For many people with a criminal case, getting downtown to the public defender’s office on a weekday can be prohibitive. Hillsborough’s elected public defender, Lisa McLean, is setting up a satellite office once a month to bring her services—and those of other agencies—to zip codes that need it the most.
On Feb. 21 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m., McLean and her team will hold office hours for anyone with questions for, or business with, the public defender’s office at the University Community Resource Center at 13605 N 22nd St. in Tampa. The event is expected to take place on the third Saturday of every month.
HIllsborough County Public Defender’s ‘PD13 Street Legal’
Time Sat., Feb. 21, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Location University Community Resource Center, 13605 N 22nd St., Tampa
In addition to covering criminal cases, the “PD13 Street Legal” event will host other groups to support Hillsborough residents holistically.
Nonprofit law firm Bay Area Legal Services will be there to field questions about any non-criminal legal issues people may have, like evictions or custody cases. Tampa Family Health will help people access affordable medical services. Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative will be available to help people find housing or connect them with other resources like food banks.
Ibis Healthcare, formerly Grace Point, will be present for any mental health-related assistance. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Corrections will be present to answer questions about jail or probation.
In deciding where to hold the event, McLean’s team found the three zip codes in Hillsborough County that have the most public defender clients. “It’s about equal access,” McLean told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “A lot of times, clients can’t really get to us downtown. What better way to reach people that have a difficulty getting to us than to meet them where they are?”
McLean said transportation insecurity, work hours, and food and housing insecurity can all be barriers to getting legal help from her office, which is why she wanted to include other community organizations.
“The PD’s office, for a long time, has prided itself on this holistic approach to our representation of our clients. We are trying to help people resolve the root causes of crime, reasons people might become involved with crime,” McLean told CL. “When you don’t know where you’re going to lay your head, you’re not really thinking about your criminal case.”
Attendees will start in a reception area, where they will be directed to the appropriate table for whatever services they need. Since this is the first event, McLean said she’s not quite sure what services will be most in-demand, but all organizations will make their best effort to address everyone who needs help.
Follow @hillsboroughpublicdefender Facebookand Instagramfor updates about PD13 “Street Legal.”
Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success.
Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | BlueSky
This article appears in Jan. 29 – Feb. 04.