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EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS FELLOW, CLASS OF 2009
Abigail Coursolle
Name of Host Organization: Western Center on Law & Poverty
City, State: Los Angeles, California
Issue area: Public Benefits/Welfare Reform, Health Care
Sponsor: Greenberg Traurig Fellowship Foundation
THE INSPIRATION
After doing direct service work with beneficiaries of the General Relief and Indigent Health Care programs, I saw the need for a comprehensive approach to improving these programs. Given the difficult economic circumstances that are especially impacting poor Californians, I hope that my project will ensure that the most vulnerable members of my community are protected by a safety net when they need it.
THE PROJECT
This project will take a systematic approach WCLP to enforce California's safety net statute. I will first conduct a county-by-county analysis of prevailing practices. Then I will initiate advocacy to remedy illegalities. Finally, I will coordinate a statewide coalition and host a policy summit to ensure my work will continue. This project will energize advocates to take a closer look at county practices, remedy illegal policies, and increase the number of needy who receive aid and care from their counties.
BIOGRAPHY
Hometown: | Los Angeles, California |
Law school: | |
Making the connection: | After college, I worked on and eventually ran a project aimed at improving access to services in San Francisco. I decided to go back to school after three years of organizing and advocacy work both because I wanted to improve my tools to advocate around public benefits issues and to reflect critically on the work I had been doing. Although the work I did with low-income seniors and people with disabilities in San Francisco inspired my legal career, my skills and interests now encompass a broader picture of poverty. |