The Mintz Levin 2008 Pro Bono Report 29 Harvard Square Homeless Shelter In February 1983, a Harvard University student had the idea to work with the University Lutheran Church in Cambridge to open a student-run emergency homeless shelter in the basement of the church building. Ever since, the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter has provided a place to sleep for 24 homeless men and women each night from November to April, as well as breakfast and dinner for many more in the homeless community. The Shelter has also provided thousands of Harvard students with opportunities to learn about and serve the community around them. In addition to being the only shelter in the United States that is staffed exclusively by undergraduate volunteers, the Shelter is one of the most inexpensively-run shelters in Massachusetts. Over the past few years, Mintz Levin has provided legal assistance in a variety of areas. This past year, the Shelter needed to renegotiate its lease with the church that has housed the Shelter for the entirety of its existence. Attorneys Katherine Holliday and Ronald Nelson quickly intervened on behalf of the shelter and renegotiated a favorable lease with the church building’s owners. It was because of the quick and able assistance of Mintz Levin’s corporate attorneys that the Shelter has been able to open its doors to those in need of food and shelter not only this year, but for many years to come. As one student leader at the Shelter wrote to Ronald, “Thank you very much for your help with hammering out the shelter lease. It’s nice to know that you were able to make changes to improve [the lease]. The Shelter opened last night and we’re off to a great start this year thanks to your help.” …To Reach Across Borders Tahirih Justice Center Crystal Barnes and Sophia Isani conducted research to assist the Tahirih Justice Center with its preparation in advance of a congressional briefing on gender-based asylum in the U.S. The research provided a history of legislation and cases discussing forced sterilization as persecution. Marbree Sullivan provided additional research regarding executive orders on this topic. Immigration Our Immigration Section has provided immigration services on behalf of indigent clients and non-profits over the past year. One example of this work is the representation of a young Honduran girl, abandoned by her parents, that Marisa Howe and Timothy Rempe took on three years ago. Based on the application that they prepared, filed, and pursued, the girl was granted legal permanent residency by an immigration judge this past year. Over this long period, the young woman found placement with a caring and supportive foster family, who have helped her to grow in a nurturing environment and are now interested in adopting her. …For Shelter and Good Health