Patty was a co-founder and since 1991 has been executive director of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, a non-profit legal services and advocacy organization that promotes access to justice and housing justice in the nation’s capital. She helped to forge the Fair Budget Coalition and the DC Access to Justice Commission and has served on the boards or advisory committees of a number of organizations and initiatives dedicated to building a more just and inclusive DC.

What calls you to NETWORK? Where do you find inspiration in this work?
Patty comes to her work through her faith, and she comes to her faith through her work. Her service on the NETWORK board has provided her the opportunity to more explicitly ground her work for justice in Catholic Social Teaching than working in a secular organization can afford. Patty draws inspiration from the clients and community advocates with whom the Legal Clinic partners, who overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges on their journeys to a safe and stable place to call home.

What do you like to do outside of NETWORK?
Patty enjoys knitting, sewing and travel, but spending time with her children and grandchildren gives her the greatest joy.

Hometown: Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in Moorestown, New Jersey.
Current Location: Hyattsville, Maryland