Day in the Office

Today, was full of paper work. I am finally beginning to better understand how to put together an application to have mailed in, whereas the past few days I learned more about the process of data mining and client interaction. I did a lot of calling clients today, asking for bits and pieces of detailed information to fill in affidavits necessary for fee waivers and other lost certificates. Every time I called a client, they were so happy to hear from the clinic even though I was sure they had no clue who I was.

I also spent a good deal time learning how to analyze and extract information from given documents, information which the clients and I have not discussed or that the client just did not know. This included immigration proceedings, visa status, and court orders.

All in all today was vital, tomorrow should be the perfect amount of time I need to prepare all of my applications to have them sent out. 


Ed. note:
Ben Akbulut is a first year law student at New England Law | Boston and will be the blogger for this week.

Intake at Chef Nicole

Hey all, today was great! We worked late into the evening. We started our day late by meeting at noon at the clinic where we all reviewed our cases and discussed what needed to be done in order to complete each application fully. This was very helpful because everyone had a unique case which the rule and guidelines of TPS applied differently too. The cases ranged from an ideal couple without any issues to borderline possible denials to more concrete cases of denial, in which there was more complex legal issues involved. In addition we had a few cases that were started earlier the week before we had arrived. After our meeting we had about an hour to work on our cases and complete researched required. Some of the research included criminal background checks and alien registration number status checks.

Later on we returned to Little Haiti to a newly opened restaurant named “Chef Nicole” that allowed us to host our clinic there for the evening. I must add we ate dinner which was phenomenal (some of the best Haitian food around). While a few of us setup others went into the neighborhood notifying everyone and anyone who either owned a shop or was on the street about the clinic. We met this one gentleman who operated a home radio station and made an announcement to community, telling them “FREE TPS at NICOLE’S!” By the time I returned from a second round of flyering the restaurant was full of clients and had one waiting for me. That night all of us had at least one client to our name.

Looks like we have some we have our work cut out for us tomorrow.


Ed. note:
Ben Akbulut is a first year law student at New England Law | Boston and will be the blogger for this week.

Day one of client intake

I wasn’t sure what to expect, the day began off with a series of early arrivers who all had vastly different stories. It is amazing to realize people who are so close to each other, be so different. I began downstairs at the entrance prescreening clients to make sure they had basic documents, photos and knew where the nearest places where to get their needs. Then I joined my group back upstairs to help them intake. As I watched other groups I saw all different types of Haitians from old to young.

The most difficult aspect was gaining the trust of the client. Oftentimes clients would tell us information that they did not want recorded or written down, things such as being in the military or type of entrance into the country, some even refused to give their real name. The trick here to calming and easing the pressure is repetitive reassurance, to constantly remind clients that we always keep confidentiality and would never take any action to adversely affect their situation.

In addition to this was the language barrier. Explaining principles such as a “stowaway” or what “adversely affects foreign policy” through solely English was really difficult, knowing a second language at this point proved to be priceless. Despite the difficulty of the language barrier, when clients left the clinic they were sincerely happy. We were able to at least explain that if we cannot help that we can point them into the right direction, which is better than doing nothing at all.

Btw they do not serve milk shakes at taco bell

Ed. note:
Ben Akbulut is a first year law student at New England Law | Boston and will be the blogger for this week.

Training and Outreach in Little Haiti

Today was the first day of the training clinic. As my first time ever involved in a such a clinic I was really nervous because I did not fully understand what TPS was. The first training session was great, we ran through every form, a mock interview and met with the attorneys and students involved with the program here at the University of Miami.

The second half of our day comprised of distributing flyers and getting the word out to the residents of Little Haiti. Flyers had content written in both English and Creole on each side. In groups of two we covered nearly all the restaurants and residential buildings in 15 square blocks. Learning simple phrases such as “Bonjour” and “Como Seva” made many elders simile. My biggest hit was in the community medical center…when I walked in, there were over two dozen people who were interested in the flyers and when I gave them one, they rifled questions at me. I took this as a good sign. There were so many people incredibly receptive to the flyer, I hope they all turnout.

