Public Interest Law Project

The Project undertakes multi-faceted advocacy to serve low income persons, ranging from litigation to administrative and legislative advocacy in support of QLSPs and in collaboration with community based organizations. We also sponsor the California Affordable Housing Law Project. CAHLP provides technical assistance, training, policy analysis and litigation support to QLSPs throughout the state, focusing primarily on advocacy addressing land use, community development, fair housing, displacement and relocation assistance.

QLSPs solicit our assistance by phone, fax, mail and email. The office is staffed full time. Assistance ranges
from phone advice to extensive research or analysis to co-counseling on major litigation. We also assist with legislative advocacy and policy development within our areas of expertise and in conjunction with other support centers.

PILP’s core programs are derived from and directed towards activities funded by the Trust Fund. Our purpose is to provide support to QLSPs in all aspects of housing and public benefits advocacy through:

• training,
• policy and practice publications,
• coordination and participation in statewide task forces, working groups and list serves,
• technical assistance on issues and advocacy brought to us by QLSPs,
• assistance in affirmative litigation, including co-counseling and appeals, and
• assistance in local and state legislative advocacy, through policy analysis, drafting of local and state legislation, and working with other support centers and community partners.

PILP has 5 full time attorneys on staff and a legal assistant to support case management. Operationally, PILP has a Operations Director and Office Manager to oversee day-to-day administrative duties.

Technical Assistance: We provided assistance in: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Monterey, Napa, Orange, Riverside, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Sutter, and Yuba.

Tracking GA Litigation and Advocacy Statewide: In the past year, we focused on the denial of the housing grant to homeless persons, as well as unlawfully low minimum grant amounts.

Development of Materials: We have developed the following materials: training materials including presentations, fact sheets, sample reasonable accommodation requests, client fliers, pamphlets, and surveys.

Training: We provided training at the Practising Law Institute, and to California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc., Inland Counties Legal Services, and community based organizations in Contra Costa, Riverside, and San Luis Obispo counties.