Mental Health Advocacy Services Inc. (MHAS) is providing free legal services to veterans through its AmeriCorps Veterans Legal Corps project at Long Beach City College (LBCC) starting Wednesday.

“The goal is to improve housing stability and mental health outcomes for low-income veterans with mental health disabilities,” said MHAS Development Coordinator Jane Nguyen. “The project aims to reach 150 veterans and secure $175,000 in economic benefits for clients in one year.”

MHAS partnered with LBCC to provide access to free legal services for the college’s large veteran student population.

The corporation seeks to “empower individuals to overcome structural and legal barriers and achieve long-term success and stability,” said MHAS Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Veteran Legal Corps Fellow Vanessa Lim in a statement.

Lim will conduct consultations at the legal clinics in order to help veterans with a variety of issues including unpaid traffic tickets or fines, credit card, loan or medical debt, unstable housing or threats of eviction.

AmeriCorps Veterans Legal Corps are grants that partially fund the Behavioral Health-Legal Partnership Upholding Veterans’ Progress (BeHeLP UP) project.

The legal clinic for veterans will launch Wednesday, February 14 at LBCC’s Liberal Arts Campus. The legal clinics will be held on every second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 10:00AM to 1:00PM.

The legal clinics are part of the MHAS’ project, BeHeLP UP. BeHeLP UP is part of MHAS’ Veterans Reintegration Program that serves veterans that are either homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Approximately 200 veterans have been assisted since October 2016.

The Long Beach City College Liberal Arts Campus campus is located at 4901 East Carson Street.