About Us

The Public Interest Law Project (PILP) spearheads major public interest impact litigation and systemic advocacy in affordable housing, public benefits, homelessness prevention, and civil rights, working to advance racial and economic justice for low income communities and communities of color.

As a statewide legal support center, PILP provides technical assistance, training, research, litigation, and advocacy support to public interest law programs and community based organizations on law and policy issues related to housing, public benefits, anti-displacement, community preservation, and civil rights.

Mission

PILP advances justice for low income people and communities by building the capacity of legal services organizations through impact litigation, trainings, and publications, and by advocating for low income community groups and individuals.

Vision

We envision a world where all people have the housing, income, supportive services, food security, and health care that they need to live with dignity.

Values

A just society must guarantee basic social and economic rights to all persons and communities:

• Affordable housing and sufficient income, supportive services, food security, and health care
• Freedom from all forms of discrimination
• Freedom from forced displacement
• A fair and just legal system with full and equal access to all
  

Collaboration between California legal service programs and state support centers with extensive expertise in litigation and policy is essential to meeting these goals.

Since 1996, the Public Interest Law Project (PILP) has fought and continues to attack the systems and policies that have unjustly denied low income communities and communities of color in California government benefits, housing, and security. When Congress prohibited local legal services from engaging in class action litigation, legislative advocacy, and representation of undocumented immigrants, PILP was established to ensure local legal services continued to receive crucial litigation and advocacy support and low income communities and communities of color had legal pathways to fight for racial and economic justice.

PILP has grown from a two-person operation to a team of seasoned impact litigators, legislative and administrative advocates, and trainers who fight for affordable and fair housing, access to economic and health benefits, homelessness prevention, and civil rights. Over the years, PILP has litigated over 200 high impact cases, drafted and supported dozens of key local and state legislation, and trained thousands of advocates in local legal services programs and community based organizations to defend and champion low income residents’ rights to economic security and stable and safe housing.