Legal Services of Northern California

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Legal Services of Northern California

Legal Services of Northern California provides legal assistance to low income families and individuals

08/28/2026

Civil legal assistance is a smart investment that saves taxpayers in the long run.

By helping people settle complex issues before they spiral, they are less likely to become reliant on government services and more likely to remain active in the workforce.

Every $1 spent on civil legal aid returns $7 in economic benefits to communities. Legal services bring fairness to our justice system.

08/26/2026

Carmen* is a seasonal worker in her 60s who relies on unemployment benefits between work seasons. When the season ended, she applied for benefits as she had for years. Carmen was shocked to receive a notice claiming she owed more than $10,000 in overpayments, penalties, and disqualification based on incorrect information. She appealed, but her hearing request was missed and her appeal was dismissed. Carmen turned to Legal Services of Northern California for help. An LSNC advocate represented her, successfully reopened the appeal, and proved Carmen was eligible for benefits and did nothing wrong. The judge ruled fully in her favor, reversing the overpayment and penalties and restoring her benefits.

08/20/2026

Marcus*, who is in his 30s, relies on In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) for regular wound care and other daily assistance. Marcus lives in a homeless shelter and has paralysis. He was receiving nearly 150 hours of In-Home Supportive Services each month before his hours were suddenly terminated. The county social worker showed up at the wrong address for his required annual assessment and then claimed Marcus failed to cooperate. Without IHSS, Marcus lost essential care at a critical time. LSNC helped Marcus request a state fair hearing, complete his assessment, and secure the reinstatement of his IHSS hours. His benefits were restored, ensuring he could once again receive the care he needs to stay safe and healthy.

08/11/2026

Maria* is a widow and single mother of three children. After her husband passed away, she could not maintain the family farm and ultimately lost their home to foreclosure. She immediately applied for subsidized housing, but the waiting list was long. Without a place to live, Maria and her children experienced homelessness for nearly a year, moving multiple times to couch surf with friends and family or camping just to get by. Because they were moving so much, Maria had her children in an online school, even though her youngest longed to attend school in person.

After almost a year, Maria came to the top of the waiting list for an apartment, but the complex denied her due to an eviction tied to the foreclosure. When she was denied, she reached out to LSNC for help. The LSNC advocate determined the denial was based on inaccurate information about the eviction. The advocate helped her to appeal the decision and provided the complex with the court records to correct their record. The advocate also connected Maria to local social services programs to help her navigate this challenging time in her life.

Fortunately, the denial was overturned and the family moved into safe, stable, and affordable housing near their friends and family. Maria’s child is now back at school with friends!

08/05/2026

Margaret* did everything right. She reported an income change to Covered California and was told she would transition to Medi-Cal at the start of the new year. However, delays at the county left her Medi-Cal enrollment pending, and she was charged for a Covered California health plan she did not use. Unsure how to resolve the issue, Margaret turned to Legal Services of Northern California for help. A LSNC advocate worked with Covered California to retroactively terminate her health plan and correct the error. As a result, Margaret will receive a full refund of the premium she was wrongly charged.

08/01/2026

For millions of Americans, getting older means aging into poverty.

Low-income seniors are more likely to experience civil legal problems relating to healthcare, financial exploitation and end-of-life planning.

🔘Healthcare
Healthcare is a major concern for seniors. Access to legal assistance is crucial for navigating complex issues with Medicare and Medicaid, insurance disputes and long-term care.

🔘Financial Exploitation
Older Americans are at greater risk of financial exploitation and fraud from strangers, family members and professional caregivers.

🔘End-of-life Planning
Wills, estate planning, healthcare directives, powers of attorney and other end-of-life decisions are an inevitable part of aging. Legal assistance helps ensure seniors' wishes are translated into enforceable documents.

Seniors deserve security. Civil legal services deliver critical support securing benefits, preventing evictions and combating elder abuse.

07/28/2026

Evelyn* is in her early 70s and came to LSNC when her home was heading toward foreclosure. After taking out a reverse mortgage, Evelyn went through a difficult period in her life and became overwhelmed. During that time, she fell behind on her property taxes.

Although Evelyn later came up with the money to pay the past due taxes and secured a roommate to help stabilize her finances, she could not reach anyone who could help her complete the payments and stop the foreclosure, even though she was still within the legal time frame to do so. A LSNC advocate stepped in, helped her navigate the process, and successfully reversed the foreclosure, allowing Evelyn to remain safely in her home.

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07/23/2026

Civil legal aid is vastly under-funded.

Currently, we turn away half of the eligible applicants who come to us for assistance – simply due to lack of resources.

07/13/2026

David* is in his late forties and uses a wheelchair. On multiple occasions, emergency responders had to break into his apartment after he fell from his wheelchair and could not reach the door lock to let them in. Although David told his housing management that he needed an accessible door handle that unlocked when pulled down, the correct handle was never installed. As a result, first responders were forced to break the door a second time to reach him.

Instead of fixing the accessibility issue, David was sent a bill for more than $12,000 to repair the door. David turned to Legal Services of Northern California for help.

LSNC advocated on David’s behalf, explaining that the damage was directly related to his disability and that failing to install an accessible door handle was an unlawful denial of a reasonable accommodation. As a result, housing management reversed the maintenance charges and late fees, lifting a devastating financial burden from David.

07/04/2026

All Americans deserve financial fairness. Civil legal services provide essential help fighting fraud, predatory lending and wrongful debt collection.

Address

Sacramento, CA

Telephone

+19165512150

Website

http://www.lsnc.net/

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