Our Services | Programs | Priorities
Legal Services of Northern California serves 23 counties in Northern California with eight office locations in Sacramento, Auburn, Chico, Eureka, Redding, Ukiah, Vallejo and Woodland. We invite you to contact your local LSNC office for more information about our free services available in your area.
We help with the following types of cases:
- Housing
- Government benefits (CalWORKs, Social Security, General Assistance, Unemployment Insurance Benefits, and more)
- Health (Medi-Cal, Medicare, Covered California, private insurance, and more)
- Other civil legal issues affecting low-income Californians (criminal record clearing, education, naturalization petitions and more)
We do not help with the following types of cases:
- Personal injury
- Criminal defense
- Divorce and child custody
We also have the following special programs focusing on the legal needs of specific populations in need:
- LSNC Health Program - serving clients with problems related to obtaining and keeping health-care services
- Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) - providing counseling and advocacy services for Medicare Beneficiaries in 9 Northern California counties
- Western States Pension Assistance Project - pension counseling provided, without charge, to people who live or have worked in Arizona, California, Hawaii or Nevada
- Senior Legal Services - free legal advice, education and outreach to older adults (age 60+) on a variety of civil legal issues.
- Capital Pro Bono (CBP) - a voluntary program for private attorneys serving low-income clients in Sacramento County
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LSNC’s service priorities include the following:
Preservation of housing
Assisting clients with the creation and preservation of low-income housing, tenants rights, evictions and lock outs, foreclosures, quality of housing, mobile homes, mitigation of homelessness, termination of utilities, unsafe housing, and lost of shelter because of natural disasters.
Health Care
Helping clients addressing legal issues affecting their access to health care, community participation in health planning, hospital services, Medi-Cal (Medicaid), dental care, long-term care in nursing homes, and the cost of health care.
Enhancing economic stability
Providing legal help with problems in areas of unemployment benefits, wage claims, wrongful termination, discrimination, job training and placement, education for adults and children, preventing job loss, driver’s license reinstatement, debt collection defense, obtaining and preserving necessary public benefits, job creation, consumer rights, and community economic development.
Support for families, family safety and stability
For example, assisting clients in need with obstacles they face about child care, child support, child welfare, troubled youths, preservation of the health and safety of the family unit, home and community, domestic violence, as well as other family law issues, such as simple wills and probate.
Civil Rights
Addressing discrimination against poor people, people of color, women, children, persons with disabilities, elderly and limited English-speaking persons, access to courts, right to counsel, self representation, defense in civil actions and Native American issues
Education
Assisting low-income clients with school expulsions, especially for students of color; individualized education plans for students with disabilities; and implementation of school funding formula changes for low-income and minority districts.
Serving populations with special vulnerabilities
For example, seniors, persons with physical and mental disabilities, limited English-speakers, immigrant populations, persons with limited education, persons who are geographically isolated, and persons discriminated against because of race, culture, sexual orientation or gender identity.