Mental Health Advocacy Services Inc

Medical-Legal Community Partnership - MHAS is a key partner in Los Angeles County's Medical-Legal Community Partnership ("MLCP"), a project administered by the Department of Health Services and the Department of Mental Health. Through the MLCP, MHAS assists participants with legal issues to ensure that they have the resources and support needed to achieve better health outcomes and overall well-being. Since the project began in 2018, MHAS has helped thousands of participants on legal matters in the areas of housing, public benefits, and discrimination; provided a series of trainings on legal issues pertinent to healthcare workers; and guided hundreds of clinical staff with legal technical assistance. In 2024, MHAS provided legal and technical assistance to 650 clients through this project.

Mental Health Court Self-Help Clinic - In 2022, MHAS launched a new legal clinic in partnership with the Mental Health Court targeting individuals with mental health disabilities. The Clinic provides Court-approved information and resources about Mental Health Court proceedings to litigants and other members of the public who are not currently in custody. The Clinic also offers information and brief services on a range of ancillary civil legal issues with a goal of helping litigants achieve greater overall stability, thus allowing them to move through their proceedings at Mental Health Court with greater efficiency and success, and with less likelihood of returning. This includes helping litigants secure and maintain housing, helping litigants access SSI or other benefits to which they may be legally entitled, and assisting litigants with obtaining - or having reinstated - their Driver's License or California ID, among other civil, legal needs. In 2024, MHAS provided information and technical assistance to 419 individuals.

Other program services in 2024 included: (1) Addressing Barriers to Reentry Project - MHAS partners with the organization Painted Brain on "Project New Start," a comprehensive job placement, mental health, and legal services program for formerly incarcerated individuals that reside in South Los Angeles. Project New Start was established to combat employment barriers for individuals who are or who have been in the criminal justice system and are experiencing mental health challenges. MHAS helps clients overcome barriers to reentry by providing legal services and advocacy in the areas of expungement, employment, housing, and criminal justice debt. (2) CARE Court Advocacy - In 2023, MHAS began hosting a new Skadden Fellowship project focused on providing civil legal services to litigants in Los Angeles County's Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Court. CARE Court is a new court system that allows a court to order behavioral health treatment for people with severe mental health disorders. Unfortunately, CARE Court has no authority to order permanent housing or other critical supportive services for respondents experiencing homelessness. MHAS' CARE Court project provides these individuals with comprehensive civil legal aid services in the areas of housing, benefits, and more, increasing their chances of meeting their CARE Court requirements and preserving their autonomy. (3) Consumer Advocacy - Consumer law and credit reparation are common areas of service across MHAS' programs serving low-income clients with mental health disabilities. MHAS provides legal assistance related to debt collection, credit reporting errors, financial exploitation and financial disputes with landlords, businesses, and public agencies. (4) Fair Housing - MHAS fights housing discrimination against individuals with mental health disabilities through legal representation and fair housing education and outreach activities. Activities in 2024 included conducting fair housing workshops for mental health consumers and service providers and distributing "Fair Housing Tip of the Month" email messages in in English, Korean, and Spanish to over 4,500 people and organizations. (5) Government Benefits Advocacy - MHAS provides government benefits assistance to people with mental health disabilities, including providing advice about the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) application process, as well as preventing clients from losing their SSI benefits by assisting them with post-eligibility issues such as benefit terminations, overpayments, and disability reviews. (6) Special Education Advocacy - MHAS conducts community outreach and parent training and technical assistance to help low-income families obtain special education and other services their children need to achieve academic success. MHAS also provides individual advocacy including negotiation with school districts and other agencies and representation in Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, mediations and administrative hearings. (7) Transition Age Youth (TAY) Medical-Legal Partnership - MHAS operates a medical-legal partnership with Daniel's Place in Santa Monica. Daniel's Place provides mental health care, housing assistance, hot meals and showers, and other services to transition age youth with mental health disabilities who are chronically unhoused. Through this partnership, MHAS provides direct legal services involving housing, traffic and parking tickets, public benefits, expungements, and other issues to promote a happy and successful transition to adulthood. (8) Veterans Legal Services - In 2024, MHAS launched a partnership with the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program operated by Mental Health America of Los Angeles (MHALA). Through this partnership, MHAS provides vital legal services to veterans to promote access to housing and long-term housing stability. MHAS attorneys represent MHALA's veteran members facing a range of legal issues, including veterans fighting eviction and those denied housing due to discrimination. In addition to direct representation, MHAS offers technical assistance to support MHALA's broader efforts to ensure that every veteran has a safe, stable place to call home. (9) Other legal services including direct assistance regarding legal issues affecting low-income adults and children with mental health disabilities; training and technical assistance to attorneys, mental health professionals, consumer and family member groups, and other advocates; impact litigation; and policy advocacy aimed at protecting and advancing the legal rights of people with mental health disabilities.