Medical-Legal Partnership - Programs - Eskenazi Health
317.880.0000

Eskenazi Health physicians, nurses and social workers can incorporate legal services into a patient’s overall treatment plan. By addressing the underlying social factors that many patients face, Eskenazi Health Medical-Legal Partnership contributes to improved health outcomes. After receiving a referral to the Medical-Legal Partnership, patients can meet with an attorney, certified legal intern or paralegal to receive appropriate advice or representation.

Medical-Legal Partnership began in 2008 and has processed thousands of referrals for legal services. Partner organizations that provide free legal services include Indiana Legal Services, Faegre Drinker, Eli Lilly, Joseph Maley Foundation and Taft Stettinius & Hollister.

Patients interested in civil Medical-Legal Partnership services are asked to talk with their nurse, physician or social worker at an Eskenazi Health Center or Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center location.

Medical-Legal Partnership offers assistance with:

  • Housing
  • Consumer rights
  • Immigration
  • Family and stability
  • Government benefits
  • Education law
  • Decision-making
  • Gender marker changes/name changes
  • Expungement (setting aside a criminal conviction)

Legal Help Kiosk Now Available at Sandra Eskenazi Outpatient Care Center

As an additional legal aid access point, the Eskenazi Health Medical-Legal Partnership has added an Indiana Legal Help kiosk that offers housing resources and civil legal information. It is now available on the fifth floor of the Sandra Eskenazi Outpatient Care Center on the Eskenazi Health downtown campus.

Indiana Legal Help kiosks provide easy access to IndianaLegalHelp.org, an Indiana Bar Foundation program connecting Hoosiers to legal resources and services. Through the kiosk, users have free access to legal information, including housing or utility assistance, eviction information, forms, instructional videos, referrals to free and low-cost legal services, and a statewide calendar of free legal advice clinics.

The ADA-accessible kiosk includes a printer. Self-service legal forms and instructions can be printed to take home. At a future date, documents can be scanned into an embedded application of the Indiana Legal Help website.

Eskenazi Health is committed to helping address social determinants of health, including supporting quality and affordable safe housing. Increasing access to legal resources and services is just one way Eskenazi Health is working to support the health and well-being of the community.

The Indiana Legal Help kiosk is made possible through a partnership between the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority and the Indiana Bar Foundation. For more information, please visit IndianaLegalHelp.org.

The Eskenazi Health Medical-Legal Partnership provides assistance to patients and works to improve health outcomes by helping manage civil legal issues that affect their health including housing, consumer rights, immigration, family and stability, government benefits, education law, decision-making, gender marker and name changes and expungement. To request assistance, patients should contact their nurse, physician or social worker for a referral.

  • Specialty Services
  • Housing Rights & Eviction Helpline
  • In-Person Locations
  • Videos

The program also assists with services such as:

  • Guardianship of incapacitated adults seen at the Center for Youth & Adults with Conditions of Childhood (CYACC) when a family member or friend is available to become the guardian
  • Advanced care and end-of-life planning services for patients in Eskenazi Health Oncology and preparation of advanced planning documents at an annual wills clinic held each summer for all Eskenazi Health patients
  • Legal guidance related to domestic and sexual assault concerns for patients seen in the Eskenazi Health Center of Hope (supported by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute STOP Program)

Medical-Legal Partnership does not assist with divorce proceedings, bankruptcy, criminal defense or personal injury matters.

Eskenazi Health patients are invited to call the Housing Rights & Eviction Helpline at 317.536.1387 with questions and concerns related to the apartment, townhouse or home they rent. The service is a partnership with Indiana Legal Services. Patients can call the hotline and discuss any of the following areas of concern:

EVICTIONS

  • Non-payment of rent – Eligibility for rental assistance or for protection under federal or state laws which prohibit evictions
  • Lease violation – Initiation of communications with landlord to establish a payment plan or determine what actions are needed to correct the lease violation(s)
  • Federal-subsidized housing – Education on additional steps a landlord must take prior to eviction to ensure certain rights of the tenant are preserved

CONDITIONS IN THE HOME AFFECTING HEALTH

  • Assistance obtaining action from the court and local board of health regarding mold, no heat or air conditioning, lock-outs, etc. to force the landlord to make necessary and immediate repairs
  • If conditions require immediate move out, assistance with facilitating that process with the landlord

TERMINATION OF SECTION 8 BENEFITS OR HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER

  • Investigation of what defenses may be available to prevent termination on a case-by-case basis

RIGHTS FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME

  • Special protections such as having locks changed and/or terminating a lease early without penalty, applicable for some victims of crime, such as domestic violence

DAMAGES HEARINGS AND SECURITY DEPOSIT RETURNS

  • Advisement on recovery of security deposits if it is illegally withheld by a landlord

The helpline is open for calls on Tuesdays from 9 – 11 a.m., Wednesdays from 2 – 4 p.m. and Fridays from 9 – 11 a.m.

Understanding Your Lease Agreement

For most rental properties, tenants will be asked to sign a lease or an agreement between themselves and a landlord. Maybe you have signed a similar agreement. But, did you fully understand the terms of the lease before signing it? It is important to fully read and understand your lease so you know what to expect and what is expected of you.

Housing Discrimination

Equal access to rental housing and homeownership opportunities are the cornerstones of our nation’s federal housing policy. Housing providers who refuse to rent or sell homes to people based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability are in violation of federal law. Learn more about what rights are protected under the Fair Housing Act and what to do if you feel your rights have been violated.

How to Protect Yourself from Eviction

Has your landlord threatened to evict you due to non-payment of rent or a lease violation? Learn more about the four steps you can take to protect yourself and potentially avoid eviction.

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Reasonable Accommodations and Modifications

Fair housing laws require applicants and residents with disabilities be provided with “reasonable accommodations” as needed, in order for them to have an opportunity for full use and enjoyment of their housing. Learn more about what reasonable accommodations and modifications are and how to qualify.

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Your Right to Safe and Clean Housing

In Indiana, landlords are required to provide rental units that are safe and clean and comply with all building and health codes. Learn more about your rights to safe and clean housing and what to expect from a landlord and what responsibilities you have as a renter.

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