Positions may be a combination of paid, stipended and volunteer time in order to achieve the necessary numbers and coverage. An advisory council, composed of recipients, legal advocates, providers of key services and others, would guide and develop the hotline system and monitor its ongoing activity. Especially in the initial months, the advisory group could also act as information resources for the hotline. Experience shows that a hotline will generate many referrals to Greater Boston Legal Services, who are overwhelmed by the amount of calls currently coming in. They may well be obtained through in-kind donations.
Advertising is a separate issue with a more costly but predictable budget.
Already, several different groups have expressed an interest in providing in-kind help for the project. ABCD may well be able to house the hot line, supply the phone lines, etc. The College of Public and Community Service at U.Mass, Boston, has spoken of creating a hotline training course to run throughout the fall.