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The Health Law Institute (HLI) serves an exceptionally diverse client base including individuals living with HIV/AIDS and/or other disabilities; people suffering from serious mental illness; individuals with histories of addiction and homelessness; and members of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) communities. Our mission is to serve our clients by providing high-quality, culturally competent legal assistance that addresses the fundamental needs of daily living so that clients can optimize their health and maximize their opportunities to achieve stability, self-advocacy and self-sufficiency.
Since its inception, the Health Law Institute has served a unique role in providing advocacy and direct representation for people living with and at risk for HIV. HLI has the experience to allow our clients to feel welcomed, understood and comfortable with their advocates.
Services in Greater Boston
HLI offers legal consultation, advice, advocacy, and/or full representation in cases involving housing, benefits, and consumer issues.
Services Beyond Greater Boston
Through a grant from the Massachusetts Bar Foundation, HLI operates Serving the Underserved: Closer to Home. Through this program, we offer onsite legal services, including wills and permanency planning, at collaborating AIDS service organizations in Northeastern, Southeastern, and central Massachusetts. Areas of Focus · Housing
Many of our cases focus on helping clients maintain stable, safe, affordable housing by defending against eviction from their homes or working to reverse a termination of a housing subsidy.
· Income Maximization
Another major area of HLI service involves helping clients access or maintain Social Security or other public income benefits. Receiving a regular income has a direct beneficial impact on clients’ health, because it improves clients’ financial ability to pay for self-care expenses such as adequate nutrition, clothing, shelter and transportation.
· Estate and Permanency Planning
Despite advances in HIV treatments, our HIV+ clients still face a health crisis that can be life-threatening. Estate and permanency planning continue to be vital needs, and clients can access these services through Serving the Underserved: Closer to Home. Innovative Model of Service Delivery
Serving the Underserved: Closer to Home represents a cutting edge model of service delivery by placing a traveling attorney at health centers and AIDS service organizations in clients’ hometowns. In most of our clients’ lives, it takes an enormous effort to address their health needs. If a case manager identifies a need for legal services and can only make a referral to another unrelated and oftentimes distantly-located legal services agency, the practical chance that the client will follow up is very slim. But because Serving the Underserved comes to the client, follow-up is automatic. As a result, not only does the client get the necessary legal service, but the client also develops a positive track record for following up on his/her needs and gains self-esteem and positive momentum to tackle other problems in their lives. We view our provision of legal services in this model as an integral step in our clients’ continuum of care and the advancement of their overall health.
Training & Education
HLI also offers education and training in the above areas of law for providers and consumers.
Approximately 250 clients are served by the Health Law Institute annually. Funding for the Health Law Institute is provided by the Department of Public Health AIDS Bureau, the Massachusetts Bar Foundation, and contributions from individuals and foundations.
Contact Information
Annie M. Singh, Esq., Director
The Health Law Institute at JRI Health
25 West Street, 4th Floor
Boston, MA 02111
617.988.8700 x2513
fax 617.457.8155
asingh@jri.org
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