Raleigh, NC – Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP is pleased to announce the firm provided pro bono services to secure approval for two shelters in downtown Raleigh that will serve the homeless during severe weather this winter. The shelters will be open on "white flag" nights, where temperatures are below 35 degrees or other conditions make sleeping outside life-threatening.

Community members helping to organize the shelters called upon Parker Poe’s Development Services Industry Team Leader Jamie Schwedler for assistance obtaining the special use permits that the city’s Unified Development Ordinance requires for white flag shelters. Associate Ashley Honeycutt Terrazas, a Raleigh native, represented St. John's Metropolitan Community Church in seeking the needed permits.

Ashley worked with city staff to get an expedited hearing before the Raleigh Board of Adjustment to ensure the men's and women's shelters could open on schedule. She also presented evidence and called witnesses at the quasi-judicial hearing to provide background on white flag shelters and demonstrate the need for two in downtown locations that are easy to access via public transportation. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Board of Adjustment approved the permits.

Parker Poe has a long history of serving the Raleigh community, including through pro bono services for people with limited means and the nonprofits who serve them. You can learn more about the firm's commitment to pro bono work here.

About Parker Poe
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP has more than 275 lawyers in eight offices in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Washington, DC. The firm provides legal counsel to many of the largest companies and local governments in the Southeast.

Parker Poe is a member of two leading international legal networks: TerraLex and the Employment Law Alliance. TerraLex and the ELA have chosen Parker Poe to help guide clients through the challenges of global business.