Relieving Traffic Debt, Removing Barriers to Housing and Stability

| By BayLegal
Categories: Attorneys, Client Story, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News
Congratulations to BayLegal Senior Staff Attorney Andrea Crider and her client, who just secured $48,000 in traffic debt relief through BayLegal’s representation in Contra Costa County Homeless Court. Andrea reports that over the course of extensive advocacy in homeless court and traffic court, this is the largest amount of debt she has seen relieved for …

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BayLegal Attorney Asma Husain Successfully Advocates for Client’s Housing Accommodations

| By Lia Dun
Categories: Client Story, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News, Other
cut-out of a house on a green lawn
In addition to the work that BayLegal’s fair housing practice has done throughout the pandemic on eviction and eviction prevention, our practice also works on issues related to disability discrimination and accommodation, racial discrimination, and other forms of discrimination. These issues remain a pressing concern and seem to have accelerated during the pandemic as pressures …

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Bay Area Legal Aid Reaches Settlement to Protect Survivors of Domestic Violence

| By Lia Dun
Categories: Attorneys, Client Story, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, Litigation, News
This fall, Bay Area Legal Aid reached a final settlement in a lawsuit filed in 2019 to compel the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) to fulfill its legal and ethical responsibilities to survivors of domestic violence. The lawsuit was filed in response to SFPD’s long-term failure to comply with California Family Code § 6228, a …

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Fighting for Second Chances: BayLegal’s Reentry Unit

| By BayLegal
Categories: 20th Anniversary, Anniversary Interview Series, Anniversary Timeline, Client Story, eNewsletter Story, News
| Tags: , , , , , ,
A cartoon figure stands behind bars with the barriers to reentry listed in red around them
“Fear isn’t holding me back as much”   Luke is the father of two boys. One is three years old, the other seven. He works for a subcontracting company in the East Bay, where he spoke to us by phone from the company’s warehouse. “We’re still working during the pandemic,” he explained. “A lot of …

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Spotlight on Advocacy Partnerships: Johnnie & Andrea

| By Sarah Hopkins
Categories: Client Story, Homepage, News
| Tags: , , , ,
Three people smiling at a housewarming party
Johnnie B. finally has a home of his own. It isn’t just another apartment, with a new lease, and a new landlord. It’s his first home after ten years of living without a home altogether. Johnnie has visceral memories of living on the streets. “Life was miserable homeless,” he said. “You stay hungry. You stay …

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Advocating for safe, habitable public housing in Richmond

| By BayLegal
Categories: Client Story, Homepage, News
| Tags: , ,
Street sign pointing to Richmond
A story posted at Richmond Confidential yesterday by Mariam Zagub shines a light on the often severe barriers to safe, habitable housing that low-income tenants with disabilities can face. The story focuses on BayLegal client Michael Lewis and his attorney Henrissa Bassey, and details Mr. Lewis’ struggles with a lack of disabled access and other …

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“All I Needed to Do Was Tell My Story”: A Survivor’s Perspective

| By Sarah Hopkins
Categories: Client Story, Homepage, News
| Tags: , ,
clasped hands of a mother and daughter
Anna works as a full-time medical assistant, and she is a single mother to a three-year-old daughter. She explained with a laugh that those details alone describe her life at present: “There’s no time for anything!” Anna generously took time out of her lunch break to share her experience seeking legal representation for protection against …

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Raising Up Voices Impacted by Investment in Civil Legal Aid

| By Sarah Hopkins
Categories: Client Story, Homepage, News
| Tags: , , , , ,
Alida Pepper giving a speech at a podium
Last month, Executive Director Genevieve Richardson introduced Skyler M. Rosellini, Staff Attorney with our Health Consumer Center (HCC) and his inspiring client, Álida Pepper, to an audience gathered to recognize the importance of investment in civil legal aid—and the need for more. The event was hosted by the American Bar Association at their annual meeting …

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Fighting to Preserve Housing in Richmond

| By BayLegal
Categories: Client Story, Homepage, News
| Tags: , , ,
Two women stand next to each other in news clip
An August 26th story on Univisión 14 features a Richmond tenant and BayLegal client, Susana, who is facing eviction from one of three storage units that were illegally constructed by the landlord and subsequently red-tagged by the City of Richmond. Susana, along with the other tenants of these units, came to BayLegal through our Richmond …

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Lawsuit Results in a Fair Chance for Job Seekers

| By BayLegal
Categories: Announcements, Client Story, Homepage, News
| Tags: ,
Five people stand smiling in front of brick wall
West Contra Costa Unified School District settles hiring case, gives a fair chance to job applicants with prior convictions   May 8, 2019 (Richmond, California) – Bay Area Legal Aid and the Impact Fund have together reached a landmark settlement with West Contra Costa Unified School District, on behalf of clients The Safe Return Project …

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BayLegal represents San Francisco teen client fighting eviction from his late grandmother’s apartment

| By BayLegal
Categories: Client Story, Homepage, News
| Tags: , ,
Neighborhood in San Francisco with the Bay Bridge int the background
A story in the March 7, 2019 SF Chronicle by Kimberly Veklerov presents the case of Terrance Hall. Mr. Hall, 18 years old and working to complete his senior year in high school, is fighting an attempt by The John Stewart Company to remove him from the public housing unit he shared with his grandmother …

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