Legal Aid Overview in Contra Costa
Legal aid represents one of the most vital resources a low-income individual can turn to when confronted with a legal issue. For many, finding a reliable, affordable attorney proves to be a frustrating and largely unattainable goal. Not only are the costs often out of reach, but the process of finding an attorney can be time-consuming and tricky.
Comprehensive legal aid services exist for the benefit of low-income individuals throughout the Bay Area, Contra Costa County among them. These services are funded by the Legal Services Corporation, a group established by an act of Congress in 1974 with "the mission of ensuring equal access to justice under the law."
Today, Legal Services Corporation funds 134 not-for-profit legal aid programs in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands. These programs provide assistance in civil matters, such as family law, domestic violence, guardianships, housing, employment, immigration, consumer and bankruptcy law, estate planning, and public benefits. In California, Legal Services Corporation is supported by the California State Bar, the Legal Aid Association of California, and a variety of other funding sources, including private donations and county support . Comprehensive services are available to eligible low-income individuals and communities throughout the state.
Legal aid groups exist to eliminate the legal barriers that low-income or disadvantaged individuals face. Low income persons and families often grapple with legal issues, including those related to domestic violence, divorce or separation, child custody, landlord-tenant disputes, access to public benefits, and more. In addition to providing individuals with direct legal assistance, legal aid groups remove systemic barriers that prevent low-income individuals from receiving justice.
Legal aid groups are essential in paving the way for low-income individuals to seek justice. Without the services they provide, many individuals would simply go without the assistance they need to navigate the justice system. Other individuals — those who do not qualify for legal aid services but still may not be able to afford exorbitant attorney fees — are forced to try to navigate the justice system on their own. At the very least, legal aid groups provide a lifeline to low-income individuals in need of assistance.
Bay Area Legal Aid Services
Bay Area Legal Aid provides a variety of services for Contra Costa County. Comprehensive housing assistance is available, including foreclosure prevention, eviction prevention counseling, and tenant rights assistance. When it comes to family law issues, Bay Area Legal Aid offers counseling on child custody, establishing paternity, child support, domestic violence, spousal support and divorce, guardianship, developmentally disabled children, and property division. Child advocacy services may be offered to clients in divorce or custody cases with children involved, including free family law clinic appointments. Free legal representation may also be available for cases involving domestic violence.
Consumers facing debts may receive assistance with debt collection, bankruptcy and reorganization, identity theft, and debt harassment. Clients struggling with a disability may be eligible for legal aid with Social Security Administration benefits applications, regarding Medi-Cal denials and eligibility, SSI applications, Medicare, in-home support services, and supplemental security income. The other public benefits that may be provided include For Cal-Fresh/SNAP food assistance, Medi-Cal, CalWORKS/Owens – TANF, SSI, EBT, and General Assistance/Owens – GA.
The Older Americans Act is another legal aid program offered through the agency, including supplemental nutrition assistance program (food stamps), senior legal services, estate planning, and elder rights advocacy. Services for low-income families/offenders include drug courts, jail and prison re-entry services, and youth services. They also provide legal services regarding consumer protection issues, including loan/flop loans, credit card fraud and debt collection, telephone service and internet access, car repossession, consumer issues, debt relief, store-laying, payday and auto title loans, and sales taxes.
How to Get Legal Aid Services in Contra Costa
Residents of Contra Costa can qualify for legal aid services through the Bay Area Legal Aid – Contra Costa branch. Bay Area Legal Aid (BALA), which offers services through branches in Marin, Napa, San Mateo, and Solano counties, helps low-income residents navigate both civil and family law. Whether you need assistance with eviction, divorce, bankruptcy, foreclosure, sexual assault, or domestic violence, BALA is there to help. California law ensures that all residents are aware of their rights so that they do not face undue harm, but few people have significant legal training and knowledge of how to assert their rights. Many people are also reluctant to go to court because they cannot afford the standard rates for legal representation from an attorney or completely understand the legal process. While BALA cannot provide all legal aid services free of charge, the service can help you save significant amounts on legal representation.
To qualify for legal aid services at BALA’s Contra Costa branch, you must show that you need legal representation and that you cannot afford normal legal fees. The best way to do this is by completing the Legal Problem-Solving Tool. The assessment is completely confidential. Based on your responses to the assessment, BALA will determine whether you need legal aid and if you are eligible to receive these services.
