Our Projects

Primary Caretakers Bill

(6 volunteers | 3-4 hrs/wk | Year-long | Hybrid)

YULAA volunteers will work to support WAMI in building out the Primary Caretakers Bill for the next legislative session. The bill aims to produce alternatives to incarceration for primary caretakers of family members (i.e., children, ailing spouses, aging parents, and others) through community-based programs. YULAA volunteers will first work on revamping this bill that has been passed in Tennessee and Washington to fit the needs of justice-impacted primary caretakers in Connecticut through legislative research and bill-writing workshops. After working on legislative language and research, YULAA volunteers will work with WAMI to build momentum to get the bill passed and mobilize support — including trips to Connecticut’s capital.

Women Living with Violent Convictions (WLVC) Campaign

(4 volunteers | 3-4 hrs/wk | Year-long | Hybrid)

YULAA volunteers will work on WAMI's WLVC campaign to gather data and propose legislation to eliminate barriers for women living with violent convictions. Justice-impacted women are disproportionately affected by inaccessibility to resources. This campaign works to bring the plight of women living with violent convictions to light, while working to eliminate these barriers by building a coalition to produce concrete legislative solutions. YULAA volunteers will work on building out this coalition with existing members and also, identify legislative gaps through legal research.

​​Legislative Accountability

(3 volunteers | 3-4 hrs/wk | Year-long | Hybrid)

YULAA volunteers will follow up on current legislation for justice-impacted people, such as Clean Slate, Ban the Box, and Regulate DOC Healthcare in order to increase governmental transparency and accountability on these measures. This legal research will result in reports regarding the efficacy of these bills and areas for further improvement. Volunteers will then assemble How to Draft a Bill guides to assist the Primary Caretakers Bill and WLVC Campaign projects, in addition to future YULAA volunteers at WAMI.

Participatory Defense/Court Watch (New Haven and Bridgeport)

(4 volunteers NHVN and 3 volunteers Bridgeport | 3-4 hrs/wk | Year-long | In-person)

YULAA volunteers will help WAMI resume Court Watch and Participatory Defense programs at the New Haven State Courthouse and Bridgeport Courthouse. Volunteers will attend court sessions where they will observe, take notes, and connect with justice-impacted women in order to help them navigate the legal system and provide advocacy.

Public Awareness

(2 volunteers | 2-4 hrs/wk with flexibility | Year-long | Remote)

YULAA volunteers will work on public relations matters for Lawyers for Children America. LFCA recruits attorneys to provide pro-bono representation for abused and neglected children in juvenile courts. They help protect the rights of children and advocate for systematic change to improve the lives of children. YULAA volunteers will help develop LFCA's newsletter, assist in presentations to pro-bono attorneys, and highlight cases they are working on. This project will give students a glimpse into the internal work of a legal aid organization focused on child advocacy and family law.

Legal Research

(2 volunteers | 2-4 hrs/wk with flexibility | Year-long | Remote)

YULAA volunteers will observe and/or receive information regarding relevant court hearings and research legislation that impacts the work of Lawyers for Children America (LFCA). LFCA recruits attorneys to provide pro-bono representation for abused and neglected children in juvenile courts. Checking on current, new, and past legal news, texts, and legislation will strengthen knowledge of the legal world while working with an impactful organization. Additionally, students will gain insight into court hearings and legal systems in Connecticut.

Outreach and Recruitment

(2 volunteers | 2-4 hrs/wk with flexibility | Year-long | Remote)

YULAA volunteers will identify pro-bono firms for Lawyers for Children America (LFCA) recruitment. LFCA recruits attorneys to provide pro-bono representation for abused and neglected children in juvenile courts. Project members will gain direct experience and insight into how an advocacy organization functions.

Newhallville Historical Research

(4 volunteers | 4 hrs/wk | Year-long | Hybrid)

YULAA volunteers will attend meetings with Newhallville residents to learn about home affordability issues, systemic racism inherent to home ownership in the community, and historic redlining. Volunteers will concurrently research affordable housing grants from federal home loan bank and gather information on the scoring system for these programs (i.e. How do they determine who qualifies?). Volunteers will also routinely meet with NHS to learn about issues residents have encountered with the scoring system and analyze NHS’s impact on the scoring system, housing subsidy grants, and ability to economically integrate people into neighborhoods. Volunteers will complete a final literature review of the scoring system for affordable housing on a national, statewide, and local level which includes recommendations for changes to the scoring system and identification of policy priority areas and present the report at an NHS event.

Home Ownership and Property Tax Research

(4 volunteers | 4 hrs/wk | Year-long | Remote)

YULAA volunteers will conduct research on home ownership and property taxes in the Greater New Haven area with the end goal of producing a report that answers the following questions:

What quantitative evidence does NHS have about the impact of its program (e.g., household wealth of participant families vs. similar non-participant families, impact on surrounding property values, etc.)?

