Bet Tzedek Legal Services

As a recognized nonprofit force, Bet Tzedek provides free legal services, education and outreach, policy advocacy, and impact litigation. We are united in our mission to create equitable access to justice for all communities. Visit?https://bettzedek.org?to learn more.?

Are you experiencing discrimination based on a disability? Bet Tzedek can help! At Bet Tzedek, we provide free legal assistance and advocate for the rights of marginalized communities in Los Angeles. We understand how difficult life can be when you're treated unfairly, and we’re here to support you. Get help here: https://lnkd.in/gzHAgnH5

TOMORROW! Register here: bit.ly/March11Clinic

"Homeowners and renters who have incurred damage or losses from the Los Angeles County wildfires now have until Monday, March 31, 2025, to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance and Small Business Administration assistance (SBA). The program provides financial and other assistance to eligible individuals and households to help meet their basic needs and supplement their wildfire recovery efforts."

An LAist article covered our conference to bring awareness to the dire issue of human trafficking — a common threat after natural disasters — following the SoCal wildfires: https://lnkd.in/esMwmB62

Bet Tzedek Legal Services' World Elder Abuse Awareness Day event is just around the corner. This year's event focuses on dementia and elder abuse, and will include fantastic keynote speakers, including Mirella Diaz-Santos and Freddi Segal-Gidan. To register, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3DoZ4lx

Give it up for the fantastic attorneys from Bet Tzedek Legal Services' Small Business Development Program (Nadia Segura, Marco Castro, and Tamara Harris, Esq., LL.M.) who put together an FYI that went out to our small business clients regarding the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). Every day, I receive a half-dozen such alerts from major law firms providing their large, multimillion dollar clients critical updates. Our team is bringing that same level of service to the low-to-moderate small business owners seeking to realize their entrepreneurial visions. BRAVO!

For years, voters with disabilities in Los Angeles County have faced literal uphill battles to in-person voting, from steep ramps to inaccessible curbside voting options. However, a landmark agreement between the Justice Department and Los Angeles County is finally addressing accessibility issues. Our IHSS & Medi-Cal Policy Specialist, Kim Selfon, consulted with the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of our clients and Bet Tzedek in this case. With this agreement, Los Angeles County must work with an independent accessibility expert for three years to ensure polling locations are accessible or can be made accessible temporarily during voting periods. With over 4.3 million registered voters, Los Angeles County is the largest election jurisdiction in the nation. This is a monumental step forward in ensuring that all voters, regardless of ability, can cast their ballots independently and in person. If you or someone you know has faced accessibility issues when voting, visit www.ada.gov or report discrimination at https://lnkd.in/epXA35fg. Learn more about our advocacy for disability rights here: https://lnkd.in/gzHAgnH5

What a grim statistic from the County of Los Angeles Dept. of Public Health: the number of homeless people dying on the streets is high, but not growing. "In 2023, the most recent year of data available for the [report on mortality among people experiencing homelessness], there were 2,508 deaths among people experiencing homelessness. While the mortality rate remained high, at 3,326 deaths per 100,000 people, 2023 marked the second consecutive year of a plateau in the homeless mortality rate, which previously saw a devastating increase of 56% from 2019 to 2021." Link to full report here: https://bit.ly/41qsjfP I appreciate the recommendations made by the Department, such as expanding harm reduction outreach and engagement, but I think homelessness prevention should be added to that list. No one should die on the streets of a country as wealthy as ours, and the best way to achieve that is to prevent people from becoming homeless. Programs like Inner City Law Center's Preventing and Ending Homelessness Program, which Bet Tzedek Legal Services, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, and others participate in, works to prevent people from even having to face these grim possibilities. It does this by helping eliminate roadblocks that can lead to housing insecurity, like ensuring people have the documents they need to secure benefits and housing, helping people appeal benefits denials, and protecting survivors of domestic violence so the survivor can keep their housing. Those are just a few examples of the legal work, and it doesn't even cover the case management services provided by our CBO partners like Safe Place for Youth and St. Joseph Center. Just one example: Bet Tzedek worked with St. Joseph Center to connect a tenant with case management services to address his hording situation. This allowed the tenant to stay in his apartment and avoid homelessness where it would be infinitely more difficult to address his mental health needs.

We are delighted to announce Andrea Schneider as Bet Tzedek's new Director of Institutional Giving! Join us in giving her a warm welcome in this role. Andrea has over a decade of experience working in Los Angeles’ nonprofit sector. She first joined Bet Tzedek in 2017 as the Pro Bono & Volunteer Coordinator, transitioned to the grants team in 2018, and was promoted to Director of Institutional Giving in January 2025. Prior to her work at Bet Tzedek, Andrea served as a Shift Supervisor at Didi Hirsch’s Suicide Prevention Center, where she managed a team of counselors and fielded crisis calls. She earned her B.A. from the University of Michigan.