SUMMER INTERNSHIPS FOR LAW STUDENTS
*APPLICATION DEADLINE: JANUARY 30, 2006*
The Mental Health Project of the Urban Justice Center seeks law student interns for the summer of 2006 to help us advocate for low-income people with severe mental illness in New York City. We strive to challenge our interns and to provide the supervision necessary for them to succeed. Students will have the opportunity to interview clients, represent clients at administrative hearings, research and write briefs, and work on class actions, systemic reforms, and test cases. Many summer interns have chosen to continue their work here into the academic year, and some have gone on to win Skadden, Kirkland and Ellis, and Equal Justice Works fellowships.
MHP is a small interdisciplinary team of lawyers, social workers, advocates, interns, and volunteers. Three tenets guide our work. First, we go to our clients-to hospital psychiatric wards, welfare centers, and residences for poor people with mental illness-rather than making them come to us. Second, our social workers, lawyers, and advocates work and learn together to provide holistic services to each of our clients. Third, based on our direct advocacy, we pursue systemic reform.
Our systemic work includes:
Brad H. v. City of New York, a class action requiring New York City jails to provide discharge planning to the 25,000 people with mental illness released each year from city jails. Prior to this lawsuit, the City released people with mental illness by dropping them at the Queens Plaza subway station at 3:00 a.m. with a $3.00 Metrocard and $1.50 in cash, and without any psychiatric medications or referrals to services;
Harris v. Eggleston, a class action to force New York City find and reimburse the 100,000 people with disabilities who lost their food stamps due to a computer glitch when they were approved for SSI (the federal benefit for indigent people with disabilities);
Disability Advocates, Inc. v. Pataki, a lawsuit challenging the State's practice of warehousing thousands of people with psychiatric disabilities in unsanitary adult homes; and;
Civil Rights Complaint Against HRA, an administrative complaint challenging New York City's failure to accommodate thousands of people with psychiatric disabilities in the welfare system.
To apply, mail or email a cover letter, resume and writing sample to Gretchen Gonzalez, Staff Attorney, ggonzalez@urbanjustice.org, 646-602-5683 by January 30, 2006. For more information, go to www.urbanjustice.org.
The Urban Justice Center is an equal opportunity employer. Mental health consumers, people with disabilities, people of color, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans-gendered people are encouraged to apply.
WE CANNOT RESPOND TO INQUIRIES CONCERNING APPLICATIONS
Social Action Research Internship
Homelessness Outreach and Prevention Project of the Urban Justice Center
The Urban Justice Center, Homelessness Outreach and Prevention Project (HOPP) uses multiple advocacy strategies to create positive social changes in public benefits access in New York City. The Research Initiative at HOPP is committed to understanding the systemic, institutional issues that impact access to services. We use the results of our research in advocacy for programmatic change that improves access to public social services.
We are seeking diligent and fastidious people who are committed to social justice as it relates to public benefits in New York City, and who are interested in social science research. Responsibilities in the internship involve surveying and interviewing clients during the summers, coding, compiling and analyzing data in the fall and winter, and finally editing and fact checking in the spring. We provide training to prepare interns for these varied responsibilities. We are especially interested in researchers who speak, write and read Spanish, Mandarin or Cantonese fluently. (Cantonese speakers are strongly encouraged to apply.) We also look for candidates who have quantitative research skills in statistics and SPSS. We ask for a substantial time commitment, though the specific hours vary according to the cycle of our research. You must be at least a rising sophomore (completed 1 year of college) or of equivalent experience and maturity, to qualify.
We work to create schedules that accommodate students' work and class calendars as much as we can. Our office hours are 9AM to 6PM Monday through Friday. People of color, LGBT individuals, individuals who have personal experience with poverty, and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. We much prefer to receive applications via email, but we also consider applications submitted by mail. If you are interested in using research skills for positive social change, please submit a cover letter detailing your public service and research interests and experiences, a resume, a brief (maximum 4 pages) writing sample, and a list of references to:
Ella Ewart
Research Associate
Homelessness Outreach and Prevention Project
666 Broadway, 10th floor
New York, NY 10012
eewart@urbanjustice.org
Other Internships
The UJC always welcomes internships. If you are interested, please review our website to determine which project you would like to apply for, and write to:
Urban Justice Center
Attn: Director, Project Name
666 Broadway, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10012