We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Joseph Cordova. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Joseph below.
Alright, Joseph thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
Our model of practicing law is unique in that we practice what is referred to as Community Lawyering. We operate under a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to promote and enforce the Fair Housing Act. However, waiting for people to contact us with legal issues is never enough. Our job is to get out and educate and inform vulnerable communities about their rights and protections under the Fair Housing Act. Each year we go to a number of different places such as Domestic Violence Women’s Shelters, Early Education programs, New Homebuyers classes, Apartment Associations, Adult Language Learning Centers, and Farmworker Associations to deliver dozens of presentations on housing discrimination and how to exercise one’s rights. We also attend and participate in a number of community events such as food drives, back-to-school backpack fundraisers, and other resource events to distribute brochures and connect with people directly. At the end of each year, our project will have made contact with over 20,000 people, anywhere from big cities to rural, small towns throughout our region. What we know to be true is that the more people are aware of their rights, the more likely they are to exercise them. So, for us, it’s not just about taking on a few clients now and then, it’s about large scale awareness and education.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I spent about 10-15 years working for a series of nonprofit organizations dating back to college. I worked at homeless shelters, disability advocacy programs, at-risk youth organizations, and even taught GED courses at a women’s correctional facility. Eventually, I decided I wanted “sharper teeth to my bite” and went to law school in hopes of being able to have a bit more impact in the work I do. I was extremely fortunate to begin my legal career as an Equal Justice Works Fellow, working with farmworker and immigrant communities for two years. From there, I was again so fortunate to stay with my employer, Florida Legal Services and transition into Fair Housing. Our Fair Housing project is definitely the culmination of everything I’ve learned over the years in regards to working with communities in need and being able to seek and obtain justice for those whose rights are being violated. While Fair Housing enforcement is not a magic wand for immediate relief, it is definitely a path to a greater justice as what I’ve learned and come to appreciate more than anything is the fact that when one client is served, there is a great ripple effect of justice that follows. Typically, when a fair housing case is concluded, the housing provider or landlord is instructed to attend fair housing training and update their policies and practices to satisfy their obligations under the Fair Housing Act. I always remind clients that exercising their rights means preventing violations for future generations.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
This is an easy one. Partners. We devote a lot of our time and energy into developing and maintaining partnerships with other advocacy organizations. Throughout each year, we make it a goal to develop at least 20 new partnership every year and maintain an additional 30 partnerships from previous years. Combined, this makes it very common for us to receive referrals and inquiries from fellow advocates, which then open dialogue for further collaboration.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Showing up. Sounds simple, but in some ways, it really is. As I had mentioned before, we attend as many community events as we can, whether that be hosting a table a community resource fair, delivering a presentation or hosting a workshop, or participating in a food drive or resource giveaway, we have our boots on the ground in as many places as possible. In our world, we work with a lot of vulnerable communities and families, where trust isn’t always a given, simply because you come to town offering free legal services. So, trust is build by showing up and letting people see you sweat and participate in community efforts. As more people see us in this capacity, the more we build trust and reputation of people who walk our talk.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.floridalegal.org/fairhousing
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/floridalegalservices/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floridalegalservicesinc/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/florida-legal-services/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDyqnGMwDkpvl2bKGsh5YgA/featured
