John Anderson, once unhoused and struggling with substance dependence,  found community and legal support from students at University of the Pacific’s Buccola Family Homeless Advocacy Clinic.

“The clinic provided excellent representation in helping me get my record expunged,” said Anderson, who was refered to the clinic by Volunteers of America. “The students took a lot of time to get to know me and my legal issues. They were sensitive and worked incredibly hard.”

Today, the 60-year old veteran has secured permanent housing and steady employment, is a choir member at his church and recently got married. Anderson’s experience exemplifies a story of resilience and the value of community care, according to Ron Hochbaum, associate clinical professor of law and director of the clinic.

Located at Pacific's McGeorge School of Law, the clinic provides pro bono legal representation to people experiencing homelessness, who are often criminalized for small unavoidable acts such as sleeping outside. Under faculty supervision, students worked closely with Anderson to represent him in court.

“Getting to stand up in front of a judge and have him clear my record makes me feel proud of the changes I’ve made in my life. It’s hard to describe the feeling. I’m just happy. I can’t thank the clinic enough. It is an invaluable resource to the community,” he said.

Anderson’s story is one of many. Over the past year, the Buccola Family Homeless Advocacy Clinic has helped 63 clients overcome legal barriers that perpetuate homelessness and poverty while training law students to be skilled and caring lawyers who understand their clients’ unique challenges.

The clinic secured more than $1 million in projected Social Security Disability benefits and nearly $960,000 in projected Medi-Cal insurance reimbursements for clients over the next three years. It also helped discharge nearly $13,000 in court- or agency-ordered debts, $4,800 in other consumer debts and successfully dismissed nine criminal convictions, clearing the way for clients to find housing and work.

The clinic is supported by Sacramento-native Robert A. Buccola ’83, a managing and founding partner of Dreyer Babich Buccola Wood Campora LLP, and his wife, Kawanaa Carter, a neurosurgeon. In 2024, they committed $3 million to support the Buccola Family Homeless Advocacy Clinic endowment.

According to Hochbaum, the need for legal services for people who are unhoused has increased over the past year.

“Cities across the country are fining and arresting people for sleeping in public despite extreme shortages in affordable housing, rental subsidies and shelter capacity,” Hochbaum said. “Students in the Buccola Family Homeless Advocacy Clinic are providing critical legal aid by securing their clients public benefits and healthcare, as well as removing the barriers to housing that come with involvement in the criminal legal system.”

The clinic trained and supervised 11 law students during the 2024-25 academic year. Those involved said the experience changed how they think about legal work and clients.

“Working within the clinic’s trauma-informed and client-centered model has profoundly shaped my approach to legal advocacy,” said third-year student Madeline McHenry ’25. “I have come to appreciate the importance of empathy and understanding in every client interaction.”

Third-year student James Chuong ’25 added, “Working with clients has made me realize how difficult it is to escape poverty. The government will freely fine impoverished clients for the smallest offense, but welfare programs like Social Security disability benefits require extraordinary amounts of documentation and advocacy to secure meager amounts of financial aid.”

One client, after completing rehabilitation for substance dependence, secured housing and employment but faced career limitations due to criminal convictions from her period of homelessness. The clinic successfully helped reduce and dismiss those charges, clearing her record. A veteran on fixed benefits struggled with utility costs in his new permanent housing until clinic students reviewed his credit report and successfully challenged a collections account, freeing up essential funds for his housing expenses.

The clinic also works on community and movement lawyering initiatives. In early 2024, the clinic co-authored an amicus brief to the United States Supreme Court arguing that the criminalization of homelessness is part of the country’s legacy of segregation and will not solve the housing crisis. The clinic leads efforts to expand legal education’s focus on homeless rights by organizing regular meetings of law professors studying homelessness. Locally, the clinic has grown relationships with community organizers to better meet the evolving needs of Sacramento’s unhoused residents.

McGeorge School of Law’s legal clinics have been providing free services to people in the Sacramento community since 1964. Four of the clinics operate on campus and are collectively known as Community Legal Services. Under the supervision of faculty, students work with clients in the areas of bankruptcy, elder and health law, homeless advocacy and immigration law. Three off-campus clinics give students the opportunity to work in federal courts, prisons and the California State Legislature—the Federal Defender Clinic, the Prisoner Civil Rights Mediation Clinic and the Legislative and Public Policy Clinic.