We met Laurence after he was released from a 35-year prison sentence. He was 70 and living on the streets. And he didn’t have a name.
Due to an unstable childhood, an adoption, and decades of clerical errors, his records are under different names. He can’t apply for a job, benefits, housing, or service provider programs. “I’m a non-person,” he explains.
“I’m a non-person”
Getting Laurence a name is a long process. The Department of Corrections gave up. Other attorneys declined. Only Open Hands’ Hana Kim told him: "This will be really hard. But I'll try."
First, we connected Laurence with a partner organization. Within weeks, he was off the streets.
Today, Laurence has an I.D. NYC and a petition pending in Family Court. We won’t stop until he has a fully-established identity that will allow him to apply for work, housing, benefits and more.
Laurence shares, “when you find people working in legal services like this, that are very compassionate and have empathy for people, it makes a big difference. They’re a dream team…”
“When you find people working in legal services like this, that are very compassionate and have empathy for people, it makes a big difference. They’re a dream team…”
