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How Prisoners' Family Members Can Assist Overworked Public Defenders

Maura Ewing

June 05, 2017 |

The Atlantic |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Norristown, Pennsylvania

Public defenders' caseloads are too large for them to be able to provide the details that a loved one of an offender can provide in court. Participatory Defense programs train loved ones of the offender to be able to provide a testimony, often resulting in less severe sentences.

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A Haven From Trauma's Cruel Grip

Patricia Leigh Brown

May 31, 2017 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

Victims of trauma are at risk for substance abuse, depression, or other difficulties. Trauma Recovery Centers are becoming increasingly prevalent for their ability to provide a wide range of services.

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How a Small Town Is Standing Up to Fracking

Justin Nobel

May 22, 2017 |

Rolling Stone |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Grant Township, Pennsylvania

While the U.S. economy enjoys the cheap fuel prices afforded by fracking, the consequences on the environment and communities like Grant Township in Pennsylvania reveal the ugly underbelly of the oil and gas industry and the broken regulatory infrastructure of state and federal government. But Grant wasn't willing to roll over and just let their woodlands and water sources be polluted, so they worked together and took a creative defense against the installation of a toxic injection well in their town: by granting the trees, animals, and streams rights to protection and battling it out in court.

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Eviction prevention efforts in Baltimore lag

Doug Donovan Jean Marbella

May 06, 2017 |

The Baltimore Sun |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

Resources to prevent evictions in Baltimore continue to decline, even while other cities are allotting more resources to keeping people in their homes. This article explores the many problems facing Baltimore tenants trying to avoid eviction and juxtaposes those examples with those of other cities such as New York, which is actually expanding funding for attorneys to represent tenants because avoiding evictions saves money. Many organizations in Baltimore say people often need help just once to avert a crisis, but the funds available to help continue to dwindle.

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Leveling the playing field in rent court

The Baltimore Sun Editorial Board

April 30, 2017 |

The Baltimore Sun |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

This is an opinion piece by the paper's staff based on a large series of investigative stories about evictions and substandard housing in Baltimore. It critiques a system that was designed to protect tenants, where they can get a judge to set up an escrow account to collect rent while landlords make repairs, because it usually favors landlords over tenants. The column outlines specific fixes that would address this imbalance, including more code inspections, a more transparent process and laws that hold landlords accountable for substandard properties.

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These Undocumented Teens are Silent No More

Soni Sangha

April 26, 2017 |

Bright Magazine |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Undocumented immigrant youth are turning to activism to find their voice. Across the nation, young undocumented high school students are finding support within activism groups and fighting for change. “I started to see that when you’re organizing and you get people together, it all works out perfectly. The effect is not negative, it’s positive. It’s bringing people up, giving them hope.”

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Dismissed: Tenants lose, landlords win in Baltimore's rent court

Doug Donovan Jean Marbella

April 26, 2017 |

The Baltimore Sun |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore is home to the nation’s first housing court. Established 70 years ago, the court was supposed to hold landlords accountable for code violations, such as failing to provide heat, remove lead paint, or respond to pest infestations. But today, even if city inspectors deem properties so endangering to health and safety that they are uninhabitable, judges routinely require tenants to pay withheld rent before cases are even heard.

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Will Limited-Equity Cooperatives Make a Comeback?

Lillian M. Ortiz

April 25, 2017 |

Shelterforce |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Limited Equity Co-ops provide a long term, affordable housing solution for tenants. The method began in the 60s and is slowly rising again. In a LEC the value of the housing unit can’t go up to market value, and therefore preserves affordable prices for a longer period of time. “The history of limited-equity co-ops is full of residents who work together to fight eviction and take care of their building.” There are an estimated 160,000 LEC’s nationally.

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A Focus on Health to Resolve Urban Ills

Amy Maxmen

April 19, 2017 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Richmond, California

Social and economic factors are increasingly being linked to health circumstances and outcomes. This article highlights the city of Richmond, California, which has responded to this correlation, integrating issues of health into all levels of policy.

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How to Turn Neighborhoods Into Hubs of Resilience

Taj James Rosa González

April 14, 2017 |

Yes! Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Community development programs in cities around the country show how using connectedness and equity as focal points in sparking community change can be successful and sustainable in the long-term. From a Brooklyn grassroots environmental justice organization sustainably rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy to a coalition of nonprofits in Richmond fueling public participation in renewable energy awareness, these entities rely on relationships, equity and bonding over shared communities to foster solutions.

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