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The Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) exists to meet the legal and advocacy needs of
homeless individuals and families in Philadelphia. With a legal staff of 13 and a corps
of 400 volunteer lawyers, paralegals, and law students, HAP engages in direct outreach
to homeless individuals in need of legal services.
HAPpenings
- » The Inquirer Editorial Board writes, "The city needs to reenergize its efforts to get homeless families off the street. It's time to find a new strategy that works." Read the Inquirer editorial - Sept. 2011
- » There aren't enough beds in Philadelphia's crowded shelter system to provide a safe place to sleep for all of the children whose families need help. Read the Inquirer article, and learn how HAP's legal team is trying to assist these families. - Sept. 2011
- » HAP featured in Philadelphia Bar Reporter - July 2011
- » HAP participates in Solutions Not Citations rally and the 100,000 Homes Campaign. Read more - June 2011
- » PECO congratulates HAP for 20 years of providing free civil legal services to homeless Philadelphians!
HAP's goals are to:
- Provide direct civil legal services to homeless families
and individuals;
- Connect homeless clients with needed social
services;
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Advocate for the needs of Philadelphia’s homeless
population and promote positive policy changes to
address those needs.
HAP's essential ingredient is community-based outreach to homeless persons. In the last decade, the number of homeless families and individuals in Philadelphia has continued to increase while the availability of affordable housing, as well as free legal aid and other services to the poor, has decreased. HAP's unique outreach program is vital to a population whose legal needs would otherwise be unmet. HAP collaborates with shelter providers, homeless advocates, community service providers and the legal community.
Each year, HAP conducts 150 annual legal clinics at 25 shelters and soup kitchens located throughout the City. At these
clinics, HAP's staff and volunteers meet and interview prospective clients, assess their
legal needs, provide advice and referrals for services, and offer on-going legal
representation and advocacy to those with more complex problems. HAP currently holds legal clinics at twenty-five homeless shelters and soup kitchens.
HAP also makes
educational presentations to shelter residents and service providers to inform them
of benefits and services available for homeless people, and to empower individuals to
obtain benefits and services for themselves. Through these efforts, HAP is often
instrumental in helping homeless men and women obtain the access to shelter, income,
and services they need to begin making their way to more secure, stable lives.
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