What is the Cleveland Homeless Legal Assistant Program (CHLAP)?
The Cleveland Homeless Legal Assistance Program (CHLAP) is a joint project between NEOCH and the Cleveland Bar Association. It is designed to provide legal assistance to indigent people who are homeless, in danger of becoming homeless or those who have been homeless during the recent past. Many people who come to the intake sessions are not homeless. They are, however, poor and unable to hire an attorney. CHLAP provides assistance to them as well. The existing legal assistance programs do not meet the legal needs of indigent homeless persons. Access to the judicial system is a right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Such access cannot be made dependent on an individuals ability to hire a lawyer. The Program sponsors intake sessions at various Cleveland sites. Volunteer attorneys staff the intake sites. These attorneys provide legal advice and assistance on a variety of legal issues. Family law, housing, expungements and public benefits comprise the majority of cases. The Program doe
