Downloadable Documents

  1. •H.E.L.P. Manual

  2. •2009 Coverage Calendar

  3. •Pre-Consultation Form

  4. •Intake Form

  5. •Disclaimer Form

  6. •Disclaimer Form (generic)

  7. •Referral Form

Service Locations

  1. •Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)

  2. 32 Broadway, 15th Floor

  3. New York, NY 10004

  4. 212-422-4855

  5. www.ceoworks.org

  6. •Project Renewal – Third Street Men's Shelter

  7. www.projectrenewal.org

  8. •Urban Pathways – The Open Door

  9. 402 West 41st Street

  10. New York, NY 10036

  11. 212-465-0975

  12. www.urbanpathways.org

  13. •Urban Pathways – The Antonio G. Olivieri Center

  14. 257 West 30th Street

  15. New York, NY 10001

  16. 212-947-3211

  17. www.urbanpathways.org

Local Contacts

  1. •New York City, NY (H.E.L.P. Program): Feerick Center for Social Justice and Dispute Resolution

  2. Contacts:

  3. -Dean John Feerick

  4. JFEERICK@law.fordham.edu

  5. -Dora Galacatos

  6. GALACATOS@law.fordham.edu

  7. -Tom Bisdale

  8. tbisdale@hearst.com

  9. -Rosanne Haggerty

  10. RHaggerty@commonground.org

Update on H.E.L.P. in New York City

HELP volunteers continued to serve at three centers serving the homeless and those at risk in 2010, down from four in prior years due to a consolidation of city programs and facilities. The busiest remained the Center for Employment Opportunities, serving primarily recently imprisoned people seeking to reintegrate into the work force, where volunteers were scheduled to see four clients per week on Wednesday mornings but often saw up to seven if time allowed. While child support issues predominated, many sought assistance to clear rap sheets and remove other obstacles to employment in certain businesses. At Project Renewal-Third Street Shelter volunteers saw on average four clients per week on Friday mornings, many with issues related to identity theft, orders of protection and Social Security benefits. The need for the services of volunteers was reduced at the Olivieri Center for Women and Men due to changes in the turnover of its population as well as the ability of its own caseworkers to address a broad range of benefit and other issues. As a result, HELP sessions were cut back there to the first Friday morning of each month.  


Volunteers come from 11 major NY firms plus two individual attorneys. The reduction in facilities served was somewhat fortuitous in that many firms were challenged to recruit volunteers as the economic downturn affected available staff.


On the program side, the Feerick Center hosted a reception for HELP volunteers in January 2010 also attended by representatives of the agencies served and several judges. The Center also sponsored four orientation and training sessions hosted by different firms, including highly informative programs on clearing parking and traffic violations, a surprisingly common impediment for many homeless, and overcoming barriers to obtaining publicly subsidized housing.


The program has commitments from volunteers to continue serving the three agencies in 2011 through the end of the year, for which we remain grateful.