3L Patrick Keenan Devlin, shown here with Supervising Attorney Allyson Gold, won a precedent-setting case for his Health Justice Project client.
C
hicago resident Graciela has a
disability that makes it difficult for
her to hold a steady job. When health
care providers at the Erie Family
Health Center referred her to the Health Justice
Project (HJP) at Loyola, 3L Patrick Keenan Devlin
and other students swung into action.
After reviewing Graciela’s rental agreement and
notices of termination, Devlin and his colleagues
discovered multiple violations of Chicago’s
Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance. What was
once a bleak situation, with Graciela owing her
landlord upward of $2,800 and facing immediate
homelessness, was quickly reversed. A settlement
agreement was reached, reducing Graciela’s debt
to $0, awarding her $1,200 in damages, and giving
her an extra 39 rent-free days in the apartment. She
has since voluntarily vacated the apartment and
begun a new job that provides her with reasonable
accommodations.
“This precedent-setting case really raised
the bar of what can be accomplished for Illinois
tenants,” says Emily Benfer, director of the HJP.
“When we told Illinois housing attorneys, they
could not believe the extent of what Patrick and
the HJP achieved with this case.”
The win for Graciela is just one of the
significant recent accomplishments at the HJP.
A little more than a year after its debut, the HJP
is racking up client successes and expanding its
policy work.
Part of the School of Law’s clinical offerings and
housed in the Beazley Institute for Health Law and
Policy, the HJP is a medical-legal partnership that
takes a holistic approach to clients’ problems by
identifying the interconnected barriers to health
for low-income families. Those obstacles may
include food instability, disability, difficulties in
school, unsafe or unsanitary housing, terminated
utilities, or problems with public benefits such
as Medicaid or food stamps. Cases may include a
variety of health-related matters, such as housing
Health Justice Project
expands
its reach
Student casework victories, growing staff boost the young project’s effectiveness
RAISING THE BAR
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 18)
code violations, special education, or public
benefits denials.
The Erie Family Health Center makes patient
referrals to Loyola, where law, social work,
and public health students address the specific
issues providing challenges to clients’ positive
health outcomes.
“We’ve been extremely successful in
bringing together legal, medical, and social work
professionals and students throughout the Chicago
area in a way that’s never been done before,”
says Emily Benfer. “We’re fostering community
involvement and support and breaking down
professional barriers—and that’s because of our
students. I think we’ll continue to grow as we prove
that this model works and meets a unique and
pressing need in Chicago.”
Other student successes
Devlin’s case may be the highest-profile win
at the HJP during the fall 2011 semester, but other
students have accumulated a number of important
victories for their clients.
Bryant Cameron Webb successfully appealed
the denial of his client’s Medicaid application,
obtaining her back benefits to January 2011,
securing her access to health care, and saving the
hospital thousands of dollars.
Courtney Lane represented a family living in
harmful housing conditions that resulted in lead
poisoning and respiratory distress for the parents
and children. When the family asked for repairs,
the landlord attempted to evict them and retain
the rent and security deposit. Lane successfully
negotiated with the landlord, defending against
the retaliatory eviction and allowing the family to
leave the harmful environment, while retaining
A little more than a year
after its debut, the Health
Justice Project is racking
up client successes and
expanding its policy work.
SPRING 2012
17
16
LOYOLA LAW
