Services
We offer a comprehensive range of services designed to address the legal needs of individuals living with HIV/AIDS and empower them to lead healthier, more secure lives.
Legal Areas
ALRP Staff and Panel Attorneys handle most any type of civil legal issue for clients living within our service area. These include:
Bankruptcy • Credit • Confidentiality • Conservatorship • Contracts • Employee Benefits • Employment • Estate Planning • Family Law • Government Benefits • Housing • Immigration • Insurance • Medical Malpractice • Probate • Real Estate • Tax • Tort • Wills and Powers of Attorney • Workers Compensation
Criminal legal issues are not eligible for our services.
Counties Served
ALRP provides free and low cost legal services to people living with HIV/AIDS in seven counties in the San Francisco Bay Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, and Sonoma.
You must reside in one of these counties to be eligible for our services. If you live outside of these counties, we will do our best to connect you to a legal services provider in your area.
Core Programs
Housing
ALRP’s housing program has become the centerpiece of our service provision, accounting for over 40% of all cases. Our clients face a wide range of threats, including eviction proceedings, substandard and dangerous living conditions, and discrimination based on HIV status, race, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
With significant funding from the City & County of San Francisco, our housing Staff attorneys play a key role in the implementation of San Francisco’s groundbreaking “right to counsel” initiative, which guarantees that every tenant facing eviction has access to full-scope legal representation.
Immigration
Through our dedicated in-house immigration attorneys and support staff and dozens of volunteer attorneys serving on our Panel, we provide legal assistance to HIV+ immigrants, including securing political asylum, legal permanent residence, naturalization, and suspension of deportation proceedings.
Dispute Resolution
ALRP’s unique-in-the-nation HIV Consumer Advocacy Project (HCAP) uses alternative dispute resolution techniques to support consumers of HIV related services in accessing or resolving disputes with their service providers. HCAP seeks to keep clients connected to San Francisco’s robust system of care while utilizing the entire network of providers to improve access to and delivery of services. It has proven critical in overcoming the denials of service, discrimination, and bureaucratic hurdles they face every day.
End of Life Planning
ALRP drafts wills, powers of attorney, and healthcare directive documents for clients to provide peace of mind and ensure clients have a say in their treatment and legacy.
Insurance and Benefits
Through our Insurance Protection Project, we help clients gain and retain access to medical/disability insurance and prescription drug coverage. It is the only program in the Bay Area addressing this critical need among HIV-positive people.
Wraparound Services
ALRP introduced its social work program in 2020, when Prop F established the Tenant Right to Counsel in San Francisco, and organizations started receiving funding to provide free legal representation to anyone who received an eviction notice. ALRP now has two social workers who can support clients in applying for rental assistance and subsidies; make sure they have access to medical care; connect them to a broad range of social service providers throughout the Bay Area; and work with them on their individual goals.
Advocacy
ALRP has a long track record of successful budget advocacy with the City of San Francisco. In 2023, with our colleague organizations in the Homeless Emergency Service Providers Association (HESPA), we co-led efforts to prevent cuts to funding for the San Francisco Tenant Right to Counsel (TRC) eviction defense legal services programs. Our work included helping develop talking points for meetings with policymakers, gathering client success stories, and setting up meetings with the Mayor’s Office and each member of the Board of Supervisors.
We and sister organizations in the HIV/AIDS Provider Network (HAPN) were also able to secure the largest-ever Cost of Doing Business increase of approximately 5% for federal Ryan White funded services. This rare boost helped offset the reality that while Ryan White grant amounts have not increased in years, expenses of all kinds certainly have.
Referral Program
For services that ALRP is not best suited to handle in-house, we rely on a Panel of over 500 volunteer attorneys who are willing to jump in and offer their specialized expertise. ALRP conducts an individualized referral process to understand the client’s legal need, identify a qualified attorney who is excited to provide support, and ensure the client and attorney are able to connect.
All services provided by ALRP staff are always free. Depending on the nature of the case and the income of the client, Panel Attorneys may charge a reduced fee.