ABA's work on homeless courts to receive government recognition

The ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty (CHP) will receive recognition for its work providing homeless court technical assistance, training, implementation and national replication from the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), the federal agency that leads the implementation of the federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness.

The USICH 2020 Extra Mile Recognition Ceremony, which will honor organizations and individuals that have been instrumental in addressing homelessness in the midst of COVID-19, will be held virtually via the National Press Club on Monday, Dec. 7 at 1 p.m. ET. It will be live-streamed on YouTube and Facebook.

ABA President Patricia Lee Refo and CHP’s Special Adviser on Homeless Courts Steve Binder, founder of the nation’s first homeless court, will accept the recognition. Other organizations and individuals being honored for their work include Amelia Nickerson, CEO of First Step, a national organization that works to find jobs for individuals transitioning from homelessness; Factory OS, which builds innovative affordable housing in northern California; Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.

“The American Bar Association’s Commission on Homelessness and Poverty has supported efforts to expand homeless courts across the country since 2001, guided by the concept’s creator Steve Binder,” said Refo. “The foundation of the homeless court model is the simple – and now evidence-based – fact that giving defendants the opportunity to address the root causes of their behavior reduces recidivism better than continually punishing people.”