WHAT WE DO

Client Representation

Greater Hartford Legal Aid represents people in court, at administrative hearings, and before government agencies and the legislature. We work with the community to address issues and concerns that people who are poor bring to us. We guide clients through the complicated maze of laws, helping them know their rights and get those rights enforced. Our Community Legal Education helps clients advocate for themselves. We make sure that government decision-makers know how the laws affect real people, and that government programs truly do provide the help they promise

As we work to solve problems in our society, we work for practical and just solutions.

Our advocates use the courts and laws and collaborate with community agencies to:

· help domestic violence victims plan for their safety;

· protect the dignity and rights of people with HIV;

· protect children from violence in their families and give children a safe place to grow and learn;

· help people get and keep jobs;

· make sure that senior citizens get the benefits and services they need to live safely in their homes or in nursing care facilities;

· help clients meet their basic human needs;

· prevent eviction and improve the availability of housing; and

· secure appropriate education and adequate health care for children.

Creative Community and Policy Advocacy

Among the innovative programs we began recently is our welfare to work initiative, which led to an expansion of our employment case load. GHLA lawyers work in the community, educating the public and social service agencies about legal problems which might affect a worker’s ability to stay on the job. Over time, as more former Welfare recipients have obtained jobs, our lawyers have had increasing call for anti-discrimination, unemployment compensation, Family and Medical Leave Act, licensure issues, and other employment-related legal work. We strive to help clients learn and fulfill their responsibilities and enforce their rights as employees, keep their jobs and stabilize their lives.

The AIDS Legal Network, a collaborative project of Connecticut’s legal services programs based at GHLA, helps people infected with HIV/AIDS from around the state solve the legal problems facing them. People with HIV/AIDS need protection from illegal discrimination in many arenas, including the workplace and housing market. Their legal needs may also include securing government benefits, negotiating guardianship of children and other family issues, or preparing advance health and financial directives.

A federal grant from the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women funds new, more proactive relationships with shelters for victims of domestic violence. The Connecticut Domestic Violence Partnership Initiative is a collaborative effort including: GHLA, Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Connecticut Legal Services, and New Haven Legal Assistance Association providing a broader range of legal help at an earlier stage and building more effective safety plans with victims and their children.

TOWNS WE SERVE