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Project Sentinel Partnerships
Multicultural Community-Based Partners Asian Law AllianceThe Asian Law Alliance was founded in 1977 by Asian Law students of the Santa Clara University School of Law. ALA’s founders dedicated themselves to ensuring top-quality multilingual and multicultural legal assistance for disadvantaged Asians and Pacific Islanders. Over the past 26 years as a nonprofit corporation, the Asian Law Alliance has helped tens of thousands of people in obtaining decent housing, justice in the immigration process, and access to basic human and legal rights. ALA runs three programs: legal counseling, community education, and community organizing. These encompass 5 major projects which meet the most pressing legal and social needs of the Asian/Pacific Islander community: immigration, public benefits, housing, domestic violence and civil rights. Arab Cultural CenterThe Arab Cultural Center provides vital educational, economic, and social services for the Arab community in San Francisco and the Bay Area. It facilitates mutual understanding and cooperation between the Arab community and the community at large, and disseminates information regarding the language, history, and culture of the Arab world. It attempts to create a positive sense of cultural identity among Arab-Americans, and has over 400 members. The Center provides Arabic/English translation services, family counseling, social services, assistance with immigration papers, assistance with workplace issues, English-languages classes, women’s education, youth services, and referral services. Fair Housing Law Project (FHLP)The Fair Housing Law Project was founded in 1998 in response to the need for increased enforcement of fair housing laws in the City of San Jose. FHLP provides free legal services to people who have experienced discrimination in acquiring or keeping housing in Santa Clara County. FHLP provides education services, brochures and literature about fair housing. FHLP conducts seminars, outreach programs and fair housing training in both Spanish and English, for organization staff, landlords, attorneys and law students, schools, community centers, churches and social service organizations. FHLP also engages in legislative advocacy and systemic reform to ensure the right to fair housing is protected for everyone. FHLP is a client-driven program, which means that each client's preference about his or her legal enforcement options is critical. Chinese American Mutual Assistance Association (CMAA)CMAA provides the community in Santa Clara County with a wide variety of information and services. Their membership is comprised of individuals from countries such as China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Japan, etc. They offer services such as ESL classes, senior citizen services, translation, and referral service. La Raza Communities Resource CenterLa Raza Resources Communities Resource Center is a bilingual multi-service agency dedicated to the needs of Spanish speaking families and individuals by promoting self-sufficiency. The agency serves over 12,000 people a year. Korean-American Community Services, Inc.Korean-American Community Services, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that provides a wide range of services especially for recent immigrants, the elderly and the youth. It offers information and referral, translation and interpretation, counseling, and paralegal assistance to Korean Americans of the Santa Clara Valley. Vietnamese Voluntary FoundationThe Vietnamese Voluntary Foundation was founded in 1979 by Vietnamese émigré to serve those who arrived from Vietnam and were adjusting to life in America. The people who work at the foundation were primarily Vietnamese refugees themselves. They help refugees find jobs, acquire new skills and learn English. Training includes development of such work skills as learning how to use up-to-date computers and programs. While in the past their clients have primarily been from Indochina, the range has expanded to include many refugees from Bosnia who are coming into the area. Despite language differences, their common war experience has made the Vietnamese Voluntary Foundation a compatible group to aid these Bosnian refugees as they adjust to life in America. Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN)SIREN began as an ad-hoc coalition of immigrant rights activists in order to develop a Santa Clara County response to the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act. Its programs include community education presentations, citizenship application assistance, community and service provider trainings, and policy advocacy. SIREN’s multilingual staff members possess diverse experiences that include community, youth and labor organizing, policy analysis and advocacy, grassroots education and coalition building. Currently, all staff and board members are from communities of color and are representative of the immigrant population in the south Bay. Disabled Persons Community-Based Partners AIDS Legal Referral Panel provides legal aid to the HIV-afflicted in the San Francisco Bay Area Counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano and Sonoma. Their volunteer attorneys provide legal advice and litigation in housing, employment, and estate law. AIDS Legal Referral Panel has an established working relationship with Project Sentinel fighting housing discrimination in San Francisco. AIDS Legal Services, a program of the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, provides free legal services to over 400 individuals living with HIV and AIDS per year in Santa Clara county. The mission of ALS is to secure justice and the protection of human rights for people with HIV and AIDS through the development, delivery and sponsorship of specialized legal services. Mental