Making connections at Project Homeless Connect

Posted: 5:59 pm Thu, December 13, 2012
By Minnesota Lawyer Staff

Target Corp. attorney Toni Dembski (left) and solo practioner Barry Edwards help a homeless man with his divorce. (Staff photo: Bill Klotz)

Hennepin County and Minneapolis on Dec. 10 hosted the Project Homeless Connect at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The event, in its 13th year, provides a one-stop service center to the homeless, offering assistance as simple as a haircut to as complex as a legal matter. More than 1,600 people were expected to connect with more than 125 service agencies.

Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman was reported as saying “There’s no government money in Project Homeless Connect.  It’s really been various levels of government and staff coming together along with the legal community, faith community, nonprofits and over a thousand volunteers who give their time at each Project Homeless Connect event to basically help people navigate all these systems.”

Kudos to Jodie Boderman, pro bono manager at Faegre Baker Daniels, for putting together the legal coverage. She brought about 65 lawyers, 15 law student, 15 paralegals and five court employees down to the convention center to help out.