Given that there are more families who qualify for homes than NHS can serve, what benefits does NHS serve to the greater community? For example, does NHS encourage new homeowners to rent units to qualified families who were unable to get houses?

How does the city assess homes for property tax purposes after property rehabilitation?

Newhallville Historical Research

(4 volunteers | 4 hrs/wk | Year-long | Hybrid)

YULAA volunteers will attend meetings with Newhallville residents to learn about home affordability issues, systemic racism inherent to home ownership in the community, and historic redlining. Volunteers will concurrently research affordable housing grants from federal home loan bank and gather information on the scoring system for these programs (i.e. How do they determine who qualifies?). Volunteers will also routinely meet with NHS to learn about issues residents have encountered with the scoring system and analyze NHS’s impact on the scoring system, housing subsidy grants, and ability to economically integrate people into neighborhoods. Volunteers will complete a final literature review of the scoring system for affordable housing on a national, statewide, and local level which includes recommendations for changes to the scoring system and identification of policy priority areas and present the report at an NHS event.

Home Ownership and Property Tax Research

(4 volunteers | 4 hrs/wk | Year-long | Remote)

YULAA volunteers will conduct research on home ownership and property taxes in the Greater New Haven area with the end goal of producing a report that answers the following questions:

What quantitative evidence does NHS have about the impact of its program (e.g., household wealth of participant families vs. similar non-participant families, impact on surrounding property values, etc.)?

Given that there are more families who qualify for homes than NHS can serve, what benefits does NHS serve to the greater community? For example, does NHS encourage new homeowners to rent units to qualified families who were unable to get houses?

How does the city assess homes for property tax purposes after property rehabilitation?

Know Your Rights Workshops & Materials

(4 volunteers | 2hrs/wk | Year-long | Remote)

The Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence — also referred to as The Alliance — is a statewide coalition of individual sexual assault crisis programs. The Alliance works to end sexual vioelnce through victim assistance, community education, and public policy advocacy. As volunteers for The Alliance, YULAA members will gather information about the rights of victims, survivors, and their advocates, and will later synthesize their research into Know Your Rights materials including presentations, flyers, pamphlets, and videos.

Interpretation and Translation Services (Language skills preferred)

(2 volunteers | 2hrs/wk | Year-long | Remote)

YWCA Greenwich is a local association of YWCA USA, a multi-service non-profit organization advocating for women’s economic empowerment, the advancement of women, racial justice and civil rights, women’s safety, and the funding of critical internal and external programs. YWCA Greenwich works directly with victims and survivors of domestic violence. Bilingual or multilingual YULAA volunteers will support YWCA Greenwich staff with direct client services by facilitating communication between their volunteer staff and the community members that they work with who have limited English language proficiency. Volunteers in this project must complete domestic violence training and will be scheduled to interpret during a set timeframe each week.

Database Development

(2 volunteers | 2hrs/wk | Year-long | Remote)

YWCA Greenwich is a local association of YWCA USA, a multi-service non-profit organization advocating for women’s economic empowerment, the advancement of women, racial justice and civil rights, women’s safety, and the funding of critical internal and external programs. YWCA Greenwich works directly with victims and survivors of domestic violence. YULAA volunteers will gather information about YWCA Greenwich clients and cases in order to develop an organized, easily accessible database that will support YWCA Greenwich in their daily operations.

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) Project (Language skills preferred)

(8 volunteers | 2 -3 hrs/wk | Year-long | In-person, with flexibility)

Volunteers will conduct Know-Your-Rights presentations for Connecticut high school students about Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). SIJS is a type of petition for children under the age of 21 who have been abandoned, abused, neglected, or denied care by one or both of their parents. If approved, it allows the applicant to eventually obtain their Lawful Permanent Resident Status (greencard). Volunteers will gain insight on what makes people eligible for SIJS. The project will also include making school-outreach flyers and brochures for Esperanza Law. Members will gain experience presenting to young audiences about immigration rights, and strengthen collaboration and communication skills.

Pro-bono Mental Health Evaluators Project (Language skills preferred)

(4 volunteers | 2-3 hrs/wk | Year-long | Remote)

Volunteers will synthesize a directory of mental health professionals. Esperanza Law collaborates with clinicians, social workers, and mental health professionals to provide health insurance resources to undocumented children. Volunteers would acquire a list of professionals willing to do psychological evaluations for Esperanza Law clients on a pro-bono basis. Members of this project would build relationships with health professionals, help translate, and learn more about services and resources surrounding immigration law.