All in all what a success so far.


Ed. note:
Ben Akbulut is a first year law student at New England Law | Boston and will be the blogger for this week.

Flyer Mania in Little Haiti

Given that's there's little more than week left to go, we've decided that we needed to get the word out - but in person. So this afternoon, we took to the streets of Little Haiti in an effort to let people know what we're doing and how we can help them.

We hit up a couple church parking lots (after asking permission of course) and flyered those cars like there's no tomorrow. We drove around and found a corner store and posted a couple flyers there too.

We finally found the main drag, NE 2nd Ave which is filled with storefronts, shops, and strip malls, all of them catering to the Haitian population that resides there.

For the most part people were responsive and wanted to take the flyers, even reading them right away instead of trashing them immediately. Although there was some misunderstanding as to what the fee on the page listed covered. Perhaps we need to make clear that the $470 is the cost of the application, NOT for our fees. We need to make this clear because there are attorneys who are charging for this service.

We also decided that the spring breakers are going to flyer Little Haiti on Monday afternoon, the day before their scheduled intake. This way, they'll be able to get a sense of the area upon arrival and a sense of the population to which they are dedicating their time. More importantly, they will also be able to hand a flyer to someone and say, "Yes, we are offering this free service and its tomorrow. Come and bring your family and friends who need help."

I'm hopeful that this will be a good beginning to their spring break experience and starting it off on the right foot - pounding the pavement in Little Haiti and getting a chance to talk to some people that they may actually help. I'm thinking that this would be an excellent beginning. We'll see how it goes...

-fdh

The Bewitching Hour Is Drawing Nigh...

We're about a week and a half from when the first wave of students from New England School of Law arrive. This past week we had another round of meetings, trying to get the logistics down, and of course funding. It's always about money. We're trying to find ways to get essentials, such as scanners, copiers, and such. I think HOPE, the public interest arm of the law school will lend financial and logistical support. Perhaps even the law school will throw some dollars our way. Time will tell.

I've yet to get a roster of the incoming students, so I haven't been able to reach out to them. I'm curious to know whether any students are Haitian, or Haitian-American and / or speak Creole. We have an excellent dedicated student in the clinic who is Haitian-American and has been a gem in helping with the translating needs of the clinic even before she was an official member of the clinic. Also, we have been reaching out to various groups hoping to get a firm commitment from those who can translate. More to follow.

So the translated flyers are done (Thanks Kat!) and now we need to distribute them in Little Haiti. Not sure if we're going to do that this weekend or during the week mere days before the event. Whatever the plan, we're planning to have about 30 Haitians come to Jackson Hospital on Tuesdays for intake. This is the optimal number given our resources and the time available to process the applications.

The next step is to draft an introduction email letting them know basics: regarding training, schedule, and generally what to expect. I'll try to paint a picture of the law school and Miami as warm and inviting...while simultaneously emphasizing the importance of the work and the care with which we must deal with the clients and their lives.

This is for keeps.

In any case, these emails don't write themselves, so I'm off...Until next time.

- fdh

The Beginning

This is the first post that begins the chronicling of the historic effort of UM Law's Health & Elder Law Clinic to assist Haitians in applying for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) following the devastating earthquake that killed an estimated 200,000 people in January.

Right now, we are preparing to welcome the first wave of students to our clinic and South Florida. There are many logistical details that must be finalized, hence, we are engaged in a series of meetings, brainstorming sessions, and a flurry of emails back and forth to those brave, valiant souls who have decided to take on the mantle of responsibility and answer the desperate call that many Haitians have put out following this tragic event.

We are about two weeks away from March 1st, when another form of "March Madness" will begin on the UM Law's campus. But amidst the madness, many Haitians will be helped, and invariably the rewards will be reciprocal, as a NYT article noted that a recent book concluded that those who volunteer actually experience positive psychic health results including increased happiness. If that's the case, my happiness level is poised to skyrocket over the next six weeks and I certainly hope so because it's going to take a Herculean effort from all of us at the clinic (including dedicated volunteers) to make this project a success. Only time will tell...

- fdh