Street Outreach Court Detroit Didn't Start With Us... It Started With the Community

In March 2011, the Detroit Action Commonwealth—a membership organization led by people experiencing homelessness—visited Ann Arbor's Street Outreach Court to see how it worked. A month later, Street Democracy sent attorneys to the same court for the same reason. Neither organization knew the other was coming. Ann Arbor's presiding judge introduced them.
From there, the partnership was straightforward: DAC led the community organizing, and Street Democracy built the legal framework—drafting court guidelines, mapping the process, developing external case management systems, building a pro bono counsel network, and setting up program evaluation.
After 13 months of preparation and approvals, Street Outreach Court Detroit opened in June 2012 as the 23rd homeless court in the United States.