Established in 1968, Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Incorporated (GBLA) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that offers free legal services in civil matters to low-income persons residing in its service area within Kern County, California. Our founding philosophies are deeply rooted with antipoverty programs. We represent those who are unable or too afraid to speak for themselves, either because of racial, economic, social, or legal barriers and consequently have become mere statistics in social and economic research data. Since 1968, GBLA has helped thousands of low-income individuals, families with young children, seniors and communities with basic legal needs in a wide array of areas including housing and homelessness, domestic violence, guardianship, children and family services, health law, consumer law and other areas of assistance previously unattainable without the payment of high fees and costs. Many issues we address and provide assistance for involve helping vulnerable populations with access to basic necessities of life, such as health care, safe housing, education and food. Other issues are aimed at preventing homelessness, reducing domestic violence including protecting children from further exposure to domestic violence, fostering stability of care for children, and ensuring that our elderly live with dignity and respect in an environment free from abuse and neglect. Interpretation Service Available in Arabic, Armenian, Cantonese, French, German, Hindi, Hmong, Italian, Japanese, Khmer (Cambodian), Korean, Laotian, Mandarin, Mixteco, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese.
