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HOW HOMELESS COURT WORKS

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STEP ONE - SIGN UP:

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Participant begins by:

(A) working with one of the approved Homeless Court Providers

(current list here: http://bit.ly/sdhcp);

OR

(B) having already made progress on their own or through a different program, the Participant self-refers themselves by emailing sandiego@homelesscourtprogram.org to discuss options. 

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STEP TWO - REFERRAL:

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(A) once the Participant has satisfied the requirements of their Provider, the Provider will submit the referral directly to HCP;

The Participant will then be given a date and location to appear for Homeless Court Counseling and Graduation.

(B) If this was a self-referral, specific instructions will be given once your documents have been approved by the HCP Committee for referral.

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STEP THREE - COUNSELING AND GRADUATION:

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WEEK ONE

The court and prosecution prepare cases on the list for the next scheduled Homeless Court session.

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WEEK TWO - Counseling

The assigned defense attorney meets with the Participant in the community at the designated location (either VVSD or Father Joe's) one week before the court hearing to go over the eligible cases, review the potential resolutions, and discuss options.

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WEEK THREE - Graduation!

Court personnel travel to the homeless service agency location (either VVSD or Father Joe's) for an official hearing of Participants’ cases.

Participant appears in front of the judge, has their case(s) resolved, and leaves with court paperwork.

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More questions? Click here!

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Success

  • Nearly 2000 participants resolved more than 7000 cases in the HCP from 2009 to 2012.

  • The average appearance rate of participants increased to 91.58% in 2012 from 75.97% in 2009.

  • The Stand Down event helped 706 homeless veterans resolve 2,941 cases from 2008 to 2012.

How HCP Works: About
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