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| Last updated on July 7, 2008 |
The Philadelphia Bar Association's Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) is a non-profit, public interest organization whose mission is to provide free legal services to homeless individuals and families in Philadelphia.
Description:
The Philadelphia Bar Association's Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) is a non-profit, public interest organization whose mission is to provide free legal services to homeless individuals and families in Philadelphia. Specifically, HAP's goals are to:(1)provide direct civil legal services to homeless individuals and families; (2)connect homeless clients with other needed social services;(3)advocate for the needs of Philadelphia's homeless population and promote positive policy changes to address those unmet needs; and(4)provide legal assistance to community organizations developing low-income housing units and other services for persons who are homeless in Philadelphia.
HAP's essential ingredient is community-based outreach to homeless persons. In the last decade, the number of homeless families and individuals in Philadelphia has continued to increase while the availability of affordable housing, as well as free legal aid and other services to the poor, has decreased. This makes HAP's unique outreach program vital to a population whose legal needs would otherwise be left unmet. HAP collaborates with shelter providers, homeless advocates, community service providers and the legal community to provide homeless clients with legal representation and to connect them with other social services. HAP currently holds legal clinics at nineteen homeless shelters and soup kitchens. Since HAP's first legal clinic in December 1990, HAP's 300 volunteers have helped more than 6,100 homeless people and 135 community groups. To date, HAP's volunteers have provided more than $8.5 million worth of free legal services to homeless clients.
History:
In the fall of 1990, a group of concerned members of the Philadelphia bar and the homeless services community created HAP to address the unmet legal needs of the City's homeless population. This group was led by the Philadelphia Bar Association's Problems of the Homeless Committee, Community Legal Services (CLS) and homeless advocates, including Sister Mary Scullion of Project H.O.M.E.
HAP was founded in the belief that homeless people have unique and complex legal problems that often are not adequately addressed by traditional providers of legal services to indigent and low-income individuals. Homeless individuals lead transient, unstable lives, and are often debilitated by mental illness, substance abuse, and inadequate education. They frequently lack an understanding of their legal rights and the ability to make effective use of the network of advocacy and service organizations that is available to assist them. Living in crisis, often without income or resources, homeless persons are less likely, and less able, than other indigent clients to make use of Center City-based legal services programs.
The Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) exists to meet the legal and advocacy needs of homeless individuals and families in Philadelphia. With a legal staff of five and a corps of three hundred volunteer lawyers, paralegals, and law students, HAP engages in direct outreach to homeless individuals in need of legal services. Each month, HAP conducts eight to twelve legal clinics at shelters and soup kitchens located throughout the City. At these clinics, HAP's staff and volunteers meet and interview prospective clients, assess their legal needs, provide advice and referrals for services, and offer on-going legal representation and advocacy to those with more complex problems. HAP also makes educational presentations to shelter residents and service providers designed to inform them about benefits and services available for homeless people, and to empower them to obtain benefits and services for themselves. Through these efforts, HAP is often instrumental in helping homeless men and women obtain the access to shelter, income, and services they need to begin making their way to more secure, stable lives.
Finally, HAP strives to address the long-term causes of homelessness by providing the assistance of volunteer attorneys to community groups that develop housing and other services for homeless persons. These volunteer attorneys help community groups with a variety of legal issues, such as zoning matters, 501(c)(3) filings and employment issues.
Contact person: Marsha Cohen, Executive Director, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: 215.981.3866
Address:
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42 S. 15th Street, 4th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(See a map) |
Web Site: http://homelessadvocacyproject.org
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