Overview of East Palo Alto Community Legal Services
In the heart of the San Francisco Peninsula lies the vibrant and diverse community of East Palo Alto, a predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhood with strong roots in civil rights activism. In 2015, Stanford University reported that 50% of the adult population in East Palo Alto had been arrested at least once. Where criminal records have historically been stigmatized, we can see the opening of a chapter of social change in East Palo Alto. The tide appears to be turning in East Palo Alto, led by organizations like Street Level Health Project and the Center for Youth Development, which provide young people and their families with pathways to preventive and primary care. Healthcare access has long been an issue in the community, but with new leadership comes innovation like that of Street Level Health Project , which established the first community health center in East Palo Alto in 2016. The Center for Youth Development also runs a Summer Youth Employment Program which provides 8 weeks of paid professional work experience to East Palo Alto high school students. The East Palo Alto Community Alliance & Trust engages community members to address housing and community policing issues in the East Palo Alto community. The legal services landscape in East Palo Alto is no different, and the prevailing hope in the community is that legal services would provide a wide array of services to meet the needs of an underserved and underrepresented community in the Bay Area. With growing demand for legal representation, the East Palo Alto community legal services organizations are stepping up to the plate to provide aligned and coordinated legal services to the East Palo Alto community.
Major Forms of Legal Aid Available
Community programs in East Palo Alto cover a broad spectrum of legal needs, aiming to support individuals and families in a variety of challenging situations. While available services vary among organizations and sometimes have limited hours or are accessible by referral only, here are some of the most common areas of practice for East Palo Alto community services:
Family law: Common issues addressed in family law practice include the establishment of paternity, adoption, child custody and modification of child support. Domestic violence and spousal or child abuse are also common considerations. Family law attorneys frequently work with clients to create wills, reservations of limited conservatorship and other provisions regarding guardianship of a disabled or aging family member.
Housing rights: Particularly for economically disadvantaged communities, housing rights may encompass protection against discrimination and unlawful eviction, or other tactics used by landlords to threaten or displace tenants. People facing homelessness may be eligible for affordable housing relocation with financial assistance, legal representation and counseling on local options.
Immigration assistance: This practice area covers a number of possibilities, including appeals of visa denials, DACA aid and deportation defense for undocumented immigrants. Many East Palo Alto organizations also provide citizenship application help, along with information on how to obtain resident documents.
Employment law: Employment law practice includes contract review and negotiation, child labor laws, workplace discrimination and wrongful termination or layoff. For those with lower levels of income, this practice area can also cover wage theft, the Fair Labor Standards Act violations, the Family Medical Leave Act and unemployment insurance claims.
Qualifications and Obtaining Said Services
Community legal services in East Palo Alto offer a viable option for residents seeking legal aid. Certain criteria must be met, however, to receive free legal help from the community programs.
Low-income residents and those who demonstrate a financial need may qualify for legal aid. Many of the local organizations are income-based. For these efforts, examples of financial need include receiving public assistance, such as public housing or food stamps, or being unemployed and underemployed.
Individuals who are facing specific legal issues, such as domestic violence, criminal conflicts, or abuse to the elderly may be eligible for aid.
Several resources are available for legal aid in East Palo Alto. One of the local options is the Pro Bono Project based in San Jose. Services are available at no cost for qualified low-income individuals or families.
The Pro Bono Project provides a full range of free legal services, including representation in court, limited scope work, and advice and counsel. Legal consultations are provided by well-trained volunteer attorneys who also offer administrative support and legal advice.
Another non-profit option in the area is the Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (CLSEPA) which is a multi-service center offering legal aids to benefit low-income families and individuals, particularly those of immigrant status. CLSEPA provides access to quality legal aid and is known for excellence in public service.
In addition to these organizations, the Private Defender Program is available for those struggling to afford an attorney for criminal offenses. This program accepts fees from the courts to represent indigent clients.
Low-income residents can access services through various programs for those who qualify financially. Eligibility requirements depend on the particular legal services organization. Applying early in the process and getting involved with these resources often can lead to a positive outcome for those facing legal issues.
Notable Legal Aid Organizations
East Palo Alto is home to several notable organizations providing community legal services: The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley is a cornerstone of the East Palo Alto legal community. With a history dating back to 1974, the organization has evolved significantly over the years. Initially focused primarily on legal aid and anti-poverty initiatives, the Law Foundation now tackles a much wider array of legal issues facing low-income individuals. The organization led the fight for East Palo Alto residents to gain access to counsel in immigration proceedings that might lead to removal, including Federal Court and the Ninth Circuit. The Law Foundation has long been known as one of the leading legal services organizations advocating on behalf of low-income people in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. Mobile Legal Aid Clinic is a relatively new but important player in the East Palo Alto legal landscape. Since its inception in 1995, the clinic has been committed to bringing vital legal services to under-served neighborhoods. The Clinic focuses on immigration law, family law, and economics and housing law. At a weekly mobile outreach program, several hundred local residents receive crucial services on a variety of legal issues. The clinic employs only three attorneys but is able to serve up to 1,000 clients a year, thanks in part to a robust volunteer attorney program. Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (CLSEPA) was founded as a nonprofit legal services organization in 2011. It inherited the assets – and the legacy – of a former community law office that served East Palo Alto for over three decades. The organization was quickly able to build on a foundation of strong community support, enhancing its reputation as a leading provider of legal assistance to low-income individuals. CLSEPA uniquely prioritizes immigration and public benefits law, focusing in these areas to help impoverished migrant and immigrant families find their footing after facing intimidating bureaucracies. The organization has received financial support from a wide range of local funders, including the Hewlett and Packard Foundations, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and the Rosenberg Foundation.
