. He created a podcast to help the rest of the world understand as well. On each episode of “We the Unhoused,” Theo interviews a different guest from the unhoused community in Los Angeles, elevating their voices and shedding light on the daily struggles they face. His podcast has earned recognition and media attention from around the country and recently attracted interest from the world’s leading podcast publisher, iHeart Media.
Represented by DWT’s entertainment transactions team, Theo entered into a multi-year podcast production and distribution deal with iHeart in 2023, and formed his own production company to execute the deal. “It was such a rewarding experience,” said DWT attorney Jay Jimenez. “Theo is a wonderful and talented person who highlights important and sometimes overlooked issues. It was great being part of his journey and I’m happy that we could help him reach a much broader audience.”
Team: Jay Jimenez, Bob Wyman, Jonathan Segal, and Marla Foreman.
Bringing New Awareness to Issues Experienced by the Unhoused Via Podcast
Theo Henderson knows exactly what it’s like to experience homelessness. He created a podcast to help the rest of the world understand as well. On each episode of “We the Unhoused,” Theo interviews a different guest from the unhoused community in Los Angeles, elevating their voices and shedding light on the daily struggles they face. His podcast has earned recognition and media attention from around the country and recently attracted interest from the world’s leading podcast publisher, iHeart Media.
Represented by DWT’s entertainment transactions team, Theo entered into a multi-year podcast production and distribution deal with iHeart in 2023, and formed his own production company to execute the deal. “It was such a rewarding experience,” said DWT attorney Jay Jimenez. “Theo is a wonderful and talented person who highlights important and sometimes overlooked issues. It was great being part of his journey and I’m happy that we could help him reach a much broader audience.”
It was such a rewarding experience. Theo is a wonderful and talented person who highlights important and sometimes overlooked issues.
Jay Jimenez | Associate
Team: Jay Jimenez, Bob Wyman, Jonathan Segal, and Marla Foreman.
Tackling Food Insecurity
With food insecurity on the rise, DWT’s pro bono and social impact department partnered with DWT’s Food + Beverage Industry Group on ten volunteer projects in nine cities. The firmwide initiative is part of the Food + Beverage team’s community service focus as a founding partner of the J.E.D.I Collaborative, an initiative from the trade group One Step Closer, to address justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the natural products industry. More than 75 volunteers made this effort a resounding success. The projects included:
Gleaning hundreds of pounds of peppers and tomatoes for DC Central Kitchen.
Rescuing excess produce from Greenmarkets in New York City and delivering them to City Harvest.
Chopping nearly 300 pounds of broccoli, kale, sweet potatoes, eggplant, and parsley for Project Open Hand in San Francisco.
Making nearly 700 sandwiches for Midnight Mission to distribute to community members in Los Angeles.
Assisting with garden prep, winterizing, and other tasks at Zenger Farm, a working urban farm in Portland that promotes sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, and access to healthy food for all.
Tackling Food Insecurity
With food insecurity on the rise, DWT’s pro bono and social impact department partnered with DWT’s Food + Beverage Industry Group on ten volunteer projects in nine cities. The firmwide initiative is part of the Food + Beverage team’s community service focus as a founding partner of the J.E.D.I Collaborative, an initiative from the trade group One Step Closer, to address justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the natural products industry. More than 75 volunteers made this effort a resounding success. The projects included:
Gleaning hundreds of pounds of peppers and tomatoes for DC Central Kitchen.
Rescuing excess produce from Greenmarkets in New York City and delivering them to City Harvest.
Chopping nearly 300 pounds of broccoli, kale, sweet potatoes, eggplant, and parsley for Project Open Hand in San Francisco.
Making nearly 700 sandwiches for Midnight Mission to distribute to community members in Los Angeles.
Assisting with garden prep, winterizing, and other tasks at Zenger Farm, a working urban farm in Portland that promotes sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, and access to healthy food for all.
Children’s Wellbeing Assistance
Supporting Small Businesses
Supporting Small Businesses
Children’s Wellbeing Assistance
DAVIS WRIGHT TREMAINE LLP
Ability, integrity, and service to others – these are the three pillars on which Davis Wright Tremaine was built. As our founding partner once famously said, “…unless we are serving mankind to the top extent of our ability and putting our best talent into that service, what good is life?”
Learn More at DWT.COM/PRO-BONO
DAVIS WRIGHT TREMAINE LLP
Ability, integrity, and service to others – these are the three pillars on which Davis Wright Tremaine was built. As our founding partner once famously said, “…unless we are serving mankind to the top extent of our ability and putting our best talent into that service, what good is life?”
Learn More at DWT.COM/PRO-BONO
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