Get Help

Please call (415) 896-1701 to speak with our front desk staff and leave a message. We provide free and confidential legal consultations to tenants, with a focus on San Francisco Bay Area tenants. In some limited cases, we are available to provide legal representation. ALC is committed to providing legal help in our clients' preferred languages.

For Help with Evictions: If you receive an eviction complaint (lawsuit) or a notice to quit, you can call the Eviction Defense Collaborative's legal assistance line at (415) 659-9184 or email legal@evictiondefense.org.

For Help with Landlord Harassment, Refusal to do Repairs, and Other Similar Concerns: You can find information about your housing rights and answers to frequently asked questions. Tenant counseling organizations may be able to help, including:

BILL SORRO HOUSING PROGRAM (BiSHoP)
Phone counseling only: Please call (415) 513-5177 or email info@bishopsf.org and leave your name, phone number, the reason for your call, and the best time to reach you at and a housing counselor will follow up with you.

Languages: English, Arabic, Spanish, and French

CHINATOWN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CENTER (CDCC)
In-person clinic still available, but please call if possible: 415-984-2728. Leave your name, phone number and a counselor will return your call. 

Drop-in clinic Mondays from 2-4pm & Thursdays 10:30am-2:30pm, 663 Clay Street San Francisco.

Languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, and English

HOUSING RIGHTS COMMITTEE OF SF (HRCSF)
Phone counseling only: Please call the numbers below and leave a message with your name, number, let us know if you are a HUD tenant or have Section 8 and a brief sentence about your issue: 

Mission Office – (415) 703-8634 (callbacks 1-5pm Mon- Thurs)
Languages: English, Spanish, Cantonese, and Mandarin 

Westside Office – (415) 947-9085 (callbacks 9am-12pm Mon, Wed-Fri; closed Tues)
Languages: English, Russian, Cantonese, and Mandarin

SOUTH OF MARKET COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK (SOMCAN)
Phone counseling only, Monday-Friday, 10AM-6PM by appointment only. 

Appointments must be scheduled at least one day in advance. To schedule an appointment, please call or send a text message to (650) 273-6713. Appointments can also be scheduled here or send an email to tenantcounselor@somcan.org. Please leave your name, phone number, and a short message about your situation.

Languages: English and Tagalog

We provide free intakes to assist with government questioning, harassment, and surveillance. To schedule an appointment, please call (415) 896-1701.

Our team created a pamphlet about your rights if you are stopped by the FBI or law enforcement. You can read the pamphlet in English, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Farsi, Pashto, Punjabi, and Urdu.

The ACLU created a pamphlet about people’s rights if you are stopped by the police, immigration agents, or the FBI. You can read the pamphlet in English, Farsi, Indonesian, Bahasa, Somali, Tagalog, Urdu, Chinese, and Arabic.

Our team also created a resource with ACLU and CAIR to help community members know your rights if the FBI contacts you or knocks on your door. You can read about your rights in English, Arabic, and Farsi.

We provide free intakes to assist individuals subject to denaturalization or cancellation of naturalization documents. To schedule an appointment, please call (415) 896-1701.

For more information about civil denaturalization, please refer to a ALC's blog post and factsheet.

We provide free intakes to assist with problems when traveling by air and/or re-entering the U.S. To schedule an appointment, please call (415) 896-1701.

Please feel free to review our guide for traveling as well as additional resources about travel:

• Know Your Rights at Airports (ACLU guidance, including on phone and laptop security and privacy)
• Guide on Digital Privacy at the Border
• General Guide for Your Rights at the Airport
• The Traveler's Bill of Rights

Our partners at CLEAR also created a guide to help Muslim communities know their rights while traveling by plane, which is available in English, Arabic, Bangla, and Urdu.

You can learn about your rights in a pamphlet our team created with ACLU and CAIR California. The pamphlet is available in English, Arabic, and Farsi. Our partners at CLEAR also created a guide to help Muslim communities know their rights while traveling by plane, which is available in English, Arabic, Bangla, and Urdu.

We provide free consultations and referrals to assist those facing visa revocation based on political speech or nationality. To schedule an appointment, please call (415) 896-1701.

We provide free intakes to assess whether the delay in your application for citizenship is unusual and may be able to help expedite a resolution. To schedule an appointment, please call (415) 896-1701.

We provide free and confidential legal consultations to low-income workers throughout California, including undocumented workers and workers with limited English proficiency. In some limited cases, we are able to provide legal representation. To schedule an appointment, please call (415) 896-1701.

We provide free and confidential legal consultations to low-income workers throughout California, including undocumented workers and workers with limited English proficiency. In some limited cases, we are able to provide legal representation. To schedule an appointment, please call (415) 896-1701.

While it is unlawful for an employer to knowingly hire people without work authorization, it is also unlawful for an employer to inquire into someone's immigration status in a discriminatory or retaliatory way.

We provide free and confidential legal consultations to low-income workers throughout California, including undocumented workers and workers with limited English proficiency. In some limited cases, we are able to provide legal representation. To schedule an appointment, please call (415) 896-1701.

If someone was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after contact with the police or after leaving prison or jail, please call us at (415) 896-1701. If you live in California, you can also call your local Rapid Response network.

You can check the ICE detainee locator to see where your loved one is being detained. Please note that it could take a few days for the locator to update.

ALC provides consultations and representation to immigrants facing detention or deportation by ICE due to criminal convictions, with a focus on Bay Area and Central Valley residents. Unfortunately, we generally do not take asylum cases or provide assistance with applying for immigration benefits with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Please contact us here or call (415) 896-1701 if you are facing detention or deportation due to a criminal conviction and let us know if you have immigration court documents and/or conviction records. If you do not have your paperwork, you can use our guide to request your records from the immigration agencies and criminal court.

