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March - April 2001

The March-April 2001 issue of Clearinghouse Review includes articles on barriers to homeless persons' access to SSI and food stamps, early intervention and early childhood programs, bankruptcy, and assisting community-based organizations.

What's Up? Legal Services Corporation v. Velazquez
Food Stamp and SSI Benefits: Removing Access Barriers for Homeless People
Homeless people face many critical barriers in applying for and obtaining Supplemental Security Income and food stamps but, with advocacy support, can avail of strategies for removing those barriers.

By Jeremy Rosen, Rebecca Hoey, and Theresa Steed
Overpaid But Underfed: The Revised Regulations Regarding Overpayment Collection in the Federal Food Stamp Program
In the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Congress made a number of changes in the federal Food Stamp Program. The first of the final regulations of the Department of Agriculture implementing the statutory changes concerns the establishment and collection of Food Stamp overpayments. Legal challenges are available to several of the more significant changes that are unfavorable to food stamp recipients.

By Jonathan Givner and Gary Smith
Bankruptcy and the Low-Income Client
Although often regarded as a tool for people with more assets, bankruptcy can be helpful as well for low-income clients facing constant demands from creditors and collection agencies and needing a fresh start. An overview of the bankruptcy process, particularly proceedings under Chapter 7 and Chapter 13, gives a sense of the pros and cons for low-income clients and shows how such clients may respond when they are creditors, not debtors, in a bankruptcy petition.

By David S. Yen
Early Intervention and Early Childhood Programs: Essential Tools for Child Welfare Advocacy
Children in foster care are often very young and frequently have disproportionate risks to their health and development. Early intervention and early childhood programs address these children’s needs, ameliorate developmental delays, and strengthen families.

By Sheryl Dicker and Elysa Gordon
Assisting Community-Based Organizations in Forming Nonprofit Corporations and Gaining Tax-Exempt Status: A Nuts-and-Bolts Approach
A Legal Services of Northern California staff attorney offers free clinics on the pros and cons of forming a nonprofit corporation, the basics of the articles of incorporation and bylaws, and the requirements of tax-exempt status

By Kathryn Lang
Chasing the Justice and Equality Dream
Remarks at the closing ceremony of Celebration 2000—Working together to Champion Justice, Washington State Bar Association, September 16, 2000.

By David Hall
Chalk on the Blacktop
Review of Jane Roessner’s A Decent Place to Live: From Columbia Point to Harbor Point (Northeastern University Press 2000).

By Daniel P. Lindsey
Technology Innovations: The Pine Tree Legal Assistance Project
Technology Innovations highlights technology projects developed by legal services programs. The first in the series highlights Maine's HelpMeLaw client and advocate portal site project which utilizes a highly sophisticated search engine and is built on open source software.

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