Community Health Law Project

Community Health Law Project New Jersey's Legal and Advocacy Organization for People with Disabilities

The Community Health Law Project is hiring! ⚖️CHLP is hiring a full-time attorney for our Neptune, New Jersey regional o...
27/08/2026

The Community Health Law Project is hiring! ⚖️

CHLP is hiring a full-time attorney for our Neptune, New Jersey regional office.

Our attorneys are advocates, problem solvers, and lifelines for people who are too often overlooked. In this role, you will provide representation in landlord/tenant matters, public benefits, family law, consumer issues, and guardianships, among other civil legal matters.

IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR:
✔️ Meaningful work with direct community impact
✔️ A supportive, mission-driven team
✔️ Opportunities to grow and expand your capabilities
✔️ Comprehensive benefits and generous leave time

…we'd love to hear from you.

QUALIFICATIONS:
▪ JD from an ABA-accredited law school
▪ NJ Bar license
▪ Excellent legal analysis, written and oral advocacy skills
▪ Demonstrated interest in legal issues affecting people with disabilities
▪ Experience preferred

TO APPLY:
Email your cover letter, resume, and references to
Rebecca Kolas, Esq., Managing Attorney, at [email protected] and
Sean Benoit, Esq., Director of Litigation, at [email protected]

LEARN MORE:
https://tinyurl.com/Neptune-Attorney

On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law on the White House lawn...
20/08/2026

On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law on the White House lawn.
CHLP founder Harold Garwin was there!

CHLP had already been fighting for the rights of people with disabilities in New Jersey for 14 years by the time the ADA was signed. The landmark legislation formalized what our attorneys and advocates had been doing on the ground since 1976 — ensuring that people with disabilities have the same rights, access, and dignity as everyone else.

Thirty-six years later, that work continues. The ADA opened doors. CHLP makes sure they stay open.

Meet Gabrielle Mack, a second-year law student at Rutgers, joining us this summer at our Elizabeth office!Gabrielle arri...
12/08/2026

Meet Gabrielle Mack, a second-year law student at Rutgers, joining us this summer at our Elizabeth office!

Gabrielle arrived at CHLP with an unusual combination of training. Before law school, she studied psychology at Johns Hopkins, where she developed a grounding in the mental health conditions many of CHLP's clients live with every day.
She came looking for real responsibility from day one, and our Elizabeth office delivered exactly that, putting her to work on housing cases, public benefits, guardianships, and wills. She sees legal advocacy as one of the most practical tools for addressing the systemic barriers she spent years studying.
“It is exciting how legal advocacy can help alleviate and address these obstacles.”

Her own experience signing her first lease also opened her eyes to tenant/landlord dynamics.
"I became aware of how easily landlords could take advantage of tenants who are unaware of their rights," she says. "This experience highlighted the importance of legal knowledge and demonstrated how valuable it can be for navigating complex systems."
Her vision for what comes next is clear and urgent.
“Legal protections are only effective if individuals are aware of them and can access them. We need more education, outreach, and legal services to address barriers.”

We are glad to have Gabrielle with us this summer!

Meet Vanessa Gervasio, back at CHLP for her second semester with us, this time as a summer advocate intern!Vanessa has s...
05/08/2026

Meet Vanessa Gervasio, back at CHLP for her second semester with us, this time as a summer advocate intern!

Vanessa has spent her whole life watching what it means to fight for someone you love. Her twin sister Victoria was born with cerebral palsy, and growing up, Vanessa watched her family navigate doctor's appointments, surgeries, IEP meetings, and years of physical and occupational therapy.
Through all of it, she saw what it meant to have people in your corner who would fight for you.
“While we cannot eliminate a person's disability, we can work to remove barriers, improve access to resources, and make systems easier to navigate. If I have the opportunity to make that process even a little easier for someone else, I want to do so.”

Returning to CHLP this summer, she has been drawn to the way different practice areas connect to produce real change in a client's life.
“What excites me most about CHLP's work is seeing how these different areas come together to improve someone's quality of life. Every case has the potential to make a meaningful difference.”

We are glad to have Vanessa back for another semester!

This is your last chance to have your name on our invitation!This Thursday, August 6th, is the FINAL DEADLINE for sponso...
04/08/2026

This is your last chance to have your name on our invitation!
This Thursday, August 6th, is the FINAL DEADLINE for sponsors to have their logo featured on our elegant printed 50th Anniversary Dinner invitation.

If your organization has been thinking about supporting CHLP's work, now is the moment.
Every year, thousands of New Jerseyans with disabilities, chronic health conditions, and the frail elderly come to us with nowhere else to turn. Your name on this invitation shows that you stand with them.