You can also use the National Immigration Legal Services Directory to find an immigration nonprofit near you. If you are looking for a private immigration attorney, you can contact the Bar Association of San Francisco or the bar association for your county to request referrals.

A pardon restores rights, such as the ability to obtain a professional license. In some cases, a pardon can also prevent deportation. Read our Guide to California Pardons to learn more about the process for applying for a pardon.

People serving a sentence for a criminal conviction can petition the California Governor to have their sentences commuted. Read the California Coalition for Women Prisoners Guide to Commutations for more information about applying for a commutation.

Please call (415) 896-1701 if you have questions about your pardon or commutation application.

Please advise your loved one to write to our office directly at Asian Law Caucus, 55 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94111 and request an intake form.

You can also find support and guidance in From Prison to ICE to Freedom: A Handbook for Immigrants Inside and in our Guide to California Pardons.

A hate crime is an incident directed against a person or property that is motivated in whole or in part by the victim’s race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, and in some cases, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. Such an incident can include physical violence, verbal attacks, and attacks on property.

No, being a victim or survivor of a hate specific crime is not a requirement. There are many services/resources available for victims of other violent crimes. ALC and several other organizations can assist victims of crime not motivated by hate.  

To get free legal advice as a survivor of violence, call the Asian Law Caucus at 415-896-1701. Learn more about your rights as a victim and other information, visit our resource page.

• If you are being physically attacked or if you feel threatened by someone, call 911.
• If you reported the crime to the police, the police officer should have given you the business card that includes their name and contact information. Check if the officer wrote down the case number of the police report on the business card. This information will help you obtain a police report in the future or ask for updates about the case more easily. If you did not get a business card or any other information and you want to obtain a police report, reach out to us at 415-896-1701.
• Seek medical and mental health care. Keep receipts or invoices related to the treatment you received because of your injuries.
• Document the incident. Write down what happened, language used, and if appropriate, take pictures.
• If you are in a non-urgent situation, and have concerns about your immigration status, reach out to an immigration attorney for advice on how reporting the crime may involve your immigration case. If you need a referral for free immigration services, call us at 415-896-1701.
• If you are no longer in an emergency situation, and you wish to help efforts to gather data around hate crimes in California, consider reporting the crime to the Civil Rights Department’s CA v. Hate Resource Line and Network.

We provide free legal help to victims and survivors of hate-motivated violence or cross-community violence in San Francisco and Alameda Counties. We help community members navigate the legal system and provide support in our clients’ preferred language to recover from harm and feel safer. This includes but is not limited to:

• Understanding the decisions made by the District Attorney’s office and getting clear information about the status of your case
• Evaluating your options to meet specific needs, such as how to afford your expenses or how to prevent the person who harmed you from contacting you
• Learning what the criminal legal system can and cannot do to help you after a violent incident, and what other services you can use to reach your goals
• Ensuring you are heard by government officials who have a responsibility in your case, including acknowledging when hate or bias played a role in what happened

To learn more about our free legal services, visit our resources page. Schedule a consultation with us by calling 415-896-1701.

You can vote in this election if you are a U.S. Citizen, a resident of California, 18 years old or older on Election Day, not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony, and not found by a court to be “mentally incompetent”. You can pre-register to vote if you are 16 or 17.

You can register online at registertovote.ca.gov or get a form at the DMV, post office, library, or your county elections office. If you are registering within 15 days of an election, you can register at either your local election office or at a poll site up to and on Election Day. If you are already registered to vote, visit voterstatus.sos.ca.gov to make sure all of your information is correct.

Yes. You can register to vote in California in up to 10 languages at registertovote.ca.gov.

This includes the following languages: English, Spanish, Hindi, Chinese, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese.

Yes. In California, you can access the Voter Information Guide in English, Spanish, Hindi, Chinese, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese. Audio options are available in each of these languages as well.

Yes, registered voters in California now receive a ballot in the mail a month before the election. You have 3 choices for how to vote: vote by mail, drop it off, and vote in person.

VOTE BY MAIL: You can mail your ballot - postage is prepaid! Don’t forget to sign and date the ballot envelope. This is essential. Make sure your ballot is postmarked on or before Election Day.

DROP IT OFF: You can drop off your ballot at any secure location. Don’t forget to sign and date the ballot envelope. Find a list of the drop box locations in your county by looking at your county elections website. Make sure you drop off your ballot by 8pm on Election Day.

VOTE IN PERSON: You can vote in person at your assigned polling place (traditional counties) or any Vote Center in your county of residence (VCA counties).

You can track the status of your ballot by signing up for an account with WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov. You will receive automatic updates when your ballot is mailed to you, received by the county, counted by the county, and if any issues with your ballot are flagged.

Yes. Your family member can bring up to 2 people to help them vote, as long as they do not represent their employer or union. This person is allowed to help them by interpreting/translating the language on your ballot.

Yes. There may be bilingual poll workers or a phone hotline available for select languages. There may be translated votable ballots or translated reference ballots available in languages other than English. The following multilingual voter hotlines are also available:

(800) 345-VOTE (8683) – English
(800) 232-VOTA (8682) - Español / Spanish
(800) 339-2857 - 中文 / Chinese
(888) 345-2692 - हिन्दी / Hindi
(800) 339-2865 - 日本語 / Japanese
(888) 345-4917 - ខ្មែរ / Khmer
(866) 575-1558 - 한국어 / Korean
(800) 339-2957 - Tagalog
(855) 345-3933 - ภาษาไทย / Thai
(800) 339-8163 - Việt ngữ / Vietnamese