Immigration: Our immigration practice provides comprehensive legal services to immigrant survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in partnership with community partners to ensure the safety and well-being of our clients and their children so they can live independently. We opposed broader redefinitions of “public fees” and worked hard to allay fears of public office and encourage families affected by the pandemic to access the health and financial programs to which they were entitled. A: Anyone in Washington DC who is homeless or at risk of homelessness needs legal assistance. Community Legal Aid`s Housing and Homelessness Division provides legal services to help tenants at risk of eviction, landlords at risk of foreclosure, homeless families who need access to the government`s emergency assistance program, and people trying to access affordable housing. The unit also runs a housing discrimination law screening and enforcement programme. The need for a coordinated and effective response to homelessness in our state and region is clear. California is home to 27 percent of all homeless people in the United States, 72 percent of whom were unprotected. Over the past decade, homelessness in California has increased by 22% and more than 16% from 2018 to 2019 alone. “By virtually every measure, the Bay Area homelessness crisis is among the worst in the United States.” According to PiT counts, the Bay Area has the third-largest homeless population in the country and is also home to a smaller proportion of its homeless residents than any other U.S. metropolitan area outside of Los Angeles. According to a recent report, “formerly incarcerated people are nearly 10 times more likely to be homeless than the general public — in California, 70% of homeless people have a history of incarceration.” Access to Health: Our advocates at the Health Consumer Center help low-income people, including the homeless, access medical care and avoid medical debt, which can lead to or further exacerbate homelessness.
We help people qualify for home support services and protective supervision so they can stay safe in their homes. Join our network of over 200 volunteers from the DC legal community. HRP works closely with the community and other advocacy partners on homelessness and housing issues in both the New York State Legislature and the New York City Council. HRP employees regularly testify before state and city legislators and comment on policies and regulatory changes. HRP also sits on numerous coalitions and task forces advocating for additional resources for New York`s homeless. Note: – Due to Covid-19, LAS offices are closed for walk-ins, please call 954.736.2469 for assistance – Due to Covid-19, all accommodations are closed to visitors. Clients living in housing should call 954.736.2469 for assistance. Please leave a message with your name, number and a brief description of your legal problem Medico-legal partnerships: Our medical-legal partnerships with health care providers provide coordinated access to civil law services to address the social determinants of health.
We are launching an MLP to provide comprehensive civil justice services to unhosted survivors of violence in partnership located in homeless camps and shelter-in-place COVID-19 hotels in Alameda County, a partnership with Alameda County Healthcare for the Homeless. We also work with VA service providers to ensure access to civil justice services for homeless veterans and their families. Social Work Team: BayLegal uses a holistic approach that combines legal services and social work. Our social workers are integrated with our juvenile justice, housing and ISS advocacy teams, engaging with homeless clients and clients at risk of eviction to help them connect with housing, income support, community resources, educational support, foster care and health care. Social workers also provide an anchor of support and emotional support to clients throughout their legal case. Homeless Experience Legal Protection (H.E.L.P.) hires lawyers, law students, law firm secretaries, and local paralegals in cities across the country to provide pro bono legal assistance to the homeless. BayLegal attorneys commented on the City of Oakland`s proposed “Homelessness Encampment Management Policy” because it could lead to unconstitutional property seizures and due process denial. increasing the criminalization of homelessness through stronger policing, which would disproportionately harm communities of colour; and uprooting homeless people from their communities supports and strains their ability to access essential services, especially during a pandemic. The challenge of towing policies that affect the people living in their vehicles: BayLegal is committed to reducing the debt burden of the people living in their vehicles. BayLegal`s commitment to ending predatory towing practices that disproportionately affect low-income people and people of color is outlined in this report, which we co-authored: baylegal.org/towed-into-debt-major-new-report-shows-how-ineffective-towing-practices-in-ca-unfairly-harm-low-income-drivers/. We filed a lawsuit against towing practices in San Francisco that discriminate against the people who live in their vehicles: baylegal.org/lawsuit-san-franciscos-illegal-towing.
Our advocacy helped end the unfair towing practices that have disproportionately affected homeless people in San Francisco during the COVID-19 pandemic. BayLegal has also helped improve traffic court practices that place a burden on those who cannot afford to pay fines and costs. Juvenile Justice: Our Juvenile Justice Team helps unaccommodated and non-systemic youth access the benefits, services and housing supports needed for safety and stability. We work closely with homeless youth shelters and do on-site check-ins in places where youth at risk of homelessness spend time. We are committed to improving youth access to transitional housing programs; produce a report identifying and sharing best practices in supporting youth without housing; Co-develop a homeless youth manual and guide to help counties ensure housing stability and maximize participation in THP-Plus (transitional housing for young adults who have left the care system); and successfully lobbied for youth not to be excluded from subsidized and transitional housing programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Legal Aid provides free civil services to the homeless population of Broward County. Our goal is to ensure that homeless people are treated with dignity and that their legal rights are protected. Homeless Legal Rights Project lawyers support homeless people in the following areas: HRP has been a staunch advocate for New Yorkers who are homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to our regular and ongoing responsibilities to our clients, employees have advocated for the city`s Department of Homeless Services (NYC DHS) to provide residents and street homeless people with accommodation in hotel rooms rather than shelters due to the risks associated with gatherings. Through litigation, HRP was able to establish a procedure to assess whether guests are particularly at risk of suffering from COVID-19 and are therefore entitled to accommodation in a less dense environment. BayLegal`s homelessness-focused work includes individual client advocacy, system representation, and impact litigation. Domestic violence: Between 22% and 57% of homeless women identify domestic violence as the immediate cause of homelessness. We provide a range of legal services (e.g. family law, immigration, utilities, housing) to survivors of domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, sexual assault and human trafficking to enable them to live safely and independently of their abusers. Disability Benefits Advocacy: Our SSI advocacy team helps clients qualify for Social Security benefits, Supplemental Security Income and CAPI. We work with community partners, including behavioral health and homeless service providers, to meet with clients where they are, including in mental health facilities, county jails, COVID camps, and shelters, and to help them complete applications and calls.
and representing clients before federal courts at all stages of the process. Advocacy for IHS has been shown to increase housing stability and reduce relapse, hospitalization, psychiatric emergencies and homelessness.