Sponsorships and ad journal placements are still available at chlp.org/50th-anniversary, or reach out directly at [email protected].

Meet Malcolm Iyizoba, a second-year law student at Fordham joining us this summer as a legal intern!For Malcolm, the cas...
29/07/2026

Meet Malcolm Iyizoba, a second-year law student at Fordham joining us this summer as a legal intern!

For Malcolm, the case for public interest law is personal. As a Nigerian immigrant, he navigated this country's systems as someone who depended on them and saw firsthand what it costs a family when they cannot find competent legal help.
“I want to ensure that no family endures that same hardship, because the guarantee of justice should not be based on where you come from.”

At CHLP, Malcolm focuses on housing, the area of work he finds most urgent, and the reason he gives is central to how we think about our clients.
“Housing stability affects nearly every other part of a person's life. When someone is facing eviction or unsafe housing, it can affect their health, benefits, family relationships, and ability to move forward with dignity.”

We are glad to have Malcolm with us this summer!

Every year, thousands of New Jerseyans with disabilities, chronic health conditions, and the frail elderly come to CHLP ...
22/07/2026

Every year, thousands of New Jerseyans with disabilities, chronic health conditions, and the frail elderly come to CHLP when they have nowhere else to turn.

On October 22nd, we are celebrating 50 years of showing up for them, and we want you to be a part of it.
Sponsorships are still available for our 50th Anniversary Gala at the Glen Ridge Country Club. Sponsors who commit by August 6th will have their logo featured on our printed invitation.

We've been changing lives since 1976. Help us keep going.
Learn more at chlp.org/50th-anniversary or reach out to [email protected].

Meet Isabella Hodkinson, an incoming sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh, who just wrapped up her legal internship...
21/07/2026

Meet Isabella Hodkinson, an incoming sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh, who just wrapped up her legal internship with us!

Isabella learned what advocacy looks like from her mother. While assisting a family member with disabilities at an airport once, an airline told everyone who had requested a wheelchair that they would simply have to walk; her mother stayed and fought until every single person had a wheelchair, including strangers she had never met.
“She taught me that everyone deserves to be treated fairly, and it is our job to fight for those who don't always have the capacity to fight for themselves.”

That conviction carried her to CHLP, where she has focused on public benefits, an area she finds both urgent and fast-moving, and where she has seen how changes in one area ripple into housing, healthcare, and beyond.
“It has been very interesting to see how CHLP has adapted its work to support these changes, as well as the impact it has on other areas like healthcare access and housing.”

Thank you for joining us this summer, Isabella!

Today, Governor Sherrill signed the Forbidding the Algorithmic Inflation of Rent (FAIR) Act into law, and we are proud t...
20/07/2026

Today, Governor Sherrill signed the Forbidding the Algorithmic Inflation of Rent (FAIR) Act into law, and we are proud to have been part of the coalition supporting this important legislation.

The FAIR Act prohibits landlords and third-party software companies from using algorithms to coordinate rental pricing, a practice that has driven up rents and pushed New Jersey's most vulnerable tenants toward the edge of housing instability. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 50 percent of renters in New Jersey are considered rent-burdened, spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing. For the people CHLP serves, housing affordability is an ongoing struggle.

As Erika Kerber, CHLP's President and Executive Director, put it: "Our clients are at an increased risk of housing instability due to unfair rent practices. We applaud the legislature for advancing this bill and Governor Sherrill for signing it into law."

We thank the bill's sponsors, Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez, Assemblywoman Margie Donlon, Assemblyman Chigozie Onyema, Assemblywoman Katie Brennan, Senator Brian Stack, and Senator Teresa Ruiz, for championing this legislation.

Stable housing is the foundation of health, dignity, and independence. Today's signing is a step in the right direction.

Meet Lila Kawash, a second-year law student at Rutgers, joining us this summer as a legal intern!Lila's path to disabili...
15/07/2026

Meet Lila Kawash, a second-year law student at Rutgers, joining us this summer as a legal intern!

Lila's path to disability rights advocacy started at home. Multiple members of her family have developmental disabilities, and growing up close to that community gave her a deep understanding of what it means to navigate systems that were not always built for them. Coming to CHLP gave her a new window into that world, connecting the personal to the procedural.

“While I am familiar with the day-to-day of developmental disabilities through my family, getting to experience the more procedural aspect and learn how these various mechanisms work will serve to help me in my personal and professional life.”

But what she brings to the work goes beyond legal knowledge, and it shows in how she approaches every client interaction.
“Being able to be extra patient and extra kind to the clients makes me happy, because that is exactly how I would want people to treat my family.”
We are glad to have Lila with us this summer!

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