Southern Legal Center for Youth

Upcoming Panel Event: Youth Homelessness and the Law

Thursday March 21, 2024, 12-1pm

GSU College of Law

Our Mission

We support the health, safety, stability, and education of young people in the Southern United States by advancing their legal rights. SLCY's ultimate vision is that all young people in the South have their legal needs met so that they can secure housing, education, healthcare, and other benefits and resources they need.

BIPOC and LGBTQ+ young people experience homelessness, incarceration, and family separation at disproportionate rates. We believe that the law can be used as an effective tool in preventing and ending these experiences when young people can assert their voice and rights through person-centered legal representation.

 

ACCESSIBLE

We break down legal barriers between young people and systems by educating them on their rights and increasing access to benefits and resources.

HOLISTIC

Effective legal representation includes ensuring that a young person's basic needs are met so that they can focus on achieving their hopes and dreams.

PARTNERS

Not only do we partner with young people to navigate complex systems, we collaborate across our community to strengthen young people's access to justice.


Our Youth Homelessness Program

"Our Youth Homelessness Program uses the law as a tool to keep young people housed and prevent legal issues from snowballing to the point of causing housing instability. Every young person deserves legal representation that not only meets their immediate needs, but ensures that they can reach their full potential."

Liz Harding Chao, Founder & President, SLCY

We have heard from youth homelessness providers that young people need support with resolving civil legal matters, to avoid homelessness and to obtain housing. In response, we are setting up drop-in civil legal clinics and workshops with Atlanta-area youth homeless service providers. We are looking for volunteer attorneys and law students who are passionate about serving young people and have experience in civil law

We are always looking to expand our reach across the community by building relationships with organizations that serve young people experiencing homelessness and housing instability. If you're interested in partnering with us to do teach-ins to help young people learn their rights, or to start drop-in legal clinics, we would love to hear from you.

Support Justice for Youth

Funds invested in SLCY improve young people's access to safe housing, education, healthcare and benefits and our collaboration with community partners. Help us reach our goals and serve more young people by donating. 

 

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