This past May, the Corporation for National & Community Service announced that Equal Justice Works would receive a $1.2 million Recovery Act grant to support an additional 30 AmeriCorps Legal Fellows and more than 300 Summer Corps law students to expand legal services to victims of the economic crisis, such as those affected by mortgage foreclosures, natural disasters and other critical need areas.

Summer Corps 2009 had 59 Summer Corps members with projects focused on helping families most affected by the foreclosure crisis and other housing issues. Other Summer Corps projects funded through Recovery targeted issue areas such as access to health care, veterans' rights, homelessness, and financial literacy.

The New Face of Foreclosure-Prevention 

Stephen Scriber - 2L
Duke University School of Law
Mississippi Center for Justice
Jackson, MS

Stephen Scriber cannot think of one thing that he would change about his Summer Corps internship at Mississippi Center for Justice (MCJ). "I worked with excellent attorneys who took care to give me interesting issues to work on, assisted me along the way, and made sure I had an excellent summer experience," he says.

Stephen came to MCJ hoping to play a part in restoring Jackson after the crushing economic downturn devasted many neighborhoods. He focused his project on urban renewal, helping the city identify tracts of land in the most blighted areas. After identifying these tracts, Stephen would reveiw tax and land records so as to figure out which plots the Housing Authority might be able to seize for renewal purposes.

Along the way, Stephen says that he gained practical legal skills and a true understanding of his community's problems. "I’ve worked among people that lived in some of the neighborhoods targeted by my project; they lived among abandoned homes that had become havens for crime and drugs. They lived in a city that had lost hope in itself." Despite this bleak picture Stephen is confident. "Jackson," he says, "can still be saved."

 Member Testimonials

“It was a humbling experience to see real people struggling with the problems I have only heard about so generally and obscurely through the media, and I felt privileged and thankful to be in position to help them this summer. I hope I can continue working in the public interest field upon graduation.”

Radia Husain, The Legal Aid Society, NY

“What made my summer experience at SLLS great were my interactions with the attorneys, staff, interns, and clients. I was challenged and supported every day. “

Lui San, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, LA

Summer of Service Stories

• Foreclosure relief in the SouthCoast
• Keeping Clients in their Homes
• Saving Mississippi
  

Click for Summer Corps Standouts>>