Public Interest Law Project

Protecting and advancing civil rights of unhoused personsCalifornia is home to more than half of all unhoused people, many in unsafe conditions without access to basic necessities including food, shelter, and health care. PILP protects and advances the civil rights of unhoused people across the state; fights the criminalization of homelessness; and works to ensure equitable access to benefits and services that are designed to help unhoused people get and keep stable housing. In 2024, we continued to fight for the civil rights of unhoused persons in San Luis Obispo, San Francisco, and Santa Rosa.

Breaking down barriers to equitable disbursement of public benefitsThose eligible for public benefits in California include chronically homeless people with disabilities, female-headed, and lower income families with children that disproportionately identify as female households and Black or Latina. PILP breaks down systemic barriers to the equitable disbursement of public benefits, primarily focused on CalFresh; CalWORKS; General Assistance/Relief; and other funds targeted to helping unhoused people, people with disabilities, immigrants, foster youth, and disaster survivors can meet their basic needs. In 2024, we developed and widely distributed a multilingual toolkit to expand access to underutilized housing and homelessness programs within public benefits frameworks, reaching qualified legal service programs, community groups, and thousands of eligible individuals.