For 50 years, LAF (formerly Legal Assistance Foundation) has provided free civil legal aid to people living in poverty in metropolitan Chicago. Each year LAF’s attorneys, volunteers, and staff help resolve legal problems, including domestic violence, consumer fraud, and unfair evictions. In addition to representing individuals in court and administrative hearings, we run community legal clinics, provide know-your-rights workshops, and work with community-based organizations to address emerging issues as well as persistent problems that affect low-income families. Our work impacts more than 40,000 people each year.
Job Description: An AmeriCorps VISTA Attorney serving as LAF’s Housing Rights Project Coordinator will assist with efforts to increase the agency’s capacity to offer free legal services to individuals seeking protection of their housing rights. The VISTA Attorney will coordinate directly with attorneys from LAF’s Housing Practice Group to combat “source of income discrimination” against families who receive tenant-based rental assistance through the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, the federal government’s primary vehicle for providing affordable housing to low-income families. During the year of service, the VISTA Attorney will work with public housing authorities that administer the HCV program in Cook County to reach the families who may be suffering SOI discrimination; work with local Commissions on Human Rights, which are charged with enforcing the prohibition against “source of income” discrimination, as well as other legal organizations like the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law; help connect families with meritorious claims of discrimination to LAF attorneys who can help pursue these claims, collect damages, and obtain other relief (such as written agreements to refrain from discriminatory practices); develop a pro bono project to engage private attorneys to represent clients with these claims.
Qualifications:
• Law degree
• License to practice law in Illinois
• Highly developed interpersonal and organizational skills
Term of Service: November 14, 2016 to November 13, 2017.
Program Benefits: Living allowance ($1,026/mo.), choice of Education Award ($5,775) or End of Service Stipend ($1,500) and Non-Competitive Eligibility status upon successful completion of service, housing supplement ($200/mo.), transit pass ($100/mo.), healthcare allowance, relocation payment if eligible ($550), and professional development opportunities.
Other Considerations: VISTAs may have outside employment and pursue an education, as long as it does not interfere with service responsibilities and is approved by a supervisor.
To Apply: Submit a VISTA application by October 19, 2016 through the MyAmeriCorps website, found at the following address: my.americorps.gov/mp/recruit/registration.do
*To qualify for AmeriCorps VISTA, you must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawful permanent resident.
LAF IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF DISABILITY