Legal & Public Safety

General Legal Aid

Programs that provide legal counseling and/or representation for low-income individuals who need assistance in routine legal matters, usually in the area of bankruptcy, housing, public benefits, family law, elder law or immigration/naturalization.

Lawyer Referral Services

Programs that maintain lists of private attorneys and link people who need legal assistance with lawyers who specialize in the required area of law.

Legal Counseling

Programs that are staffed by lawyers who offer information and guidance regarding legal matters, proposed lines of conduct, claims or contentions including opinions on the party's rights, responsibilities and liabilities; and who offer suggestions for an appropriate course of action, but do not represent clients in court.

Legal Information Services

Programs that provide information about specific legal problems and procedures that interested individuals can access on a website or in person, or by telephone, email, chat, text or other communication channel. Information may be in a self-serve, browsable format (for example a web resource directory or library of audio recordings) or provided by live agents with expertise in the field. Also included are legal aid services, bar associations and other programs that provide basic information about family law, landlord/tenant law, immigration law, consumer law, elder law, patient rights, the rights of persons with disabilities, the criminal justice system, the civil court system and other legal topics via workshops, classes, speaking engagements, printed materials, video tutorials, websites and other similar educational avenues.

Native American/Tribal Law

Programs that provide assistance for Native Americans who need legal advice or representation regarding federal recognition, treaty rights, fishing and hunting rights, environmental protection, reservation boundaries, land acquisition, land and water rights, Indian gaming, housing, health, taxation or jurisdictional questions. Attorneys who practice in this area are concerned with the treaties, statutes, executive orders, court decisions and administrative actions that define the relationship among the United States, Indian tribes and individuals, and the states. Native American law attorneys are found in federal government bodies such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs and The Indian Claims Commission, which hears and determines claims against the United States on behalf of any Indian tribe. Private law firms also have lawyers who specialize in matters relating to Indian lands and reservations, tribal rights and other legal issues affecting Native Americans. Specific Indian tribes, which are recognized as sovereign entities with the power to regulate their internal and social organization, have lawyers who may be members of the tribe themselves, and/or lawyers who are hired as "general counsel" to handle the legal affairs of their tribe. Public service agencies also serve the Native American community with lawyers who specialize in the Indian Child Welfare Act, and others who serve children, people who are elderly, or indigent members of the Native American community.

Landlord Rights Information/Counseling

Programs that provide information and guidance for landlords who need to know their rights and responsibilities regarding leases and rental agreements, deposits, legal eviction procedures, rent control requirements and other issues that are of particular interest to landlords. Landlord rights counseling may also include assistance in completing forms, and advice regarding a particular dispute or regarding contact with offending tenants to notify them that they are out of compliance with landlord/tenant laws.

Landlord/Tenant Dispute Resolution

Programs that help tenants and landlords resolve disputes regarding security and other rental deposits, unsanitary conditions, failure to make repairs, privacy, notice requirements, excessive rent increases, nonpayment of rent, neglect or damage to property, overcrowding or other grievances.

Tenant Rights Information/Counseling

Programs that provide information and guidance for tenants who need to know their rights and responsibilities regarding leases and rental agreements, deposits, legal eviction procedures, measures to protect themselves from unlawful or retaliatory evictions, rent withholding rights, rent control requirements, privacy rights and other issues that may be of particular interest to tenants. Tenant rights counseling may also include assistance in completing forms, advice regarding a particular dispute and contact with the offending landlord to provide notification that she or he is not in compliance with landlord/tenant laws.

Child Welfare/Family Services Associations

Organizations whose members are agencies and individual professionals concerned with the welfare of children, youth and their families who have affiliated for the purpose of promoting mutual interests, participating in seminars and conferences, networking with their peers, subscribing to journals and other publications, and taking advantage of other opportunities for continuing professional development. Members may work in a particular field such as adoption, children's protective services, foster care or parenting; or may represent a broad range of systems that serve children, youth and their families. Many child welfare/family services associations set standards which relate to the qualifications and performance of members; offer certification programs; maintain a job bank; provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and information; promote high quality services through publications, training, consultation and other forms of support which strengthen member agencies and their staffs; and support a public policy agenda that promotes the well-being of the population they serve.

