As a trusted community resource center located in the Gage Park neighborhood of Chicago, Taller de José collaborates with numerous social service agencies across the city to better serve our clients.
One of our strongest partnerships is with CARPLS (Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services). CARPLS serves as a crucial link for individuals seeking legal help, offering brief legal advice, consultations, and referrals to low- and moderate-income residents of Cook County. In 2024 alone, CARPLS provided over 85,000 legal consultations, helping people address issues related to housing, employment, family law, consumer rights, and more.
For the past five years, Taller de José has partnered directly with CARPLS. This partnership allows our Compañerxs to schedule appointments for clients with Patricia Cintron-Bastin, CARPLS’s supervising bilingual attorney. This partnership has been transformative for many of our Spanish-speaking clients, giving them access to legal information and advice in their own language from someone who understands their cultural and personal context.
Often, clients’ questions are fully addressed during their consultation with Patricia, allowing them to move forward with clarity and peace of mind. In cases that require more extensive support, CARPLS connects them to other legal organizations that may be able to offer ongoing assistance.
This fall, our new cohort of Intern Compañerxs had the opportunity to receive a training session led by Patricia. The training offered an in-depth look at CARPLS’s services and the types of legal issues their team can address. Because of the training, our interns better understand how to identify when a client might benefit from a legal consultation and how to make those referrals smoothly.
We’re deeply grateful for our ongoing partnership with CARPLS and for the expertise and compassion that Patricia and her team bring to this work. Together, we’re helping ensure that more people in our community have access to the legal guidance they need to move forward with confidence.