LEGAL AID OF SONOMA COUNTY

Elder - the organization provides legal assistance to adults, age 60 and over, including mobile legal services for older adults who are isolated and live in rural parts of the county. The elder program was established in 2015 to ensure legal access to these more vulnerable individuals. Services include housing, elder abuse, simple estate planning, bankruptcy, and a range of other legal issues.the organization provided services to 165 clients through this program during the year.volunteer law students/legal caseworkers donated approximately 168 hours of service.

Disaster relief: the organization provides legal assistance and policy advocacy to community members affected by the 2017, 2019, and 2020 wildfires, and through our arpa funded small business equity and recovery program (sber) to small business owners who were negatively impacted by covid-19 restrictions on business operations.the organization provided services to 27 clients in-house and to hundreds of others at community education workshops and through ongoing disaster recovery policy advocacy at local and state legislative levels.volunteer attorneys donated approximately 289 hours of service, and volunteer law students/legal caseworkers donated approximately 28 hours of service.ehp - employment and health program: the organization provides assistance with legal impediments to employment and health and to low-income individuals who have been referred by the county of sonoma department of human services welfare to work program and the department of health services.the organization provided services to 155 clients through this program during the year.volunteer paralegals donated approximately 46 hours of service during the year, and volunteer law students/legal caseworkers donated approximately 94 hours of service.veteran's benefits program: the organization assists veterans, targeting those at risk of homelessness, with accessing benefits by establishing service-connected disability, with discharge upgrades, and with applications for va pensions and benefits, including va medical and housing benefits.this organization provided services to 120 clients through this program during the year. Volunteer paralegals donated approximately 102 hours of service during the year.mlp medical legal partnership: the organization has a medical legal partnership with a local hospital, providence st. Joseph healthcare. The organization works directly with social workers and community outreach workers through the hospital system to help their patients overcome legal barriers that may interfere with their health. Services include help with accessing public benefits, housing, powers of attorney, and a range of other services.the organization provided services to 65 clients through this program during the year.capp/reach - child abuse prevention and outreach program - the organization provides legal services to individuals who want to care for and protect abandoned and/or abused children by obtaining legal guardianship of those children and to clients who are referred by county of sonoma child protective services for legal assistance with family law and other legal issues impacting abused or neglected children. The organization also provides legal services to low-income and spanish speaking individuals living in sonoma valley through this program. Legal assistance includes help with legal pleadings, notice procedures, and counsel and advice.the organization provided services to 66 clients through this program during the year. Volunteer law students/legal caseworkers donated approximately 144 hours of service during the year.immigration - the organization provided legal services to undocumented minor survivors of abuse or neglect to assist with obtaining special immigrant juvenile status (sijs) during the first quarter of 2024. This program ended on 3/31/2024.the organization provided services to 22 clients through this program during q1.