We assessed our Eviction Defense Program and have identified areas of improvement.

AVLF Safe and Stable Homes team members have recently assessed the Eviction Defense Program and have identified areas of improvement to help in getting our volunteers engaged and our clients served.

First, as a way to reduce emails and increase more direct communication, we will be rolling out Office Hours with Crystal. Every other week, volunteers can drop in at any point during the 1-hour duration to hear about available cases, ask questions about an active case they’re working, or learn about other ways to help tenants facing eviction. This will allow attorneys to ask questions before committing to a case and provide an opportunity for attorneys to speak directly with Crystal about cases and the skills needed to be successful. Office Hours will take place on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays from 11-12 PM ET. Contact volunteer@avlf.org for the link.

Secondly, we’d like all of our Eviction Defense-trained volunteer attorneys to consider an Attorney Pledge – commit to being “on-call” at least 1 month a year to receive case pitches and ultimately accept 1 case throughout that month. Attorneys will sign up for a time period that works for their availability, and we’ll limit sending them case pitches to that month. Through accountability, we seek to increase the number of eviction cases that are accepted while being mindful of volunteers’ time and capacity.

We expect these updates will help us all be more efficient so we can put our best efforts towards tenants in crisis. We’ll be sending a survey out soon to Eviction Defense-trained attorneys – we hope you’ll take the time to share your feedback so we can work together towards a greater impact here in Atlanta.

For questions or more information please email Susan Leonard, Volunteer Engagement Manager, at sleonard@avlf.org