Depending on the severity of your case, BALA will either refer you to another organization or assign you to an attorney. These attorneys offer their services for very affordable fees based on your income and family size. They can also refer you to outside organizations that can help you with special needs, such as adopted child legal issues, special education, and attaining housing.
Remember that the legal services provided by BALA are only for low-income residents who need assistance navigating civil and family-related legal issues.
Contra Costa Consumer Successes
In Concord, we worked on a housing case involving a mom with a long history of unaddressed mental illness. Although she was receiving mental health services at her local county facility, her substantive problems with her landlord were never brought to the attention of her therapist. As a result, her untreated mental health issues and her landlord’s discriminatory animus towards people with mental health disabilities combined to create an eviction action against our client. The landlord’s pattern of discrimination was clear and with the assistance of Bay Legal’s help, she was able to win her case. She no longer is being evicted and the stigma of a pending unlawful detainer proceeding has been removed from her record.
Another Concord case involved a man with terminal cancer. During a brief period of remission, he received a $60,000 lump sum workers’ compensation payment that he thought would be used to help care for his children while he fights off the cancer . A few years later, he applied for SSI and was told that he was not eligible to receive benefits because of that lump sum WC check and his only other source of income was Social Security Disability Insurance. He had no idea that WC benefits would have an adverse impact on his attempt to get additional assistance with basic living expenses for his children. When our legal assistant reviewed the case and met with him in the Concord office, she helped him realize that the WC check did not count because it was used for the care of his kids. He was awarded SSI benefits that gave him some financial relief and peace. The principal barrier to low-income tenants having access to renter’s assistance is the perception that the landlord holds all the power. Formulating legal arguments essentially boils down to teaching low-income tenants that they are entitled to the same protections that are routinely provided to the most expensive apartments in Los Angeles, and then making landlords honor those agreements. What remains is leveling the playing field.
Volunteer and Contributions
Bay Area Legal Aid – Contra Costa relies heavily on and is always appreciative of its local community partners who lend their support through volunteer hours and monetary donations.
Volunteer opportunities generally include Garrett Lee, Kenneth M. Stein & Karen Davy Voluntary Attorney Program services, Family Law Facilitator assistance and administrative support. In the past, the Contra Costa volunteer program has had between 20 and 30 volunteers in various capacities. Firm point of contact is Garrett Lee which is coordinated through the Volunteer Services Unit in San Francisco (415.982.1300; [email protected]).
Monetary donations assist the legal aid nonprofit’s operating expenses. BALA-CC requests donations be made to Bay Area Legal Aid Foundation and dropped off at its Martinez office at 1313 Flint St., Suite 300, Martinez, CA 94553. Donations can also be made directly to Contra Costa by accessing the following link: https://baylegal.org/
Many Contra Costa County service providers donate food and toys to Bay Area Legal Aid staff to bring to the families served there. The staff in Martinez is most appreciative of all contributions for the holidays, child care and playroom.
Local community service providers include: Contra Costa County Food Bank, Catholic Charities, Head Start, Marin Service League, Contra Costa Interfaith Housing, Bayfront Child Development Center, Hope for Children, Berkeley Unified School District, Bethany Lutheran Church, San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Housing, Richmond Rive Alliance, Contra Costa Coordinating Council, Richmond Housing Authority, Trauma Foundation Hospital, University of California San Francisco, UCSF Faculty Wives Group, public housing authorities, local churches, synagogues, and mosques. The Contra Costa County staff sincerely thanks everyone for their continued generosity.
Resources and Contacts
Bay Area Legal Aid has several Contra Costa County branch offices to help residents of Contra Costa County, including Free Legal Advocacy and Referral Clinics at select locations throughout the county. Bay Area Legal Aid provides free civil legal assistance to low-income residents of Contra Costa County , including low-income older adults. Legal Aid attorneys prioritize the neediest residents.
Bay Area Legal Aid – Contra Costa Branch Offices
Bay Area Legal Aid – Contra Costa Legal Advice Clinics
Toll-free Helpline: 1-800-551-5554
Central Intake and Referral Helpline: 1-800-551-5554
Legal Advice Clinic Hotline for Seniors: 1-866-442-2586
Legal Rights of Women Clinic for Contra Costa County: 1-800-551-5554