African Services' legal program advocates on behalf of people living with HIV to overcome legal barriers to improved health and self-sufficiency.

With a multilingual staff of attorneys, paralegals and client advocates, the team assists HIV-positive individuals and their families to adjust immigration status and obtain public benefits by filing for political asylum, green cards, work authorization, temporary protective status, extension of non-immigrant status, and deferred action.

Our legal program complements African Services’ Ryan White-funded family case management to address the needs of the whole family, including children and their guardians. Legal staff work closely with parents to ensure access to necessary public entitlements, prepare health care proxies and establish culturally-appropriate guardianship or custody arrangements.

They also provide counseling, advice and representation in the following areas of practice:

• Health care, including informed consent, confidentiality and patients’ rights.
• Housing, including tenant-landlord issues, discrimination and HASA benefits.
• Public benefits, including public assistance, rent subsidies, SSI and SSD, Food Stamps, Medicaid, and HIV-related benefits and services.
• Debt management, including eviction, foreclosure and bankruptcy cases.
• Permanency planning including wills, health care proxies and advanced directives, pre-need guardianship and custody documents.

African Services is also accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals to represent clients at USCIS adjustment interviews and immigration courts.

For Assistance:

Clients and providers can call African Services to make an appointment with the legal services staff. We provide service in in English, French, Spanish and many African languages. In cases of a legal emergency, walk-in's are accepted. If a client is physically unable to come to the office, a home visit by staff can be arranged.

For more information, contact Andrea Panjwani, Supervising Attorney, at 212-222-3882 x137.