Homelessness Action Legal Team
About HALT
The Homelessness Action Legal Team (HALT) is a national legal community effort to serve and protect homeless Americans and those at risk of becoming homeless. HALT members serve as core support for the National Homelessness Law Center to achieve our mission of using the power of the law to prevent and end homelessness.
HALT, formerly known as LEAP (Lawyer’s Executive Advisory Partnership) was rebranded in early 2022 to better incorporate our values and mission into the name of the program.
Through membership in HALT, the Law Center offers law firms and corporate legal departments many opportunities to leverage pro bono legal services throughout the year. HALT members have participated in the fight to end homelessness through litigating educational rights for children, challenging anti-camping laws, researching the impact of criminalization, and more.
HALT members receive special recognition throughout the year and invitations to exclusive HALT events. HALT members not only work on high-profile pro bono projects that address systemic injustices and help prevent and end homelessness, but they also have the opportunity to proactively weigh in on our homelessness advocacy strategy.
In 2021, the Law Center’s groundbreaking legal work included:
Protecting Human and Civil Rights: In February 2021, we settled our landmark case Martin v. Boise, in conjunction with HALT Member Latham & Watkins and Idaho Legal Aid which includes $1.3 Million in new funding to provide housing, shelter and services for Boise’s homeless community.
Pushing for Housing Rights During the COVID pandemic: In partnership with hundreds of other national and local organizations, the Law Center won multiple extensions of the national eviction moratorium and billions of dollars in emergency rental payments in the American Rescue Plan Act.
Establishing Housing as a Human Right in Federal Policy: Thanks to decades of advocacy, the Law Center, with the assist from the team at Akin Gump, finally saw the human right to housing firmly established as the baseline of federal Administration policy. President Biden and HUD Secretary Fudge stated that housing should be a right for every American multiple times. The US Interagency Council on Homelessness stated the right would be a “core value” of its new federal strategic plan to end homelessness, and thanks to the Law Center’s coordination, “housing should be a human right” was the top message received by USICH in comments on the plan.
Supporting Youth Experiencing Homelessness: The Law Center released its third edition the State Index on Youth Homelessness, an advocacy tool created in collaboration with True Colors and support from HALT member Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, who helped to collect and evaluate new data on youth homelessness in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
HALT Events
HALT Think Tank
The Homelessness Action Legal Team (HALT) is a community of law firms and corporate members mobilizing against new threats to the lives and rights of unhoused persons. To deepen HALT’s impact in 2023, the National Homelessness Law Center is launching the HALT Think Tank; a series of four discussions about the Law Center’s legal and legislative strategy where we will provide opportunities to learn how you can support this critical civil and human rights work!
Think Tank Kick Off – February 27, 2023
At the first Think Tank meeting, representatives from HALT Member firms discussed the work they have done to push our legal and legislative goals forward!
HALT Pro Bono Victories
For more details and to join HALT, view our HALT information sheet, complete our 2023 HALT membership form, and contact Jennifer Toth Clary at jclary@homelesslaw.org.
Thank you to our current HALT members!