The Housing Stability Project (HSP) is a small team of advocates, social workers, and attorneys providing free limited, short-term legal services on housing issues to people with disabilities throughout California. We believe that sharing knowledge and connecting people to resources will empower people with disabilities to be able to make the best housing decisions for themselves.

HSP Program Services

HSP staff will help you to understand your housing rights and how you can enforce them. We base our legal advice around your individual needs and goals, to help you understand which options will work best for you. You will have the opportunity to speak to an advocate or attorney about which issues are time sensitive and the pros and cons of different options. 

In addition to helping you understand and act on your legal issue, we have short-term social work staff who can help improve and maintain your household stability. We take a client-centered approach to make sure you are getting access to all of the programs you are entitled to and have the support you need to act on the legal advice you get from HSP.

Eligibility

To receive our services, you must meet each of the following: 

1. You or a household member must have a disability.
2. You must have a legal housing issue.

How to Request Help

• Step 1: Call the intake line during intake hours: A basic three-to-five-minute screening to check if you have a legal issue that DRC handles.
• Step 2: Talk with an HSP team member: Provide facts about you and your household as well as your housing situation. We will then provide basic legal information, referrals, and/or advice.  
• Step 3: Services: HSP team will review your case and determine options and next steps based on your individual goals. We will schedule an appointment to discuss legal advice and self-help tools, if needed. Additionally, if you choose to include our social work team, we will also work to connect you with resources to help improve your overall household stability based on your household needs.

Contact HSP

To contact the Housing Stability Project, visit the Get Help page.

Client Self-Advocacy
Success Story

Due to a crime she had survived in her home, “Mary” needed to move out of her home because of the trauma of the experience, which severely impacted her disabilities. She tried advocating with her housing provider for help, but the housing provider was ignoring her requests. “Mary” called DRC’s Intake Line for help. 

After assessing “Mary’s” situation during the intake process, HSP advised her about her rights and options, and counseled her on setting priorities in her self-advocacy in order to address her housing issues moving forward, as well as to seek justice for past harms she had suffered in the process with the housing provider. 

With DRC’s legal advice and short-term social work support, "Mary” was finally able to successfully self-advocate to move out of her apartment early without any penalty and move into a new apartment that would be able to meet her disability-related needs. 

Helpful Housing Resources

• Rent Increase Calculator - this tool will help you determine whether a proposed rent increase may be legal.
• Create a written response to an unlawful detainer summons & complaint notice
• Tenants Together Rent Control Information
• California Tenants: A Guide to Residential Tenants’ and Landlords’ Rights & Responsibilities
• California Unlawful Detainer (eviction) Process Description – CA Court Website
• HERA’s Habitability 101 Info Sheet
• DRC Resources