HOMELESS PERSONS REPRESENTATION PROJECT, INC.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________




Re: Sixth Annual Campaign to End Homelessness

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

We need your help to end homelessness in Maryland. We truly need your help now. I am writing to urge
you to support the Sixth Annual Campaign to End Homelessness to benefit the Homeless Persons
Representation Project (HPRP).

As a young lawyer in Baltimore in the 1980s, I volunteered for HPRP to provide free legal counseling to
homeless mothers and children at the Booth House on Calvert Street. I still remember their stories, their
struggles, their need for help, and their need for hope. We all deserve a home or apartment, a place to be
safe, a place to raise our children, a place to feel human.

I have rejoined this tremendous cause because our neighbors without housing need us now more than ever.
Homelessness in Baltimore City has not declined in 5 years and the numbers of homeless children and
youth statewide have steadily increased over the last 5 years. We must respond to these dire statistics.

HPRP, even though it is a relatively small organization, has had an extraordinary impact in improving our
communities. HPRP uses the law to help stabilize the lives of nearly 800 youth, adults and families who are
homeless or at risk of homelessness every year. With a small budget of about $900,000, HPRP leverages
the resources of over 500 volunteer lawyers, paralegals, and law students to provide legal representation.

Here is one example of the effect of HPRPs work. Rachel*, a female veteran of the US Air Force began
working with HPRP when she was living in a homeless shelter. Rachel had such severe disabilities that she
had been unable to work since 2009, yet she had been denied both Social Security benefits and benefits
from the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Rachel could not afford housing without these benefits,
so HPRP stepped in and successfully won both Social Security and VA benefits for her. Rachel received
nearly $40,000 in retroactive benefits and an ongoing benefit of over $2,500 per month, well over the
average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the Baltimore area. Today, Rachel lives in her own home.

HPRP also advocates for policy changes to end homelessness. During the 2014 Maryland General
Assembly Session, HPRP led a coalition, together with the Public Justice Center, homeless youth and other
organizations, which saw successful passage of legislation addressing youth homelessness. One bill creates
Marylands first pilot initiative to count homeless youth unaccompanied by a parent or guardian; another
offers a tuition waiver to unaccompanied homeless youth, enabling them to attend public universities,
colleges and state-approved vocational programs, a critical step toward a stable, self-sufficient adulthood.

I have already made my pledge for money to help HPRP, and vow to do everything I can to raise funds to
help fight the homelessness of our neighbors. Please join us by contributing as much as you can. A
donation form is enclosed or you can donate online at www.hprplaw.org. HPRP will publicly thank donors
in The Daily Record throughout the Campaign. Forgive me in advance when we follow up this letter with
phone calls asking for your help, but homelessness requires us to be persistent, dedicated and tireless.

Your contribution will make an enormous difference for people, like Rachel, who need HPRPs services to
obtain and maintain one of our most basic human needs a home. Thank you for your consideration, for
caring, and for your support. I am truly grateful for the time you took to read this letter. Now, please, take
the time to donate so we may provide legal resources for the individuals, families and children of Maryland.

Sincerely,

Michael A. Brown, Esq.
Miles & Stockbridge PC
Honorary Chair, Sixth Annual Campaign to End Homelessness


Campaign Committee
Susannah Bennett, Esq.
Marriott International, Inc..
Michael Goecke, Esq.
Lerch, Early & Brewer, Chtd.
Craig B. Merkle, Esq.
Goodell, Devries, Leech & Dann, LLP
David G. Sommer, Esq.
Gallagher Evelius & Jones LLP
Board
Irving E. Walker, Esq.
Cole, Schotz, Meisel, Forman
& Leonard, P.A.
President
David E. Wolfe, Esq.
Alex. Brown Realty, Inc.
Vice President
Jacqueline Allen, Esq.
Saul Ewing, LLP
Treasurer
Kathleen McGinley, Esq.
Ober/Kaler, Attorneys at Law
Secretary
Shelly Marie Martin, Esq.
Assistant Secretary
Erin Charles
SC&H Group, Inc.
John Eidleman, Esq.
Legal Services Corporation
C. Carnot Evans, III, Esq.
Marriott International, Inc.
Jane Harrison
Consultant
Harry Kassap, Esq.
Kassap Investments
Nick King
Kent Morrison, Esq.
Crowell & Moring, LLP
Russell R. Reno, Jr., Esq.
Public Justice Center
Edward F. Walton, II
Wilmington Trust
Arnold M. Weiner, Esq.
Law Offices of Arnold M. Weiner
Executive Director
Antonia K. Fasanelli, JD**
* Affiliations for identification
purposes only.
** Admitted in NY and DC only
Michael A. Brown, Esq., Miles & Stockbridge PC
Honorary Campaign Chair
201 N. Charles St., Suite 1104 Baltimore, MD 21201 410-685-6589 410-625-0361 (Fax) www.hprplaw.org