Family Preservation Programs

Programs that provide a variety of short-term, intensive, home-based intervention services for families experiencing a crisis that is so severe that children are at imminent risk for placement outside the family setting. Services, which are aimed at ameliorating the underlying causes of family dysfunction, are generally time-limited, of fairly short duration and available on a 24-hour basis. Also included are other family preservation program models whose programs vary in terms of the population served, the level of intensity of services provided and the length of services. The objective of family preservation programs is to preserve the family as a unit and prevent unnecessary placement of the children in foster care, a group home, an inpatient substance abuse or mental health treatment program, a residential training school or other alternative living arrangement.

Guardianship Assistance

Programs that provide assistance for people who are in favor of or want to oppose the appointment of a guardian to care for and/or manage the affairs of a child or adolescent during minority (generally younger than age 18). In some states, particularly those with no arrangements for conservatorships, whose conservatorships are voluntary covering property and powers designated by the conservatee or whose conservatorships address only the individual's estate, guardianships may also apply to adults who have been found by the courts to be incapable of managing their own affairs.

Intensive Family Reunification Services

Programs that identify families with children in foster placement whose prospects for successful reunification are good, provide the array of supportive services needed by the family to attempt reunification, supervise visitation in the home by the child, oversee trial placement with the family and provide whatever home-based services are required to facilitate permanent reunification. Services may include mental health and substance abuse counseling, home management instruction, parenting skills development, stress management and tutoring.

Parent Rights Classes

Programs that provide classes, workshops or other educational opportunities for parents who want to understand their rights and obligations with respect to child custody, child support, visitation arrangements and other laws which address the upbringing and care of children. The classes help participants understand how to navigate the system and ensure that their rights are protected.

Parental Visitation Facilitation

Programs that facilitate parental visits with minor children in situations where the court has established conditions for the visit.

Wage Assignment Assistance

Programs that provide legal assistance for people who want to petition the court to transfer wages earned by another person to themselves in order to settle a debt or judgment.

Protective/Restraining Orders

Programs that provide assistance for people who need to obtain legal protection to prevent harassment, stalking or violence in situations involving child abuse, domestic abuse, elder abuse, abduction, sexual assault, stalking or other forms of harassment or the threat of workplace violence. Depending on the situation, a person may have more than one type of order. Restraining and personal protection order laws vary from one jurisdiction to another but all establish who can file for an order, what protection or relief a person can get from such an order and how the order will be enforced. The court will order the adverse party to refrain from certain actions and/or require compliance with certain provisions. Failure to comply is a violation of the order which can result in the arrest and prosecution of the offender. Violations in some jurisdictions may also constitute criminal or civil contempt of court.

Immigrant Rights Groups

Organizations that support the passage and enforcement of laws and other social measures which protect the rights and interests of individuals who have newly arrived in the country or which govern the process by which individuals and families are granted permission to immigrate.

Immigration Detention Centers

Facilities that are used to detain individuals entering the U.S.who either fail to establish identity, are deemed a danger to the public or are considered unlikely to appear for future immigration proceedings or removal. The detention is intended for a limited time until a hearing can be arranged. The facilities are under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE) and are used to incarcerate non-citizens while removal proceedings are being completed and, in some cases, while asylum claims are being brought before the Immigration Court. BICE is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Immigration/Naturalization Adjudication Offices

Organizations that administer the immigration and naturalization laws which relate to the admission of aliens, adjustment of status to lawful permanent residence, extension or change of nonimmigrant status, removal of aliens and naturalization of non-citizens; which provide information and guidance for people who want to permission to enter the United States; and/or which help interested parties become naturalized U.S. citizens.

Immigration/Naturalization Adjudication Services

Programs that accept and make administrative decisions regarding immigration petitions and naturalization applications submitted by immigrants, nonimmigrant visa applicants, asylum seekers and lawful permanent residents who are seeking naturalization.

Immigration/Naturalization Legal Services

Programs that provide legal assistance for immigrants, nonimmigrant visa applicants, asylum seekers and lawful permanent residents who are seeking naturalization. Services are generally provided by nonprofit immigration law offices and may involve information and consultation about benefits under immigration law including procedures for obtaining student, visitor and employment-based visas; family immigration; asylee status; lawful permanent residence status; or citizenship.

