After 18 years in Berkeley, HAC opened its second office in West Oakland in November 2006. Funded by a grant from the Alameda County Social Services Agency to help 120 people who are eligible for county welfare, obtain SSI and MediCal benefits, we hired three attorneys and one health advocate.

Within 3 months of opening, the Oakland office ("OHAC") was working at full capacity, representing 120 clients at various levels of the SSI application and appeal process and having provided inumerable referrals and brief legal services.

In September 2007, OHAC received a CDBG grant from the Oakland Redevelopment Agency to serve 40 more clients who reside in the West Oakland Redevelopment Area. Additionally, responding to the expressed needs of our clients, our staff attorneys began appearing in the Alameda County Superior Court to defend indigent people cited with infractions for "sleeping on a park bench," "park curfew," "objects on sidewalk," "panhandling" and "soliciting for private gain." By representing people charged with infraction crimes, HAC attorneys help our clients remain eligible for SSI and counter the stress of being charged with an infraction but being unable to take care of the matter.

OHAC is located at 2272 San Pablo Avenue, at the corner of West Grand Avenue, in the old St. Vincent DePaul building.

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