- 2010 Census
- Client Services
- Local Services
- Priority Areas
- CRLA Special Initiatives
- Agricultural Worker Health Project
- Community Equity Initiative
- Dairy Worker Safety Initiative
- The Fund for Rural Equity
- Health Consumer Center of Imperial County
- Indigenous Farmworker Project
- Proyecto Poderoso
- Rural Fair Housing Center
- Farmworker Sexual Violence Technical Assistance Project
- Ending the School to Prison Pipeline
California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc.
Fighting for justice and changing lives.
Proyecto Poderoso/Project Powerful
ANNOUCEMENT:
New Listserv – National LGBT Legal Aid Forum – to Assist Legal Aid Advocates with LGBT Clients
The National LGBT Legal Aid Forum is a new listserv dedicated to improving legal services for low-income LGBT clients. This listserv is a forum for members to post questions and answers related to serving LGBT clients, and to share resources and updates on new developments in LGBT-related law. Legal aid advocates who are committed to effectively advocating for LGBT people and their families are invited to apply for membership. Attorneys from national, state and regional LGBT legal organizations who wish to communicate directly with a community of LGBT-supportive legal aid advocates are also invited to apply. The Forum’s members include advocates with expertise in various aspects of LGBT-related law, including, but not limited to family, employment, health, immigration and domestic violence law. Legal aid advocates with no prior experience serving LGBT clients, but who wish to build their knowledge base and access related information, are also welcome. This listserv is administered by California Rural Legal Assistance and the National Center for Lesbian Rights with guidance and support from a committee of attorneys from New York Legal Assistance Group, Lambda Legal and Legal Services of Northern California. To apply for membership to the forum, visit www.nclrights.org/LGBTlegalaid.
Program Overview
California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) has joined with the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) to improve legal services for low-income lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in rural California, in particular LGBT farm workers. LGBT people are becoming increasingly visible in rural California. A Williams Institute analysis revealed that about 136,000 self-identified gay, lesbian, and bisexual people reside in rural counties served by CRLA. Rural gay, lesbian, and bisexual communities reflect tremendous racial and ethnic diversity, and about one-third of the population struggles with poverty. The population suffers pervasive discrimination and higher rates of unemployment, disability and psychological stress compared to heterosexual counterparts. Though the size of the rural transgender community is still being measured, CRLA has served a growing number of transgender clients. CRLA's transgender clients often encounter the most egregious discrimination. In response to these challenges, CRLA has created Proyecto Poderosoâ€"Project Powerful. Proyecto Poderoso is making a difference in the lives of rural LGBT people by improving access to LGBT-specific legal services, and changing for the better the way rural communities see LGBT people. California offers strong legal protections for LGBT people, but those laws will exist only in theory, unless rural, low-income LGBT people has access to affordable legal assistance with expertise in LGBT civil rights. Ultimately, Proyecto Poderoso strives for full inclusion of LGBT people in rural California communities.
Program Outcomes, Goals and Strategies
Proyecto Poderoso strives for the equality and dignity of LGBT people in rural California communities. Proyecto Poderoso accomplishes its goal of improving legal assistance for rural LGBT people through: 1) community education about LGBT civil rights, 2) training and technical assistance to increase the expertise of legal advocates in the area of LGBT civil rights, and 3) providing direct legal services to low-income LGBT people. In addition to improving legal services, Proyecto Poderoso identifies and helps cultivate emerging LGBT leaders in rural California.
To carry out the work, Proyecto Poderoso leverages the wide reach and expertise of CRLA, with its decades of experience advocating on behalf of the rural poor, and the expertise of NCLR, the preeminent national legal and policy advocacy group for LGBT people and their families.
Community Education
Educating communities is a critical component of the effort to protect LGBT civil and human rights. Proyecto Poderoso educates the rural public through media appearances, community presentations, and outreach.
Organizational Capacity Building
Proyecto Poderoso is CRLAâ€TMs targeted program to build the expertise of attorneys and staff in the area of LGBT legal advocacy. Through a series of trainings supported by NCLR, CRLA attorneys and staff become informed about issues commonly affecting LGBT communities and key legal protections available to address those concerns. Ultimately, CRLAâ€TMs expanded expertise will improve the organizationâ€TMs ability to provide legal representation to low-income LGBT individuals in rural California.
Direct Legal Services
CRLA provides legal services directly to low-income LGBT people who have legal questions, or possible claims of harassment or discrimination. Prosecuting discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity sends a clear message that LGBT rights must be respected.
Leadership Development
Proyecto Poderoso cultivates emerging, grassroots leaders in rural communities to advocate for LGBT equality. Full equality and inclusion can be achieved by raising a chorus of voices that share personal stories that generate compassion and understanding about LGBT people, and articulate legal grounds for fair treatment.
Program Staff
Attorney and Program Manager, Lisa Cisneros
Lisa Cisneros joined CRLA as a Pride Law Fellow in the fall of 2007. She leads Proyecto Poderosoâ€"Powerful Projectâ€"a collaborative effort by NCLR and California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. aimed at improving legal services for low-income LGBT residents of rural California. The project is made possible by a generous grant from Pride Law Fundâ€TMs Tom Steel Fellowship.
Lisa received her J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) in 2007. During law school, she worked as a judicial extern in federal court, and served as a law clerk at Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, as well as at NCLR. She was a member of Boalt Hallâ€TMs prestigious Death Penalty Clinic, and a senior editor for the California Law Review. Upon graduation, Lisa received the Francine Diaz Memorial Award for her contributions to the Boalt community and public service.
Proyecto Poderoso is supported in part by a grant from the