Out-of-State Domestic Violence Resource Project

(4 volunteers | 1-2 hrs/wk with flexibility | Year-long | Remote)

Volunteers will create a working document with resources for out-of-state victims seeking resources. Chrysalis Domestic Violence Services’ work surrounds legal aid referrals, court advocacy, and resources for domestic violence victims and survivors. Volunteers will gain insight into how a service organization functions and why state-by-state resources are important to domestic violence aid work.

Legal Representation Project

(2 volunteers | 2 - 3 hrs/wk | Year-long | Remote)

Volunteers will assist with court representation, which includes, but is not limited to: sending out releases to providers, reading Department of Children and Family (DCF) reports, opening cases, making phone calls and following up on reports. Depending on the nature of their assigned cases and the court's scheduling, the volunteer may be able to attend court virtually. Volunteers will also sit in on parenting meetings and child interviews.

Data Collection and Software Testing

(8 - 10 volunteers | 1-2 hrs/wk with flexibility | Year-long | Remote)

Though New Haven is a resource-dense city, access to these resources for many in the community is limited by a lack of reliable information. This is especially true for refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented immigrants, and people returning home after incarceration. RAMP (Resource Access Mapping Project) is working to fill this information gap by making an interactive, multilingual mobile and phone app with up-to-date information about resources in town. Our team is recruiting members to help author "resource guides," the informational backbone of our mobile platform, and help give feedback for the app's interface to make it as user-friendly as possible. If you are looking for a semi-low commitment, fulfilling opportunity to support the residents of New Haven while taking part in an innovative, award winning project, join RAMP!

Outreach and Recruitment

(2 volunteers | 1 - 3 hrs/wk with flexibility | Year-long | Hybrid)

The Umbrella Center for Domestic Violence Services (UCDVS) is an organization that seeks to empower victims of domestic violence through advocacy, counseling, and case management. YULAA volunteers will lead an outreach project to local attorneys in order to secure pro-bono services for families and clients facing requiring assistance with domestic violence, immigration consultation, and family law. Volunteers will have the option to regularly visit the HOPE Family Justice Center — just a fifteen minute walk from campus — in-person to shadow attorneys and staff working at the center.

Community Volunteer (Language skills preferred)

(3 volunteers, possibility for growth | 1 - 3 hrs/wk with flexibility | Year-long | Remote)

Elena’s Light serves refugee women and immigrants across New Haven through various programs, including ESL tutoring, health education programming, and legal advocacy work. YULAA members will serve as Community Volunteers who work with Volunteer Attorneys as a part of Elena’s Light’s legal advocacy team. Community Volunteers will help facilitate internal communications and organization between Volunteer Attorneys and their legal team and/or client (e.g., scheduling meetings, translation work, collecting documents and/or biographical information on the client, etc.).

Research and Data Entry (Language skills preferred)

(2-3 volunteers | 2 - 3 hrs/week with flexibility | Year-long | Hybrid, mostly in-person)

Apostle Immigrant Services (AIS) is a New Haven organization that works to protect and empower immigrant communities. YULAA volunteers assist attorneys in asylum cases by completing research on conditions in clients’ countries of origin on an as-needed basis, as well as researching mental health resources available to asylum-seeking clients. When volunteering in-person, YULAA members will provide administrative and organizational support to AIS via file management and organization.

Data Collection on Housing Services

(5 volunteers | 1-3 hrs/week | Year-long | Remote)

Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut (SLS) staff is a dedicated and experienced group of people working to provide assistance to eligible people seeking help with legal problems affecting their most fundamental rights. YULAA volunteers will be working with SLS to collect and analyze data relevant to the effectiveness of their eviction and foreclosure programs.

Research Team

(4 - 5 volunteers, 1-2 hrs/wk with flexibility | Remote work/In-person meetings)

In response to the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization which overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, YULAA seeks to inform the Yale community on the status of abortion rights across the country as well as support communities who have restricted abortion access. The research team will identify and gather information (i.e., data, spotlights or stories, laws, lower court decisions) on regions, states, cities, and/or communities where abortion access is most restricted. YULAA volunteers will synthesize the information they find into a presentation where they identify and advocate in favor of directing resources to particular regions or communities based on their findings.

Outreach and Fundraising Team

(4 - 5 volunteers, 1-2 hrs/wk with flexibility | Remote work/In-person meetings)

In response to the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization which overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, YULAA seeks to inform the Yale community on the status of abortion rights across the country as well as support communities who have restricted abortion access. The outreach and fundraising team will work closely with the research team to search and keep record of information on abortion mutual aid funds across the country. This team will also research fundraising ideas and strategies — including outreach to Yale alums — in order to expand upon planned fundraising efforts. After developing these fundraising ideas, the team will work with the YULAA Advocacy Director, Sarah, on planning a day-long tabling event on Cross Campus, culminating in a speaker event about the impact of restricted abortion access.