A New Chapter for Our Children & Youth Team

In January, Alexis Moody was named Directing Attorney for the Law Foundation’s Children & Youth program. Alexis brings more than 10 years of experience to the role, having dedicated her career to advocating for children and young people. She joined the Law Foundation in 2016 and most recently served as Supervising Attorney for the program. We spoke to Alexis about her vision for the team: 

“I am honored and excited to serve as the Directing Attorney for the Children & Youth program. Having committed my career to representing kids and young adults, I am so grateful to have the opportunity to lead this program with a focus on creating the most impact possible for the kids in our community.

My vision for the Children & Youth Program is to ensure that we are meeting the legal needs of every child in Santa Clara County through the many ways that we are able to serve clients. I want to do this while centering client voices, client experiences and client goals, empowering youth to engage in the legal decisions that shape their futures.”

Our Children & Youth program (also known as Legal Advocates for Children & Youth or LACY) advances the legal rights of young people, empowering them to lead healthy and productive lives. We listen to, advise, and advocate for our clients to ensure their voices are heard and their rights are protected.

We provide free and confidential legal assistance to children and youth in juvenile dependency, family law, probate guardianship, immigration, education matters, and numerous other practice areas; advocacy to improve court and community systems designed to protect and promote child welfare; and workshops to educate youth, parents, caregivers and members of the community about issues impacting child welfare and legal rights.

Vietnamese Seniors Organize for Tenant Rights

The Law Foundation has been working closely with our local Vietnamese community through tenant organizing to advance their rights to safe and affordable housing. This past year we have assisted two apartment complexes with primarily Vietnamese tenants in forming tenant associations, with a 50% majority participation rate. These tenants are generally low-income, elderly, and receiving government assistance. 

Residents of the tenant association at Corde Terra Village apartments have been making reasonable requests to have their tenant notices translated into their primary languages, such as Vietnamese, as well as improvements to safety and security. They were met with harassment and retaliation from property management who have repeatedly canceled meetings with the association.

In late October, the Law Foundation joined the tenant association in marching to the leasing office to demand the promised meeting with property management and a response to their requests. These seniors brought water and snacks so they could remain at the office until they got their promised meeting, but it never happened. After multiple attempts to negotiate with upper-level management in person, the tenants were left disappointed. 

That’s when the residents organized to rally in front of the apartment developers’ office. The group received support from community leaders, elected officials, and press attention. 

The result? Tenants finally secured an in-person meeting with the apartment managers. The management has made more efforts to be more responsive to tenant needs, including providing notices in multiple languages so that they can be understood by all tenants.

The Law Foundation engages in tenant organizing to center low-income renters as the decision-makers of their tenant protection priorities. When people come together to take collective action on their own behalf, they have a greater ability to influence people in decision-making positions. This creates a more equitable distribution of power.

Client Receives $80,000 in Back Social Security Benefit

A client the Law Foundation has represented since 2017 will be receiving $80,000 in back pay along with almost $1,000 per month in deserved Social Security SSI disability benefits. He will get to use every penny of that money to remain in stable housing, maintain his health, and take care of his other basic needs with restored autonomy.

Years ago, this client applied for benefits due to severe seizures and mental impairments that prevented him from engaging in gainful employment. He was denied and his private attorney dropped the case. This is when the Santa Clara County Office of Supportive Housing referred his case to the Law Foundation.

Law Foundation staff partnered with a dedicated case manager at the County over the course of the legal representation and she was instrumental to the outcome for this client. Together, our staff and the case manager ensured consistent communication with the client, even as the client struggled to find stable housing. The case manager and the client’s doctors worked to build the client’s medical evidence, ensuring that the client’s case stayed strong throughout the appeal period. Our staff helped the case manager prepare to provide detailed testimony for the administrative hearings in support of his claim.

After seven long years of waiting, including multiple denials of benefits, the client received a favorable decision for SSI disability benefits back to his original application date in 2016. This positive outcome is a perfect example of how the Law Foundation works with community partners—and remains persistent—to achieve life-changing results for our clients.