July 2020 Newsletter

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Dear MHAS Supporter,

This month's newsletter provides some insight into our work so far this summer. Our volunteers and legal teams have been hard at work adapting and creating new processes to ensure that our clients' legal needs are met during the pandemic.

I also want to share that the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted this past Tuesday to extend the Temporary Eviction Moratorium until September 30, 2020 . The moratorium provides important protections for tenants who cannot pay their rent due to COVID-19.

To learn more about the eviction moratorium and fair housing laws as they pertain to people with mental health disabilities, I encourage you to attend one of our upcoming trainings (dates included below).

Thank you once again for supporting our mission.

Jenny Farrell

Executive Director

Summer Law Clerk Spotlight

Each year, MHAS welcomes summer law clerks looking to put into practice the skills they have learned while in law school. This year, MHAS hosted three paid summer law clerks who had the opportunity to deepen their legal knowledge and gain hands-on experience while supporting our legal teams.

We are excited to recognize their work and very much look forward to their future accomplishments! Learn about why they decided to intern with MHAS below:

"I was interested in clerking with MHAS because I wanted to spend my first law school summer doing work that I really care about. Mental health has always been an important aspect of my life because many of my family members have mental illness. I was taught at an early age the importance of maintaining your mental well-being and I wanted to work at a place that valued that as well."

Learn more.

"I am interested in mental health law and policy and learning how the legal system can be employed to protect the rights of people with mental illness and expand and improve access to humane and effective mental health care."

Learn more.

"I have a background in psychology and was looking for a way to bridge my interest in mental health with a career in law. I learned about MHAS through a friend and was really excited about the work that the organization does for the community. I could not have imagined just how rewarding the work would be and how much I would learn in such a short period of time."

Learn more.

NACo Presents Award to MLCP Team

Last month, MHAS and its partner organizations received the National Association of Counties' Achievement Award for their work with the Medical-Legal Community Partnership (MLCP).

The MLCP provides critical legal services to low-income individuals at health clinics and in the community to ensure they have positive health outcomes.

Our partner organizations in the MLCP include Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Bet Tzedek - The House of Justice, and Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County.

Upcoming Trainings

Have you ever wondered:

What are fair housing laws and who do they protect?
How do fair housing laws define “disability?"
Are alcoholism and/or past drug abuse considered a disability?
Do I always need a doctor to verify my disability?

If so, tune into our fair housing trainings to get these and other questions answered.

HOUSING PROTECTIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH DISABILITIES

Friday, July 24 at 3PM

Watch via Facebook Live or Zoom

Tuesday, August 18 at 11AM

Watch via Facebook Live or Zoom