Employment Discrimination Assistance

Programs that provide assistance for people who believe that they have been denied equal access to employment or that they have been treated unfairly as employees, i.e., that they were sexually harassed or denied equal pay for equal work, passed over for a promotion, denied training opportunities or fired on the basis of their age, gender, race or ethnic origin, nationality, religion, disability, sexual orientation or marital status. Also included are programs that provide assistance for job applicants who feel they have been denied employment because of a military service obligation or help restore job seniority and pension rights which have been withheld from military service personnel because of an absence from work due to a service obligation.

Labor and Employment Law

Programs that provide legal assistance for people who want to establish employment practices for their organization that will minimize or eliminate problems in the employment area or who need to resolve a dispute or initiate or respond to litigation which relates to their role as employers or employees, their rights and obligations. Labor and employment law deals with a variety of issues including ADA compliance, wage and hour compliance, workplace health and safety, interview and hiring practices, employee contracts, employee benefits, maternity/paternity leaves, medical leaves, supervision and discipline, workplace privacy, workplace violence, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and worker's compensation cases as well as protection from a range of employer-committed crimes including wage theft, deliberate worker misclassification, evasion of unemployment and workers' compensation laws, labor trafficking, defamation including false statements by an employer during or after the firing process, violation of state laws related to whistleblower protections or other relevant statutes.

Labor Standards and Practices

Programs that establish and enforce legislation which protects the working public from exploitation and unsafe working conditions.

HUD Approved Counseling Agencies

Agencies funded by the federal Office of Housing and Urban Development to provide prepurchase and mortgage default counseling, home equity conversion (reverse mortgage) counseling and information about the HUD rent assistance program for current and prospective purchasers and tenants.

Mortgage Delinquency and Default Counseling

Programs that provide assistance for people who are unable to make their mortgage payments and at risk of losing their homes through foreclosure or who are already in the foreclosure process. Services may include information about the foreclosure process, legal timelines and how to contact and negotiate with a lender; assessment of the homeowner's financial situation and development of a plan to address homeownership and financial issues; in-depth financial counseling regarding foreclosure avoidance options and/or options that involve leaving the home; advocacy with lenders, when necessary; and referrals to foreclosure prevention resources. Also included are programs that provide mediation services to negotiate a compromise between the individual and the financial institution that holds their mortgage in order to avoid foreclosure.

Mortgage Payment Assistance

Programs that make mortgage payments for people who are at risk of losing their homes without assistance. Mortgage payment assistance programs may have age, income, disability, need or other eligibility requirements. Some of these programs may also provide assistance for people who have a mobile home sales contract or land contract and need help making a payment that is due. Land contracts are written legal agreements that are used to purchase real estate (e.g., vacant land), a house, an apartment building, a commercial building or other real property but are negotiated with the property owner rather than borrowing money from a bank or other lender.

Constitutional/Civil Rights Groups

Organizations that work to protect the rights of people guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, and which promote the passage and enforcement of laws and other social measures that extend individual rights or more effectively protect them. These rights include constitutional guarantees, such as the right to bear arms, freedom of speech and freedom of the press, as well as civil rights which protect all citizens from discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender or national origin in the areas of voting, education, employment and housing; in the use of facilities and public accommodations; and in the administration of federally assisted or other public programs.

Education Discrimination Assistance

Programs that provide assistance for people who believe they have been denied equal access to student loans or scholarships, or to educational programs at preschool, elementary, secondary, vocational, postsecondary, postgraduate or professional school levels based on their age, gender, race or ethnic origin, nationality, religion, disability, sexual orientation or marital status.

Employment Discrimination Assistance

Programs that provide assistance for people who believe that they have been denied equal access to employment or that they have been treated unfairly as employees, i.e., that they were sexually harassed or denied equal pay for equal work, passed over for a promotion, denied training opportunities or fired on the basis of their age, gender, race or ethnic origin, nationality, religion, disability, sexual orientation or marital status. Also included are programs that provide assistance for job applicants who feel they have been denied employment because of a military service obligation or help restore job seniority and pension rights which have been withheld from military service personnel because of an absence from work due to a service obligation.

