The Lawyers Clearinghouse hosted a highly-successful 27th Annual Meeting on June 9 at the Boston office of Nixon Peabody, having raised $125,000 with the help of an active event committee and the ongoing generosity of corporate and individual donors, law firms, and other partner organizations.
Over 150 meeting attendees gathered to hear remarks from guest speaker Rep. Kevin G. Honan, Chair of the Joint Committee on Housing, and honoree Tom Gleason, Executive Director of MassHousing, who have each spent nearly four decades promoting and preserving affordable housing in Massachusetts.
The money raised through this year’s event will help the Clearinghouse continue to provide much-needed pro bono legal service to Massachusetts nonprofits and homeless and low-income individuals and families.
Homelessness is on the rise in Massachusetts, and this fact was central to the opening remarks made by Clearinghouse Board President Nancy Blueweiss, who explained that the Clearinghouse has seen a 20% increase in demand for legal services for the homeless. She also announced two new initiatives the Clearinghouse will undertake in 2015, focused on assisting homeless youth and the many homeless families who currently live in motels around the state.
Attendees then listened to a first-hand account from former Legal Clinic client Donald Sequeira, who spent years being homeless before securing housing with the help of volunteer attorneys from Choate Hall & Stewart.
“Today, one of my prized possessions is the keys to my apartment, which I wear on a keychain around my neck,” Sequeira said.
His speech was a testament to the hard work those in the state’s affordable housing community – many of whom were in attendance – have undertaken over the years to help make Massachusetts a leading example nationwide. One recent success, the passage of a $1.4 billion Housing Bond bill, was due in no small part to the dedication of guest speaker Rep. Kevin G. Honan, the bill’s lead sponsor, who spoke after Mr. Sequiera.
Rep. Honan has long been a champion for low and moderate-income residents in the state, and he spoke excitedly about the many housing initiatives made possible by the bill. He closed out his speech by thanking honoree Tom Gleason, with whom he has worked closely for decades.
“Usually in the public sector, the reward for service is more service,” he said, “but tonight it’s ‘thank you,’ so thank you, Tom.”
Event Co-Chair and former Clearinghouse honoree Larry Curtis, of WinnDevelopment, then welcomed Tom Gleason to the podium.
“He has led MassHousing to new heights, will continue to lead MassHousing to new heights, and continues to lead the national debate on housing creation and affordable and workforce housing in his capacity as the head of the National Council of State Housing Agencies. So it really is, for me, quite an honor to introduce tonight’s honoree, Tom Gleason,” Curtis said.
In a speech that was both heartfelt and funny, Tom Gleason spoke of his career and explained his personal connection to affordable housing.
After his father died suddenly when Gleason was 16, his family struggled to make ends meet. His mother was finally able to move into an affordable housing unit while he was in college, and she later lived in elder housing.
“Those units stabilized her life both socially and financially, and mine, because I knew that if she was okay, then I would be, too,” Gleason said. “So I tell this story to give a little perspective about why I’ve worked the public side of the housing street for 35 years. It’s why I do what I do.”
Following a standing ovation, Larry Curtis presented Gleason with the Lawyers Clearinghouse Leadership Award in recognition of his tireless efforts in the affordable housing industry.
Josephine McNeil was also honored for twenty years of service on the Clearinghouse board of directors, and board member Steve Nolan closed out the evening by thanking the event committee, the rest of the board, staff, and event sponsors and guests.
The Clearinghouse would like to thank our sponsors and guests for supporting us and contributing to another successful event. Funds raised through our annual meeting will support our pro bono legal services, educational seminars, and the Access to Justice Fellows Program.
