ACT (Advocates for Community Transformation), an inner-city justice ministry based in West Dallas, seeks a servant leader who possesses a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and an understanding and passion for social justice. Work requires a self-motivated and tenacious individual with a teachable spirit, strong interpersonal, cross-cultural and administrative skills.

The Community Relations Liaison (CRL) is responsible for organizing, educating, counseling, and equipping local residents in fighting offending owners of drug houses and abandoned properties in order to reclaim crime-ridden neighborhoods.  The CRL oversees the relationships with ACT clients, local residents, neighborhood leaders, inner-city church pastors and members and non-legal volunteers. The CRL serves as a liaison between neighborhood residents and the Staff Attorney, President, and volunteer lawyers, laying a foundation for the legal team to engage residents as clients.  To this end, the CRL is responsible for educating local residents about the legal process, pursuing direct contact with residents through ACT sponsored events and programs, home visits, written communication and community meetings, assisting in client and witness coordination, creating and implementing strategies, and developing non-lawyer volunteer opportunities in order to involve church and community members in ACT’s work.  Additionally, the CRL is responsible for developing and coordinating programs designed to promote the organization and its services to the target community, assisting in preparations and activities related to public relations and donor relationships, supporting efforts of ACT legal team in negotiating collaborative solutions between offending owners and local residents both pre and post trial, and providing ministry to ACT clients through prayer and discipleship.

Education and Experience: College degree required.  Major in communications, psychology or social work preferred.  5-7 years experience in leadership position at Christian nonprofit performing cross-cultural work or education equivalent.  Fluent in Spanish.

Compensation: Commensurate with qualifications and experience.

How to Apply: Please forward your cover letter, resume, personal and professional references and statement of faith by email to rgertson@actdallas.org.

Statement of Faith: A statement of faith should describe your Christian faith and how it is relevant to your involvement with ACT.  It should include, at a minimum, a description of your spiritual disciplines (prayer, study, etc.) and your current place of worship.

Deadline: Accepting resumes through June 1, 2012.

Join us for a time of worship, prayer, and fellowship with local churches in West Dallas on Saturday, May 5th from 9:30 am to 12 pm. We will begin the morning by gathering at Greater Mt. Hebron Missionary Baptist Church (3421 Chihuahua Ave., Dallas, 75212) to fellowship and worship with the community. Following this time, we will go out together into the Cross Hampton neighborhood, a new neighborhood that ACT will be entering into this summer, to conduct a prayer walk. We will be praying for families that have signed up for prayer and claiming new territory, including drug houses and abandoned homes, for the work of justice and God’s Kingdom. Come ready to share your faith and get to know the community of West Dallas!

Please let us know if you will be attending by Wednesday, May 2nd by emailing Renee Gertson at rgertson@actdallas.org.

We are grateful for the opportunity to raise awareness for the needs of West Dallas residents. We are thankful for our volunteers, community support and the City of Dallas.

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

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Westmoreland Heights Will Clinic
Saturday, November 5, 2011
8:30a – 5:30p (Note: shifts are available)
Amelia Earhart Learning Center
3531 N. Westmoreland Rd.
Dallas, TX 75212

Please consider serving in one of the following areas:

Non-Legal Volunteers
Notary Publics                   Witnesses
Hospitality                          Registration
Child Care                          Runners
Parking                               Break Down/Clean-Up
Translators (Spanish/English)
Set-Up (Friday, November 4)

Legal Volunteers
Lawyers*                              Law Students

Interested?  Register online at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/awillfor.  You may also send an email to info@actdallas.org or call 214.951.9151.

*There will be a will-drafting workshop on Friday, October 21 for lawyers wanting to learn how to draft a will.  Attendees will receive 1.5 CLE credit hours, including .5 Ethics hour.

Thank you for partnering with us.  We appreciate your consideration and we look forward to working with you!

When we last reported about ACT’s first trial victory in our Winter 2010 edition, a jury had reached a verdict that held a property owner responsible for years of neglect to an old, rat-infested, abandoned property.  At that time, we were all waiting to find out what the judge would order the owner to do to address the nuisance his property had become to our client.  Since that time, so much has happened; and we can’t wait to tell you all about it.

Recap: As we previously shared in our last newsletter, Elma Canelas, a mother of now four young children (she gave birth just two weeks after testifying at trial), lives next to a boarded up, abandoned house where no one has lived in the last 15 years.  She worried about her family’s safety due to potential drug dealing, prostitution, and the health risks associated with rodent infestation. Her children were afraid to wait for the bus at the stop in front of the boarded up property, so they walked to the next stop, further away from their home.  The city and neighborhood association prompted the owner to clean up the property to no avail, so Mrs. Canelas along with some of her neighbors filed suit against the owner.  After failed attempts to negotiate a resolution with the owner, Mrs. Canelas and her neighbors were forced to take the case all the way to trial.  On October 27, 2010, after a year of litigation with the pro bono support of the law firm, Vinson & Elkins, a jury of Mrs. Canelas’ peers decided to hold this property owner accountable for the neglect of his property.  The case was then turned over to the judge to decide what the offending owner must do remedy the situation.

Update: In the judge’s December 2010 order he gave the property owner four months, or until April of this year, to make substantial repairs to the property and to exterminate on a regular basis.  By failing to comply with the judge’s orders, Mrs. Canelas argued that the owner was in contempt of the court’s order, and that the only way to put a stop to the nuisance would be to demolish the abandoned house.

On June 21, 2011, the judge handed down a huge victory to Elma Canelas and her West Dallas neighbors.  On that day, the judge agreed that the owner failed to address the safety and health concerns he expressed in his December order and ruled that the rat-infested property be demolished.

What a day!  Finally, the property that had been such an oppressive force to Mrs. Canelas, her children and her neighbors for so many years will no longer be a danger to her neighborhood.  Thank you so much to everyone who made this victory possible.  We give glory to God for such a significant step in working for justice in West Dallas.  The demolition, to be carried out by the community and volunteers, is set to take place on August 20.

Measuring our efforts in West Dallas is an integral part of pursuing justice for Dallas residents.  Evaluating valuable statistical data before, during and after ACT’s involvement in our target communities reflects the impact we are making and demonstrates to our city that the pursuit of justice is transformational.  Collecting and analyzing crime statistics from the Dallas Police Department is a large component of our overall program education.  We are grateful for the partnership we have with the Dallas Police Department and the way God continues to open doors for those we serve.