Effects on the Area
Each year, Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, keeps many families in their homes, ensures adequate support for their children, and helps people live healthy lives. They do this in a variety of ways, through individual legal representation, public policy work, and collaboration with other community agencies.
While the impacts have far-reaching effects, they’re also tangible and personal. For instance, CLS staff represented a man who faced deportation when he was found living in a home where a marijuana grow operation took place. The Board of Immigration Appeals ultimately granted the man’s appeal, allowing him to remain with his family in a safe, stable environment.
Another client was reunited with her children after working with CLS to obtain custody and file for divorce from her abusive husband. During the process, her ex-husband was forced to pay over $1,000 per month in child support, and he eventually left California. When he fled, his monthly payments went away with him . But because CLS had filed documents that stood in place, the children remained covered under Medi-Cal (the state’s Medicaid program) and are now covered by Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP, according to Zoe Shreves, supervising attorney for the Family Law Practice group.
Despite the successes, CLS acknowledges that there is still much to be done. A few months after the new Family Law Practice group launched, CLS conducted a survey and determined that 150 domestic violence victims had at least one child; 18 of them had more than five. Still, only one of five victims successfully obtained restraining orders against their abusers. The situation is made worse by the closure of one of the region’s largest domestic violence shelters, which now limits the resources available to victims. CLS recently participated in conversations to encourage the county to build a new shelter.
The nonprofit has also doubled the time they set aside for family law cases; about one-third of their civil practice supports family law services. In just three years, CLS has hired seven new family law staff members, including attorneys, paralegals, and administrative support, and they are targeting representative candidates of the community.
Difficulties Facing Community Legal Services
As with any community service, community legal services in East Palo Alto is not immune from challenges that detract from their overall operations. Among these issues are declining funding and waning community interest. A primary challenge is funding. Without adequate financial resources, a community legal service may not be able to continue to afford the expertise necessary to provide quality services. Even if funding is available, the real challenge is getting the funding that is most needed. For example, a program may have just enough funding to cover the overhead costs, but not enough to hire attorneys and advocates to represent clients. Also, there are times when the Government provides financial resources for programs, but the Government starts to curtail funding due to budget cuts. The result is that the program can no longer provide quality representation for its clients.
Another challenge is the high turnover of staff members and difficulty within finding individuals who want to provide pro bono services. Many people who may want to work in such a capacity cannot afford to do so. When funding cuts occur, a program may be forced to lay off staff members. As a result, it becomes more difficult for a program to find individuals who want to work in the program. Further, when the program has no money, there is no incentive for someone to work for the program. A common complaint among community legal services is that funding is sometimes given at the last minute just before the start of the new fiscal year, forcing the program to scramble to meet demands for services.
To further compound the problem, budget cuts mean services may not be available to everyone. Sometimes there is too much demand for community legal services such that not all individuals will be served. In these cases, people seeking legal assistance will be turned away from community services. Another major challenge experienced by community legal services is policy changes. Changes in policy, whether at the local, state or federal level affects community legal services. Many community legal services rely on programs established by legislation to help vulnerable communities within East Palo Alto. When policies change, they may no longer be able to help community members who were once able to receive assistance.
Supporting Community Legal Services
Individuals and organizations can donate time, expertise and money to legal service providers in East Palo Alto. East Palo Alto is a small, low-income, bilingual community of over 30,000 residents which is often overlooked in both local and national discussions of the Bay Area and Silicon Valley. Legal services for residents of this community are direly needed, and those who wish to help can contribute in many different ways.
· Money. Nonprofits are always underfunded, and legal service providers are no exception. A contribution through a Power of One donation is an easy way to help sustain nonprofit organizations. The monies collected through Power of One donations are used to supplement the $25 million in grants awarded each year by the State Bar of California’s Legal Services Trust Fund Program.
· Time and expertise. Volunteer attorneys , paralegals, legal interns, professors, law students, and even non-lawyers can make a significant contribution by donating their time and expertise to projects that seek to expand the capacity of local providers. Without such volunteers, many programs would not be able to serve the number of people who require legal services.
· Advocacy. Your voice is your biggest asset when it comes to advocating for legal services in your community. The people who do the work of expanding access to justice need supporters like you who will speak on their behalf and advocate for funding of crucial legal services programs in your local communities.