Hate Crimes Reporting

Programs that provide a hotline, website or other mechanisms that the public can use to anonymously report information about the activities of individuals who have planned or committed acts of violence or intimidation against people on the basis of their real or perceived race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. Hate crimes have an impact that lingers, and extends beyond the specific victim. They make members of minority communities fearful, angry and suspicious, and raise tensions that can divide and polarize neighborhoods, towns and cities.

Health Care Discrimination Assistance

Programs that provide assistance for people who believe that they have been treated unfairly, denied health or mental health care services or benefits or have experienced delays in service provision based on their age, gender, family composition, race or ethnic origin, nationality, religion, disability, sexual orientation or marital status.

Housing Discrimination Assistance

Programs that provide assistance for people who believe that they have been denied an opportunity to purchase, lease or rent the home or apartment of their choice due to their age, gender, family composition (including families with children under the age of 18 and pregnant women), race or color, nationality, religion, disability, sexual orientation or marital status, actions that are prohibited by the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 and the federal Fair Housing Act Amendments Act of 1988 in the U.S. Federal fair housing law also extends limited protection to recovering alcoholics who actively and regularly participate in a medically based treatment or AA program, and people with a drug use disorder including those who have prior convictions for illegal drug use (but not for drug dealing or manufacture). Assistance may also be available to other individuals who are protected from housing discrimination by state or local laws with a broader set of protected categories, or which cover properties that are exempt from federal fair housing laws but are protected under state law.

Native American/Tribal Law

Programs that provide assistance for Native Americans who need legal advice or representation regarding federal recognition, treaty rights, fishing and hunting rights, environmental protection, reservation boundaries, land acquisition, land and water rights, Indian gaming, housing, health, taxation or jurisdictional questions. Attorneys who practice in this area are concerned with the treaties, statutes, executive orders, court decisions and administrative actions that define the relationship among the United States, Indian tribes and individuals, and the states. Native American law attorneys are found in federal government bodies such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs and The Indian Claims Commission, which hears and determines claims against the United States on behalf of any Indian tribe. Private law firms also have lawyers who specialize in matters relating to Indian lands and reservations, tribal rights and other legal issues affecting Native Americans. Specific Indian tribes, which are recognized as sovereign entities with the power to regulate their internal and social organization, have lawyers who may be members of the tribe themselves, and/or lawyers who are hired as "general counsel" to handle the legal affairs of their tribe. Public service agencies also serve the Native American community with lawyers who specialize in the Indian Child Welfare Act, and others who serve children, people who are elderly, or indigent members of the Native American community.

Government Complaints/Government Ombudsman Offices

Programs such as governmental, departmental or nonprofit ombudsman offices that provide assistance for people who want to register complaints about or have other issues which relate to the activities, actions or lack of action by public officials or civil service employees in local, county, state or federal government offices or the agencies they regulate and/or fund. Also included are programs that handle complaints about the availability and quality of services provided by any of these levels of government. The program provides an objective, neutral and independent review of complaints; offers reasonable remedies when complaints are substantiated; and uses information from the complaints and the investigations they trigger to identify and resolve problems within the agency or department and improve services.

Government Information Services

Programs that provide information about government offices and services that interested individuals can access on a website or in person, or by telephone, email, chat, text or other communication channel. In some cases, assistance is available to help identify and locate an appropriate office.

Tribal Council Offices

Offices that serve as administrative centers for the governing body of Native American tribes or association of tribes. Tribal councils are generally formed along regional, ethnic or linguistic lines; and most function as a legislative body with an elected or appointed chairman who has an executive role.

Mediation

Programs that provide a neutral third person who is acceptable to all parties to a dispute who facilitates discussion between the parties and aids them in making their own settlement decisions.

Victim/Offender Mediation Programs

Programs that provide opportunities for crime victims to meet with offenders in a safe, structured setting, discuss the circumstances and impact of the crime and participate in the formulation of a restitution plan which may be monetary, consist of work for the victim, entail community service, or involve other forms of compensation for harm that was caused. With the assistance of a facilitator, victims have an opportunity to ask questions and describe how the crime has affected them and/or their families. The focus of victim/offender conferencing is on victim healing, offender accountability and restoration of losses.

