The San Francisco Board of Supervisors recently included over one million dollars in the city budget for grants to local service providers to aid in the defense of eviction cases.

The Justice & Diversity Center’s Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) was awarded a portion of these funds,  which will allow for the hiring of a new staff attorney who will help to provide full scope representation in eviction defense cases to especially vulnerable individuals and families who are threatened with eviction and homelessness.

HAP prioritizes clients who are formerly homeless, whose disabilities are creating an obstacle to retaining their housing, to isolated elders and disabled persons, and to families with children. The new funding adds critically needed services, since HAP has been forced to turn away many vulnerable clients every year because of limited staffing.

The Justice & Diversity Center is grateful to the Board of Supervisors, the mayor, and the Mayor’s Office of Housing for recognizing the importance of funding legal services for indigent city residents.

To learn more about HAP, visit www.sfbar.org/hap.