CROSSROADS FOR FLORIDA KIDS INC
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Mission Statement
Crossroads for Florida Kids, Inc. is a nonprofit operating in Hillsborough County, Florida that trains and mentors pro bono attorneys to represent disadvantaged children and young adults in their dependency, delinquency, criminal and other legal proceedings. A large number of our clients are kids in foster care who have been charged with delinquencies. Many suffer from mental illness, intellectual disabilities, and some are trafficking victims. The main attribute they share is the trauma caused by past abuse, neglect or abandonment. Crossroads attorneys provide counseling and advocacy, both in the courtroom and in the community, to help our clients persevere and succeed.
About This Cause
Crossroads For Florida Kids, Inc. ("Crossroads") is a unique legal services organization devoted exclusively to representing disadvantaged youth. We are comprised of one paid attorney who serves as Executive Director and a team of volunteer attorneys who donate their time performing pro bono legal services on complex representations of poor children and young adults in our community. Crossroads trains and mentors pro bono attorneys to represent disadvantaged children and young adults in their dependency, delinquency, criminal, and other legal proceedings. We provide free legal assistance and supply basic needs for a vulnerable population. Our "Army of Pro Bono Attorneys" use their legal skills to make a positive difference in the lives of our young clients, helping to form informed and capable citizens. Since 2012, Hillsborough County Judges have appointed Crossroads' volunteer attorneys to represent over 1,700 disadvantaged children and young adults in delinquency, dependency, criminal, and other legal proceedings. Many of our youth clients have intellectual and emotional disabilities, chronic mental health diagnoses, substance abuse issues, and some are sex trafficking victims. The main attribute they share is the trauma caused by past abuse, neglect or abandonment. Crossroads has recruited and trained over 265 volunteer lawyers. At any given time, we have approximately 100 volunteer lawyers advocating on behalf of Hillsborough County disadvantaged youth. Over the past 13 years, these lawyers have donated well over 50,000 hours of free legal services, a value of more than $15 million. All of Crossroads' clients are referred by Hillsborough County Circuit Judges, which is a testament to the faith our local jurists have in Crossroads' pro bono attorneys to positively change the lives of the youth who have cases before them. Judges know that Crossroads' pro bono attorneys will advocate for these youth in the courtroom and out in the community. Crossroads' pro bono attorneys receive enormous satisfaction knowing that they have provided their young clients with significant life-changing, legal remedies. Without the legal representation of Crossroads' attorneys, these children would be left vulnerable and deprived of the opportunity to have a better life. Our pro bono attorneys represent their young clients as part of a team of at least two attorneys for each case to ensure there is always an attorney available to address the needs of our clients. We provide two types of legal-related services: 1. Long-term legal services, including dependency and delinquency, children charged as adults, and truancy. This speaks to sustained impact. Our lawyers work with children for over a year, often 4-5 years, following up beyond representation. Our lawyers: Advocate for the client in court proceedings; obtain and review school, medical, and court records which inform advocacy; conduct home visits and provide a more complete understanding of the context in which a child is living; held a child secure medical and mental health services coverage; assist a child with enrolling in school; and provide needed support and accountability to ensure swift legal compliancy, leaving juvenile court proceedings behind them. 2. On-call legal services in the Delinquency Division. On-call legal services are often a one-time form of consultation and representation of a child who shows up in court without a parent or guardian.