The Law Foundation’s Health program is honored to be recognized by the County of Santa Clara’s Behavioral Health Services at the 10th Annual Behavioral Health Community Heroes Awards. The awards will be hosted on Wednesday, May 5. We invite you to attend by registering here.
Every year, the County of Santa Clara Behavioral Health Board hosts the Behavioral Health Community Heroes Awards to recognize those individuals and organizations within the county who have demonstrated exemplary service to county residents suffering the effects of mental illness. In the face of a global pandemic, Heroes have continued their mission to improve the lives of those they serve.
The Law Foundation’s Health Program serves communities who are historically excluded from health systems including Black, Indigenous, Latinx, AAPI, other people of color, LGBTQIA individuals and people experiencing homelessness. Founded nearly five decades ago, the Health Program provides free legal advice and representation to individuals residing in Santa Clara County and to people who identify as having mental health or developmental disabilities and/or individuals who live with HIV or AIDS.
The Health Program provides direct services legal work while incorporating community and movement lawyering and grassroots advocacy. This includes public education and legislative campaigns, legal advocacy on behalf of unhoused individuals and people with mental health disabilities. Our advocacy is centered within grassroots community groups. We believe that our legal and policy advocacy should support and advance health equity for all. Thus, in our Behavioral Health work, we always put our client’s needs first.
The Law Foundation’s pro bono program, which engages attorneys from law firm and corporations as volunteers, has worked extensively with Behavioral Health in developing and promoting our Gender Marker and Name Change program. In this program, volunteer attorneys are paired with individuals from our clinic at the Gender Health Center, as well as other community referrals, to prepare and file court paperwork for legal name and gender marker changes. The volunteer training piece was developed with the assistance of Behavioral Health, and we have continued to work together in outreach efforts.
Our team of attorneys, advocates, and specialists are deeply ingrained in the communities we serve and ground our work in the principles of this program.