The Center’s Reach Beyond Its Walls
On Thursday, October 6th, Harriett Buhai Staff Attorney Meredith Alexander and Client Assistant Nancy Rodriguez hosted an outreach event at Whittier Community and Resource Center as part of the Center’s Community College and Outreach Program. Through the program, the Center fills the needed gap of legal assistance for low-income individuals who are experiencing domestic violence and other family problems with on-site day long sessions at community colleges and centers. Partnering with various institutions, the Harriett Buhai Center provides individual legal counseling and group educational presentations.
During this particular session, Meredith and Nancy interviewed 8 individuals (5-6 who were Spanish speaking). As Meredith shared, “I really like going to Whittier Community and Resource Center because we get to meet individuals that might not ordinarily know how to access free or low cost legal services. There are so many pockets of isolated communities in LA and many individuals in these communities do not know their rights, or how to get information about their rights. At Whittier I am often asked questions that, to me, are about very basic rights that we all have, but these individuals do not know they have these rights or how to exert them. For example, one of the most common questions I get are from individuals in abusive relationships and they want to know if they even have the right to leave because they are either married and/or have children together. I really enjoy being able to inform people of their basic rights and options, and to help them arrange a safety plan when necessary.”
For more information about the Center’s programs click here or contact info@hbcfl.org