Sidebar Summer 2018 - 16

MONTGOMERYBAR.ORG

SIDEBAR FEATURE

Montgomery Bar Foundation Hosts
Second Successful Access to Justice Summit
By Kesha James, Esq.

their future. The county is off to a great start with programs
like EPIC, Your Way Home and Community Connections.
Commissioner Arkoosh also highlighted the National Stepping
Up Initiative, which works to reduce the number of people with
serious mental illness in jail, and the Targeted Opioid Phase
Program, a program that diverts defendants, pre-trial, to drug
treatment for consideration for dropped or reduced charges, and
the correctional facility work-release drug treatment program.
Hearing that these programs have reduced deaths from opioid
overdoses in the county by 4% when surrounding counties
have experienced increases by more than 30% is proof that
Montgomery County is ready to implement new and innovative
programs to serve residents in need.

M

artin Luther King, Jr. once said "Human progress is
neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward
the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and
struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated
individuals." On May 30, 2018, the Montgomery Bar Foundation
(MBF) assembled a large group of some of the county's most
dedicated individuals and took another step toward justice by
holding its second Access to Justice Summit. The goal of the
summit was to foster effective collaboration in the county to
improve access to justice. As a Legal Aid attorney, I was excited
to attend the first summit, but even more eager this year after
seeing the work of last year's summit materialize so quickly into
the Eviction Prevention Intervention Coalition (EPIC) pilot
program. That project showed me that the MBF means business,
and the difficult job of bringing organizations together to help the
community pursue justice is not only possible, but palpable and
well within reach.
Much like the first summit, there were leaders from all over
Montgomery County in attendance, including judges, social service
providers, business community members, local government leaders
and, for the first time, client community representatives. The
summit began with a welcome from Montgomery Bar Foundation
President Carl N. Weiner, Esq., followed by opening remarks from
Commissioner Valerie A. Arkoosh. Commissioner Arkoosh focused
on the importance of meeting the immediate needs of individuals
to help them focus on obtaining the tools they need to prepare for

16 SIDEBAR

After hearing from Emma Hertz with the Office of Housing
and Community Development about the success of the EPIC
pilot program, summit facilitator and MBA Special Project
Development Manager Nancy Walsh introduced the esteemed
panelists:
* Penny Johnson (Montgomery County Resident)
* Nikki Johnson-Huston (Founder/CEO, Donafy)
* Elizabeth DiArcangelo (Administrator, Community
Connections)
* Katie Dunphy (Director, Community Health and
Stability, United Way)
DiArcangelo and Dunphy discussed the wonderful work
their organizations are doing to serve the county. The other
two panelists provided unique perspectives. Implementing
suggestions from last year's summit, the MBF included panelists
who have personally experienced the struggles of accessing social
services and faced the trials of navigating "the system." Their
presentations were profoundly impactful.
Penny Johnson captivated the room as she explained how
her battle with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder and
a likely unlawful eviction caused her life to spiral out of control.
She explained how she was released from the hospital and
dropped off at a homeless shelter in Norristown, a place far from
home and unfamiliar to her at the time, with no resources and
only $23 to her name. She explained how she relied on other
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