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Top White House Homelessness Official Announces Groundbreaking Strategic Alliance
July 21, 2008 | Robinson Donovan, P.C.
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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Philip F. Mangano, executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, was in Springfield on Monday, July 21 to announce the formation of a pioneering partnership between Springfield law firm Robinson Donovan, P.C., and the Northampton-based non-profit agency Soldier On. The partnership will find Robinson Donovan lending not only financial support but legal assistance to Soldier On, an organization that helps homeless veterans overcome obstacles, including addiction, and reclaim a place in their communities.
Mr. Mangano discussed the partnership in an event at the Marriott Springfield hotel. Mr. Mangano has served as executive director of the Interagency Council on Homelessness since 2002, when he was appointed to the post by the president. The council is made up of 20 Cabinet secretaries and federal agency directors who convene regularly at the White House with the mission of ensuring that federal resources are available and accessible for combating chronic homelessness. Mr. Mangano’s and the council’s efforts to end homelessness have been lauded by Time Magazine, the Associated Press, The Boston Globe, The Boston Phoenix, Governing magazine and the Associated Press. In 2007, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government named the Interagency Council on Homelessness one of the “Top 50 Government Innovations” in the United States.
Soldier On, founded in 1994, provides assistance to homeless veterans within an atmosphere of dignity, integrity and hope. Veterans make up 20 percent of America’s homeless population, with as many as 275,000 vets sleeping on the streets of our country on any given night. Those numbers are growing as veterans return from the Middle East with higher-than-ever rates of PTSD and other psychological disorders brought on or exacerbated by their combat service. Soldier On operates shelters and transitional living facilities for homeless veterans in Leeds (a section of Northampton) and Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The organization helps veterans — who come from as far away as New Haven, Connecticut — get back on their feet and stay there with programs that help with substance abuse, provide job training and education, and give formerly homeless vets an anchor in their communities. Soldier On provides support for start-up businesses owned and operated by Veterans at its Pittsfield transitional living facility. The organization is currently moving forward on the creation of limited equity housing for formerly homeless vets. Soldier On’s limited equity housing projects in Pittsfield and later Leeds will be the first of their kind in the United States and will serve as a national model.
Robinson Donovan also is breaking new ground in its relationship with Soldier On. Based on a belief that the firm could and should do more to support meaningful causes than simply writing an annual check, Robinson Donovan sought out Soldier On for this new partnership. The firm and its partners have pledged to help Soldier On spread the word about its mission and services — dedicating the law firm’s own marketing budget to promoting and building awareness for Solder On programs — and to help with legal and strategy on initiatives including the limited equity housing projects and veteran-owned businesses.
For more information about Soldier On click below.
More information
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