HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO)
1 lawyer · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 369 handling Administrative & Regulatory Law.
Accepts Legal Aid
Free consultationAccepts Legal AidFree consultationAbout HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO)
HALCO, the HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario, is a charitable, not for profit community legal clinic based in Toronto that provides free legal services to people living with HIV across Ontario. It grew out of project work carried out from 1991 to 1994 through the ARCH Advocacy Resource Centre for the Handicapped, then began operating as a full service legal clinic in December 1995 in partnership with the AIDS Committee of Toronto and the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation. The clinic started with a staff of three, an executive director/lawyer, a community legal worker and an administrative assistant, and has since grown to a team that includes an executive director/lawyer and six staff lawyers.
HALCO's legal work covers the issues that most often affect people living with HIV, including income security appeals (ODSP, Ontario Works, Employment Insurance and CPP), housing and tenant disputes, immigration and refugee matters, employment law and health law issues such as privacy of medical information. Alongside advice and representation for individual clients, the clinic carries out public legal education and takes part in law reform and community development work. It's governed by a nine member volunteer board on which the majority of members must be people living with HIV, and it's funded in part by Legal Aid Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Ran as a project from 1991 to 1994 through the ARCH Advocacy Resource Centre for the Handicapped before launching as a full service legal clinic in December 1995, established in partnership with the AIDS Committee of Toronto and the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation.
- Started with a staff of three in 1995 (an executive director/lawyer, a community legal worker and an administrative assistant) and has since grown to a team that includes an executive director/lawyer and six staff lawyers.
- Adopted its six core operating principles on January 30, 2006, one of which addresses the confidentiality, autonomy and bodily security of people living with HIV.
- Requires that the majority of its nine member volunteer board be people living with HIV.
In the community
- Runs public legal education workshops and written materials on legal issues that affect people living with HIV, separate from its individual advice and representation work.
- Takes part in law reform and community development activities on issues such as HIV related discrimination and privacy of health information.
- Offers interpretation services in more than 300 languages for clients seeking help.
- Arranges French language legal telephone advice for people living with HIV through partner organizations covering the Greater Toronto Area, eastern, northern and southwestern Ontario.
- Requires that the majority of its volunteer board be made up of people living with HIV, so the community it serves has a direct voice in how the clinic is governed.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessible
By appointmentFees & payment
Free consultation
Legal aidLawyers 1
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
HALCO's office is in an 18 storey office tower at University Avenue and Wellington Street, in Toronto's financial core, a short walk from St. Andrew subway station and connected to the city's underground PATH network. As a legal aid funded clinic, HALCO occupies leased office space in a shared commercial building rather than a dedicated storefront, and since it serves clients from across Ontario rather than just downtown Toronto, the transit connected location gives people travelling in from elsewhere in the GTA or the province a straightforward way to reach an in person appointment.
Frequently asked questions
- Who can get help from HALCO?
- HALCO's free legal services are for people living with HIV in Ontario. The clinic also carries out public legal education and law reform work connected to that community.
- What kinds of legal problems does HALCO handle?
- HALCO focuses on income security appeals (ODSP, Ontario Works, Employment Insurance and CPP), housing and tenant disputes, immigration and refugee matters, employment law and health law issues such as privacy of medical information and access to medication.
- Is there a cost to get help from HALCO?
- Summary legal advice, brief services and referrals are free with no financial eligibility test. Full legal representation is available to clients who meet Legal Aid Ontario's financial eligibility guidelines, with an exception for cases that could have a broad impact on people living with HIV across Ontario.
- Does HALCO offer help in languages other than English?
- Yes. HALCO offers interpretation in more than 300 languages, and French language legal telephone advice is available through partner organizations covering the Greater Toronto Area and the eastern, northern and southwestern regions of Ontario.
- How do I contact HALCO or book an appointment?
- HALCO's office hours are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Intake for new inquiries runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday during those hours (the clinic is closed to new inquiries Tuesday and Thursday). Its Contact Us page has the current intake process.
- How long has HALCO been operating?
- HALCO ran as a project from 1991 to 1994 through the ARCH Advocacy Resource Centre for the Handicapped, then launched as a full service legal clinic in December 1995, founded in partnership with the AIDS Committee of Toronto and the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation.
Where to find them
55 University Avenue, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5J 2H7 · 416-340-7790
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