VIDEO
October 2020
On October 21, 2020, Mental Health Advocacy Services celebrated its first-ever Virtual Annual Celebration.
February 2019
On January 2, 2019, Mental Health Advocacy Services welcomed our new Executive Director, Jenny Farrell.
November 2018
A tribute to Jim Preis, MHAS Executive Director from 1979-2018, featuring interviews with Richard Van Horn, Bruce Saltzer, Lucy Eisenberg, Mary Ann Bannan-Haines, David Bower, Elyn Saks, Ron Schraiber, Francis Ryu, and Ahilan Arulanantham.
April 2018
"My goal is to bring him into our world. I try to make him as independent as I can," MHAS client and single working mother said of her son with autism. MHAS and Pro Bono Attorney Tanya Greene of Kirkland & Ellis LLP won an SSI appeal for her young son, securing benefits that allow her to obtain the services and supports that her son needs to learn and thrive.
December 2017
Henry is a veteran whose family was facing eviction until MHAS intervened. Henry's teenaged daughter who has a history of mental disabilities was under constant surveillance by their landlord. The landlord ultimately tried to evict Henry's family. Through negotiation with the landlord, MHAS was able to prevent this illegal discrimination. As a result, the family no longer has to worry about constant harassment and the threat of eviction as they focus on building a good future for their daughter.
November 2017
Audra is a single mother and veteran who has mental and physical disabilities. After Audra got injured at her former job, she could no longer work and lapsed into periods of homelessness. During this difficult period, Audra accumulated minor traffic tickets that she was unable to pay off. After regaining permanent housing, Audra sought the help of MHAS to assist in resolving her traffic tickets. MHAS enlisted the pro bono help of Attorney Jonathan Weisberg who represented Audra in court. Jonathan succeeded in getting Audra's tickets dismissed but could not have predicted the surprise that came with the judge's decision.
February 2017
"There was no heat, there was no hot water...It was a pretty desperate situation," recounts Naomi Sultan, Skadden Fellow & MHAS Staff Attorney. In addition to major habitability problems, Edith* was facing eviction. Naomi partnered up with Jane Win-Thu, Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Veterans Legal Corps Fellow, to fight for Edith, an elderly veteran with physical and mental disabilities.*Client name has been changed to protect client confidentiality.
November 2016
Mental illness is among the many burdens that challenge a large number of veterans. 30% of returning veterans suffer from a mental health or cognitive condition (RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research, Invisible Wounds of War, 2008). By providing legal assistance to these veterans, MHAS helps returning service members successfully transition to civilian life.With the support of a Skadden Fellowship, MHAS has formed the Behavioral Health Legal Partnership for Veterans project (BeHeLP-Vets) to provide legal assistance to veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Skadden Fellow and MHAS Staff Attorney Naomi Sultan works with Operation Healthy Homecoming, a project of Mental Health America of Los Angeles, to resolve veterans' legal issues in an effort to improve mental health outcomes and housing stability.
October 2016
Arthur is a veteran who served in active duty for eight years, fighting in Iraq and earning the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal in addition to medals for good conduct and for serving in hostile territory. After returning home to Los Angeles, Arthur had trouble adjusting to civilian life and began accumulating traffic tickets, resulting in his license suspension. Arthur was referred to Mental Health Advocacy Services (MHAS) from Operation Healthy Homecoming to help resolve his legal issues.