General Consumer Complaints

Programs such as local consumer complaints offices that respond to a range of consumer issues rather than specializing in handling a particular type of complaint. These programs register complaints by consumers and, when possible, attempt to find a satisfactory resolution.

Housing Complaints

Programs that accept and, where possible, attempt to resolve complaints regarding improper, unethical or illegal practices in the provision of housing.

Housing Discrimination Assistance

Programs that provide assistance for people who believe that they have been denied an opportunity to purchase, lease or rent the home or apartment of their choice due to their age, gender, family composition (including families with children under the age of 18 and pregnant women), race or color, nationality, religion, disability, sexual orientation or marital status, actions that are prohibited by the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 and the federal Fair Housing Act Amendments Act of 1988 in the U.S. Federal fair housing law also extends limited protection to recovering alcoholics who actively and regularly participate in a medically based treatment or AA program, and people with a drug use disorder including those who have prior convictions for illegal drug use (but not for drug dealing or manufacture). Assistance may also be available to other individuals who are protected from housing discrimination by state or local laws with a broader set of protected categories, or which cover properties that are exempt from federal fair housing laws but are protected under state law.

Shelter Complaints

Programs that accept and, where possible, attempt to resolve complaints regarding the licensing; cleanliness and safety of facilities; treatment of residents; fees; unethical, improper or unprofessional conduct of personnel; or other inappropriate practices of organizations that provide shelter for homeless people, runaways/homeless youth, victims of domestic abuse and other vulnerable populations.

Tenant Rights Information/Counseling

Programs that provide information and guidance for tenants who need to know their rights and responsibilities regarding leases and rental agreements, deposits, legal eviction procedures, measures to protect themselves from unlawful or retaliatory evictions, rent withholding rights, rent control requirements, privacy rights and other issues that may be of particular interest to tenants. Tenant rights counseling may also include assistance in completing forms, advice regarding a particular dispute and contact with the offending landlord to provide notification that she or he is not in compliance with landlord/tenant laws.

Adult Residential Facility Complaints

Programs, usually offered by licensing authorities, that accept and, where possible, attempt to resolve complaints regarding the licensing, cleanliness and safety of facilities, treatment of residents, quality of care, excessive fees, unethical or improper conduct of personnel or other inappropriate business practices of group residences for adults with disabilities, assisted living facilities, and senior residential care homes.

Health Care Discrimination Assistance

Programs that provide assistance for people who believe that they have been treated unfairly, denied health or mental health care services or benefits or have experienced delays in service provision based on their age, gender, family composition, race or ethnic origin, nationality, religion, disability, sexual orientation or marital status.

Health Facility Complaints

Programs that accept and, where possible, attempt to resolve complaints regarding the licensing; incompetence of staff; cleanliness and safety of facilities; treatment of patients; quality of care; excessive fees; charges for services not rendered; unethical, improper or unprofessional conduct of personnel; or other inappropriate business practices of organizations that provide health care services.

Insurance Complaints

Programs that accept and, where possible, attempt to resolve complaints regarding the licensing, services, unethical or improper conduct of personnel or other inappropriate business practices of companies that sell insurance or settle insurance claims.

Practitioner Complaints

Programs that accept and, where possible, attempt to resolve regarding the licensing, incompetence, negligence, violations of laws relating to the use and prescription of dangerous drugs and narcotics, quality of service, excessive fees, unprofessional conduct or other inappropriate business practices of individuals who are licensed to practice in the health, mental health and veterinary science fields.

Child Care Complaints

Programs that accept and, where possible, attempt to resolve complaints regarding individuals and organizations that provide child care services. Included are complaints concerning licensing, cleanliness and safety of homes or facilities, treatment of children, quality of care, excessive fees, unethical or improper conduct of personnel or other inappropriate business practices of child care providers.

Ethnic Advocacy Groups

Organizations that support the passage and enforcement of laws and other social measures that protect and promote the rights and interests of one or more specific ethnic groups.