SAN FRANCISCO (March 24, 2008)
The Public Interest Clearinghouse (PIC), a nonprofit organization that advances equal justice by activating and coordinating legal community resources to promote the innovate and effective delivery of legal services, has received a grant from the van Löben Sels/RembeRock Foundation to support its outreach and training efforts to both rural communities and Spanish-speaking communities in Northern California.
The van Löben Sels/RembeRock Foundation grant supports the LawHelpCalifornia.org Language Expansion and Access Project (LEAP). LEAP will accomplish two goals: 1) increase access to justice for low-income and rural Northern Californians, and 2) increase access to and awareness of available legal information for Spanish-speaking Californians. LawHelpCalifornia.org is a statewide website that contains a comprehensive and reliable database of referrals to legal services programs and self-help information across all major areas of civil law. LEAP specifically targets clients in rural areas, who often live far from their local legal services organization. LawHelpCalifornia.org delivers the referrals and resources to help rural clients begin navigating their way through the legal system.
In an effort to increase access and awareness of the great breadth of resources on LawHelpCalifornia.org, PIC will create a Spanish-language navigational guide on how to access the over 500 self-help resources in Spanish on the website. The guide will be distributed at all future trainings, with concentrated outreach efforts to advocates at San Francisco Bay Area organizations that serve Spanish-speaking individuals.
In 2008, PIC staff will make two separate trips to Northern California to train advocates and staff at local community-based organizations (CBOs) to effectively navigate LawHelpCalifornia.org. In May 2008, PIC staff will partner with the Self-Help Access and Referral Program of the Superior Court of California (SHARP) in the Glenn, Butte and Tehama tri-county area. Siobhan Waldron, LawHelpCalifornia Coordinator says, "I am very eager to work with the local CBOs, empowering them to connect their constituents with the legal information they desperately need. In rural areas, the staff at libraries and CBOs are often the first point of contact for clients in need of legal help, and LawHelpCalifornia.org will enable these organizations to effectively aid residents.”
About the van Löben Sels/RembeRock Foundation
The van Löben Sels/RembeRock Foundation’s goal is to promote social justice and the well-being of the underserved residents and communities of Northern California. |
