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Organization Information

Legal Aid & Defender Association: Serving the Legal Needs of Low-income Communities

About

Homelessness, incarceration, illness, denial of disability and veterans benefits, unemployment, and abuse are often products of vulnerable populations' limited access to justice. Help us protect the disenfranchised by expanding access to counsel.

Web Site www.nlada.org

Email safeguardjustice@nlada.org

Success Story

When Jason began working with the Vermont Legal Aid attorney at Safe Recovery, he was homeless and struggling to stay in treatment at the Chittenden Clinic. Following a referral from his case manager at Safe Recovery, his attorney successfully appealed a subsidized housing denial and ultimately was able to secure a housing voucher and supportive mental health services for Jason and his girlfriend. The voucher ended a 5-year period of homelessness for Jason—a period that led to countless police interactions and traumatic experiences that exacerbated his substance use disorder. Since then, his substance use has drastically decreased, as he now has somewhere to go when friends start using drugs and alcohol. He noted that securing stable housing made it so that he “didn’t have to worry about other things and other stresses.”