Open Door Legal

As reported in the SF Standard today: the waitlist for removal defense services in San Francisco tops 1,200 people. There is grossly insufficient funding to help everyone at the current scale of deportations. If Trump executes his plans to begin mass deportations, what will happen to those caught up in the dragnet? People are 6x more likely to win their deportation case when represented. Without legal representation, it’s almost impossible to mount a defense, make a claim for asylum, or even present evidence -- especially under the onerous procedural rules Trump created in his first term. One of our clients was a mother whose son suffered cerebral palsy. Because he was wheelchair-bound, the gangs in her hometown tried to force them to become drug runners, and when she refused they beat her son and left him for dead. To escape, she carried her son across the Guatemala River and pushed him in a wheelchair across the Arizona desert. Eventually, she made it to San Francisco, was able to obtain asylum, and is now in the process of completing her citizenship. Her son goes to Mission High School. She and her son are exactly the kind of people Trump is going to deport if he gets a chance. She told me that she would absolutely have been deported if she didn’t get legal help, and with the current levels of funding, there will be many people just like her who will be unable to get legal help.

We're proud to be one of the nonprofits featured in this The San Francisco Standard article about what immigration in SF might look like after Trump. We are working hard to ensure that all immigrants can have access to justice now and in the years to come. Read here: https://lnkd.in/eMug9Tej

We can prevent homelessness with legal aid. We'll say it again: we can prevent homelessness with free, legal help to those who need it most. It's not simple, but to us, it's obvious: "The United States is the only developed nation in the world without universal access to legal aid, which helps explain why we continue to experience?a record high homelessness population." Read more about the cost-effective solution we believe can change San Francisco entirely: https://lnkd.in/efaSsxx7

We're very grateful for the support and shared awareness that we can prevent homelessness from ever starting with legal aid! #nonprofit #legalaid #legalhelp #publicbenefit #lawyersofsf #sanfranciscolawyers #publicinterestlaw #probono

Open Door Legal prevented one person from becoming homeless every 2.4 days. That’s one of the findings shared by Micah Park in an article today in the Chronicle. https://lnkd.in/gPxY4ywJ As co-author of a recent study and San Francisco native, Micah has been able to deeply investigate our homelessness response systems. She mentions how prevention is the most cost-effective way to address homelessness and how the importance of legal services has been missed due to flawed data collection. As part of the study, Micah interviewed one of our former clients, an elderly woman whose landlord changed her locks and put all her property on the curb (among other actions and without ever filing an eviction), all so they could move in a relative. The client said that without legal services, she’s sure she would be on the streets today. And as shared in a recent Forbes article, each homeless individual costs over $83,000 per year in health and police services. https://lnkd.in/euBr9z3F Compared to that, the cost of prevention is minimal. Legal services are also especially effective: 46% of at-risk individuals who received legal representation were prevented from becoming homeless when compared to a control group. It’s not just housing law, either. Domestic violence (affecting 1 in 16 women each year), wage theft (affecting 1 in 6 minimum wage workers each year), and other legal issues can all cause homelessness. From the article: “The United States is the only developed nation in the world without universal access to legal aid, which helps explain why we continue to experience a record high homelessness population.” Open Door Legal is only one organization. But I believe that together, we can create a system that ensures universal access to timely and effective legal assistance and catch everyone currently falling through the cracks. If we do, we can dramatically reduce homelessness. And if we don’t, the devastating consequences will be seen on our streets every day.

Our work is in Forbes.com today! "As an ER doctor in San Francisco, I have treated patients who have lost their homes because they can't afford legal counsel to contest unsafe living conditions, address domestic violence, or prevent wage theft. In California, for example, it’s estimated that 92% of low-income families with legal issues are unable to access legal help. And once someone becomes homeless, their health deteriorates rapidly." Forbes highlighted Renee Hsia and our work in Justice as Medicine: Representation as a Public Health Strategy today! We truly believe that legal counsel can have direct affects on people's ongoing health. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/ea8UAFqE

Individuals like Lexi in spaces like AppLovin make the world of difference! If you're interested in learning how a for-profit company can directly benefit communities through us, check out the video:

Partners like AppLovin are committed to justice and the reduction of poverty. We are so so grateful for their generosity alongside us!

We are #hiring a Community Service Legal Assistant/Paralegal! This role provides critical support to our legal teams to provide free civil legal help in our service areas. Are you interested in working for an award-winning nonprofit that is alleviating poverty with a team full of innovative, compassionate individuals? Learn more about us at https://lnkd.in/gcDRM22Y