Services provided exceeded or met our annual goals. The impact of these services include: safer living environment for children, preservation of healthy parent-child relationships, protection of families from dangerous and illegal housing conditions, protection of stable housing and prevention of homelessness, protection of a family’s scarce resources for basic living expenses (preserved financial stability and independence), and removing barriers to employment to approximately 8,000 low-income residents of the state of Minnesota and their families.

2012/13 Annual Goals - Volunteer Lawyers Network SERVICES 1) Explore appropriate role of limited scope services (and pro bono) in efforts to expand the civil right to counsel; 2) Improve ongoing internal procedures to more effectively identify, track and share legal outcomes of VLN services and the resulting positive impact on clients’ lives; 3) Based on state demographics indicating geographic areas of greatest need continue efforts to expand services on a statewide basis, while maintaining commitment to serving the unmet need in Hennepin County; VOLUNTEERS 4) Continue efforts to recruit a more diverse base of attorney and other volunteers. Analyze by area of law retention problem areas; 5) Continue efforts to educate volunteers about cross-cultural communication and internal biases, including by creating mini-webinars; 6) Improve area-specific training for new volunteers; FINANCE 7) Define and meet our funding gap in FY 12-13 and institutionalize more effective communications with volunteers and funders to engage them more powerfully as partners in our mission; 8) Continue efforts to increase individual giving; RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER ENTITIES 9) Improve outreach by developing a tool to help our partners, collaborators, and clients understand VLN eligibility criteria, including income, issue, and geographic; GOVERNANCE 10) In June 2013, the Chair will appoint a new strategic planning committee to create the strategic plan to guide VLN from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2019.

Low-income residents of Minnesota

State of Minnesota