Legal Aid Services of Oregon

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In cities like Portland homelessness is often caused by the rising cost of housing, placing a financial barrier between a human and shelter. To make matters worse legal barriers exist that compound with financial barriers to increase the struggle of regaining stability. For individuals, living on the streets can lead to citations for camping violations, or loitering. With no way to pay, these citations eventually accumulate as legal debt, creating an unbreakable cycle that is nearly impossible to escape. This accumulation of legal debt not only widens the financial barrier but also affects someone's credit, employment opportunities and access to housing. 

The Oregon Law Center is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization that serves low income or houseless individuals and families. One of the organizations most impactful service is providing legal assistance to individuals facing fines that are caused directly or indirectly from living unhoused. 

Through legal representation, advice, and community outreach, the OLC helps people fight against unjust fines and citations and find workarounds for complex legal systems. The attorneys aim to reduce or eliminate warrants, fines, and citations in order to help individuals that are unfairly targeted for lack of shelter and poverty. 

The Oregon Law Center also helps with broader cases that stem from systemic issues such as laws and policies the criminalize homelessness and also push for more equitable approaches to the housing crisis and public spaces in general. 

The Oregon Law Center helps create pathways out of homelessness by challenging legal obstacles. The work they do highlights the often ignored issues that houseless people face and brings attention to the fact that ending homelessness is not just about finding shelter but also about removing the barriers that withhold people from getting off the streets. 

Donate or Volunteer Here: https://oregonlawcenter.org/  

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