Greenville’s homeless court is in session, seeking more participants

Greenville’s homeless court is in session, seeking more participants

Years of work has become a reality for Greenville homeless advocates. The homeless court program has officially launched—and is accepting applications. There’s no gavel, no robe, no courtroom, but court is in session.

Judge Matt Hawley Presides Over Cases

“I think it’s important for everybody that’s here to want to give them applause and say that they’re moving forward in time,” said Judge Matt Hawley. Judge Hawley is presiding over cases in Greenville’s homeless court. The program is designed to end the cycle of homelessness.

“Homelessness is being caused by a myriad of things that I’ve already been working with–you know drug addiction, mental health, lack of ID and lack of ability to get a job, a bad criminal record that might hinder that or housing,” he said. “So we’re trying to work with all those different discrete factors in a person’s life and try to get them cleared up as best we can.”

Program for Minor Crime Charges

People with minor crime charges like shoplifting, trespassing, or public intoxication can be paired with a volunteer attorney who will match them with recovery programs and resources to help them get out of homelessness. Once they’ve completed the work—their charges could be dismissed.

“We have two folks that are in both of them have different backgrounds, both of them have different situations,” said Hawley. Monday—the first two participants joined the program. You can submit an application yourself or someone can submit it for you. Then the city attorney’s office and municipal court will review it.

Court Sessions

“And we’re going to hopefully move a long way toward eliminating people who are sleeping out in the open, who will walk in the streets because they’ve got a place to stay, they’ve got a job every day,” he said. Officials hope to have between 12 to 15 people in the program at a time, and court sessions are held once every month.