Family Village Medical-Legal Partnership
A professional is in your corner with legal support
If you need legal assistance to enforce your rights or to access benefits for your family, we may be able to help. You can meet with a lawyer or paralegal through Family Village’s Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP). MLP improves families’ stability and well-being by addressing legal needs in collaboration with Family Village nurses and case managers.
Legal aid services are available at no cost to families enrolled in Nurse-Family Partnership, Healthy Start, and Housing Opportunities for Program for Equity. Families who have received support from the MLP team say that the support has improved their ability to cope and reduced their stress. If you are enrolled in an eligible program, you can ask your nurse or case manager to conduct a legal needs screening with you or refer you to the MLP for legal services.
What is a medical-legal partnership?
Medical-Legal Partnerships (MLP) are collaborations between civil legal aid attorneys and health care or public health providers. MLPs are established to address health-harming legal needs, like eviction, loss of income or benefits, homelessness, domestic violence, and others. Family Village has partnered with Health, Education, and Legal Assistance Project: A Medical-Legal Partnership (HELP: MLP) since 2010 to help Delaware County families address unmet civil legal needs. In the last three years, the MLP has prevented eviction in 135 cases and helped more than 150 families access benefits and income support, like SNAP and TANF. To learn more about HELP: MLP, please visit www.helpmlp.org.
What are some examples of the kinds of legal support you offer?
We can help families confronting a wide range of issues, such as:
- Income insecurity
- Food insecurity
- Unsafe or inadequate housing
- Inadequate or lack of health insurance coverage
- Utility access issues
- Unfair or deceptive practices against consumers
- Access to resources for victims of domestic violence
- Access to vital documents
You must be enrolled in HOPE, Healthy Start, or Nurse-Family Partnership to access this program.
What if I have a legal need, but I am not eligible for your services?
Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania offers no-cost legal services to families in Delaware County with low-incomes. Learn more about their services here.