Programs of The Hawkins Center

Homeless Advocacy Program

The Hawkins Center is a partner in the nine-county-wide Bay Area Regional Benefits Access Collaborative (BAYBAC) whose mission is to help homeless individuals obtain SSI benefits, Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and additional resources linked with housing and the local continuum of care. As a partner in the BAYBAC effort, The Hawkins Center employs staff, summer law clerks, and volunteers to reach out to homeless people and people at risk of homelessness in Contra Costa County who are mentally ill, have physical disabilities, drug and/or alcohol abuse problems, or are infected with the HIV virus. Our team then provides these individuals with no-cost/no-fee legal representation through the initial stages of the SSI application process.

If you or the agency you represent provides services to people who are or are at risk of becoming homeless, we would like to speak with you about working together to identify such individuals who may qualify for SSI disability benefits as well as about working together to provide legal assistance in applying for SSI. We would be happy, for instance, to hold an SSI advocacy clinic on-site at your facility. Alternatively, in the next few months, we plan to hold volunteer trainings at The Hawkins Center and would be happy to train and provide materials and technical assistance to individuals in your facility, enabling them to assist homeless clients through the initial stages of the SSI claim.

Please ask us about the BAYBAC regional project and join us in this collaborative effort to help reduce homelessness in the Bay Area.

For more information, please contact Linda Durston at (510)232-6611 x18 or at ldurston@hawkinscenter.org.

The Hawkins Center

A Non-Profit Agency Providing Legal and Support Services to People with Disabilities

101 Broadway, Suite 1, Richmond, CA 94804, Phone: (510)232-6611, Fax: (510)232-2271

email: info@hawkinscenter.org

This page was last updated 3/4/99 Disclaimer