Health Advocacy Project (MHAP) Established in 1978, MHAP’s mission is to empower people identified as mentally or developmentally disabled to live more independent, secure and satisfying lives through the enforcement of their legal rights and the advancement of t heir social and economic well-being. MHAP’s 12-member staff helps its clients resolve their daily living problems in the areas of care and treatment, housing, financial benefits, employment, education, and consumer rights. MHAP addresses issues of housing and homelessness by defending evictions and assisting with housing complaints, including discrimination, abuse and neglect, landlord/tenant conflicts and habitability. Disability Resource Agency for Independent Living DRAIL provides services to persons with disabilities that will lead to increased self-sufficiency and independent living. DRAIL is the only agency of its kind in a six-county area, which includes Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tuolumne Counties. It provides assistance to any person with any type of disability free of charge and also offers For-Fee services to business owners designed to promote an environment of respect and personal choice for persons with disabilities. Low-Income Persons and Family-Focused Community-Based Partners Stanislaus Multicultural Community Health Coalition Stanislaus Multicultural Community Health Coalition brings a cohesive and diverse group of neighbors together to build community understanding and provide a safe and healthy environment for children. The collaborative has members of Southeast Asian, Hispanic, and Black backgrounds from the West Modesto area. It provides a number of community awareness programs, including teen pregnancy, gangs and street violence, cultural awareness and sensitivity, economic opportunity, and education. Community Housing and Shelter Services The mission of Community Housing and Shelter Services is to provide homeless families and individuals with temporary shelter, housing counseling, and assistance in obtaining permanent housing. Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County offers a variety of human services to seniors, low-income individuals, new immigrants and those with disabilities. The agency offers citizenship classes, employment training, immigration legal services, refugee support and much more. United Way of Stanislaus County United Way of Stanislaus County facilitates and supports a community-wide network of programs that builds, sustains, and improves the quality of life for individuals and families. The United Way Information and Referral Service, a community service program of United Way of Stanislaus County has a bilingual outreach worker who provides information and referral services through a help hotline. CORA (Communities Overcoming Relationship Abuse) CORA provides emergency intervention, shelter, counseling and public education related to domestic abuse. They receive over 4,700 calls on its hotline each year and provides legal assistance to more than 1,000 clients yearly. Public Interest Law Firm (PILF) PILF was formed in 1974 by the Santa Clara County Bar Association to provide legal representation through class action and impact litigation to individuals and groups whose civil and constitutional rights were threatened. PILF provides litigation support to local legal services agencies by assisting with formulation of litigation strategies, co-counseling cases, and drafting and reviewing pleadings and briefs. It also provides information, referral, training, technical assistance and written materials for groups and individuals who seek to protect the human rights of and secure justice for underrepresented residents of the Silicon Valley area. Housing Provider, Lender, and Government-Related Partners California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC) The California Reinvestment Coalition is a nonprofit membership organization of more than two hundred nonprofit organizations and public agencies across the state of California. They work with community-based organizations to promote the economic revitalization of California’s low-income communities and communities of color. CRC promotes increased access to credit for affordable housing and community economic development, and to financial services for these communities. CRC has facilitated a statewide investigation of predatory mortgage lending, coordinating homeowner interviews by counseling and fair housing agencies, and loan document review by law offices, as well as data analysis in conjunction with academics and researchers. Housing Authority of Santa Clara County The agency issues vouchers to 16,241 families, elderly and persons with disabilities, provides support to 1,214 welfare-to-work clients, has developed over 2,200 units of affordable housing and manages 2,300 rental units (including 100 migrant housing units) in Santa Clara County and has been rated "Strong Performance" by Standard and Poor’s. City of Gilroy The City of Gilroy is a CDBG entitlement and funds Project Sentinel to provide comprehensive fair housing services. The City has an AI impediment of substandard housing and would like to include fair housing enforcement as a remedy. Charities Housing Development Corporation Charities Housing Development Corporation is a non-profit housing development corporation that specializes in the construction and maintenance of affordable multi-family housing. Charities Housing owns and operates over 450 units in Santa Clara County. San Francisco Human Rights Commission The City of San Francisco Human Rights Commission maintains a Fair Housing and Public Accommodations Unit to handle fair housing and landlord-tenant complaints. The HRC provides public education, complaint investigation and referral for further enforcement. |
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