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Lawyers are helping homeless youths

On any given night, 7,000 young people in Florida are homeless. For many, the barriers standing between them and a stable, productive adulthood include legal issues such as a poor credit report, a tangled criminal record or having no basic identification.

The American Bar Association believes that homelessness among children constitutes a civil-rights issue.

We have created the ABA Homeless Youth Legal Network, which helps attorneys and other advocates address gaps in legal services for homeless youth.

Florida’s lawyers are a big part of this legal effort. On April 13, in Orlando, the ABA will join with The Walt Disney Company, the Baker McKenzie law firm and nonprofit child-advocacy organization Florida’s Children First to launch the Florida Homeless Youth Handbook.

This resource provides practical legal information on issues like healthcare, housing, credit, identification, foster care, criminal justice and public benefits.

Baker McKenzie also has produced such handbooks for New York, Texas, Illinois, Minnesota and Washington.

Lawyers from Fort Lauderdale, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando and West Palm Beach have partnered with homeless youth shelters and drop-in centers to provide direct legal representation, offering legal clinics, and giving “Know Your Rights” presentations.

In Orlando, Greenberg Traurig attorneys are working with youth at Covenant House Florida; Holland & Knight lawyers are aiding those at Zebra Coalition; and Akerman attorneys are helping the young at The Faine House.

The ABA and Florida lawyers are working together to deliver this assistance so homeless youth have the chance to lead healthy, full lives.

HILARIE BASS,

PRESIDENT, AMERICAN

BAR ASSOCIATION,

GREENBERG TRAURIG, MIAMI

Original Article

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Alexia Nechayev

FYS Events & Meeting Chair
(Palm Beach/Miami)

Alexia Nechayev, from Miami, Florida, is a dedicated advocate for youth with lived experience in foster care and with homelessness. After being placed in foster care as a teenager, Alexia experienced firsthand the stigma surrounding the system, as well as the challenges of navigating a system that didn’t provide support for her to advocate for herself. This experience motivated her to create change, ensuring that other youth in care have the tools and resources she lacked.

She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Florida International University, and upon graduation worked as a Hope Navigator with the Department of Children and Families which allowed her to assist clients through individualized care plans, further deepening her commitment to improving the lives of marginalized youth. Alexia is now applying to law schools with the goal of advancing her advocacy work through a legal career. As the Events and Meetings Chair for Florida Youth SHINE (FYS), she creates opportunities for foster and homeless youth to collaborate and push for meaningful change. She is also an active member of the Policy and Initiative Team for Florida Youth SHINE, where she helps create and shape policies that directly impact youth in foster care. One of her proudest accomplishments is helping to develop the Foster Care Bill of Rights, a law that she feels would have made a difference during her own time in care.

In addition to her work with FYS, Alexia serves on the Board of Directors for the parent organization of FYS, Florida’s Children First. In this role, she contributes to strategic decision-making while advocating for the rights and welfare of children statewide.

Every year, she travels to the state capitol to advocate for bills she and her peers have helped shape, including key pieces of legislation that benefit foster and homeless youth. However her advocacy extends beyond her state, as she represents Florida Youth SHINE at national conferences such as the National Leaders 4 Change Conference.

Through her internship with the National Foster Youth Institute, Alexia continues to refine her advocacy skills, preparing for a future where she can contribute meaningfully to both policymaking and the legal system. Guided by the belief that “the blue sky is always there,” she remains committed to ensuring that every youth in foster care has the power and support to advocate for themselves.

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