News and stories about our work to protect and advance the civil legal rights of low-income Texans.
Like most college students, Janet and her friends sought affordable housing near the University of Houston to alleviate the financial and mental stress of being commuters. The four ladies found a house near campus rented by a private landlord and excitedly signed a one-year lease. However, within months of moving in, the maintenance requests had begun to pile up. The […]
Gregory, a Houston father, contracted COVID-19 and then his family’s life took a turn for the worst. Gregory lost his job due to contracting the virus, his landlord illegally locked the entire family of their home for not being able to come up with enough money to pay the rent, and they had no medical coverage. Gregory could not work […]
The rise in recent school shootings Mass school shootings are a traumatic event that can potentially trigger mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in people who were directly impacted by a violent threat such as a school shooting. Studies show that adolescent trauma has more lifelong effects on young people with developing brains. This causes them to […]
Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has 30 days to act on a client’s SNAP benefits application and 45 days to act on Medicaid cases. Jack was referred to Lone Star Legal Aid by BakerRipley and needed SNAP benefits for a household of four people. Jack submitted an initial SNAP application on February 8, 2022, and after 80 days, […]
Children in Texas can get low-cost or free health coverage through Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) or Children’s Medicaid. CHIP is a health care program for children without insurance whose families earn too much to receive Children’s Medicaid but cannot afford health care. Children’s Medicaid is a program for low-income families. To get approved for either program, a child must […]
Houston, TX – It has been almost five years since the seniors living at 2100 Memorial, a Houston Housing Authority (“HHA”) property with a view of Downtown Houston, were displaced due to Hurricane Harvey. Now, they are on their way home. The HHA broke ground Tuesday morning on an affordable senior living facility to replace the former building, subject to […]
Port Arthur Community Action Network, Lone Star Legal Aid, and Environmental Integrity Project are hosting a virtual press conference about this decision on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, at 10 AM, via Facebook Live at www.Facebook.com/LoneStarLegalAid. Reporters interested in joining the virtual meeting to ask questions directly to the speakers can email cayala@lonestarlegal.org to receive Zoom instructions. Port Arthur, Texas — […]
Kacey was well in her pregnancy when her aunt promised to help her and her boyfriend Trevor with their new child. They were excited to have a nurturing home to bring their child home to. After Kacey and Trevor moved into her aunt’s house, Trevor began getting close to her cousin Juliana. Juliana was not even a teenager at the […]
The COVID-19 global health pandemic has caused widespread damage, including damage to the economy, right here in the United States. Families are suffering. They are desperate for money, food, shelter, and now, they need benefits to feed their families and take care of their children. COVID-19 has impacted family life, but thankfully Lone Star Legal Aid can help families obtain public […]
In the United States, 1 in 5 adults currently have symptoms of a mental illness. Advocating for Mental Health Awareness Month in May means providing support and resources to those who are living with a mental illness so they can find the right treatment. Lone Star Legal Aid recognizes this awareness month as an opportunity to educate the community on […]
Lone Star Legal Aid is funded in part by Legal Services Corporation (LSC), the largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans in the nation. By partnering with NORC at the University of Chicago, LSC has measured “the difference between the civil legal needs of low-income Americans and the resources available to meet those needs.” In their 2022 report, […]
Last Tuesday, the Connecting Texas Kids to Coverage Unit at Lone Star Legal Aid participated in an outreach at Lantrip Elementary School to educate parents on CHIP and Children’s Medicaid. We have a dedicated a team of lawyers and paralegals who can help applicants who qualify for our services apply for Children’s Medicaid or CHIP benefits. We can enroll on […]
Crime Victims’ Rights Week is an annual week-long campaign in April that celebrates the accomplishments of the victim’ rights movement. According to the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), “National Crime Victims’ Rights Week has challenged the nation to confront and remove barriers to achieving justice for all victims of crime.” This year’s theme is rights, access, equity, for […]
Houston, TX – The Legal Aid for Survivors of Sexual Assault (LASSA) Texas Network is pleased to announce the launch of their website, www.lassatexas.org. The statewide network consists of nine programs that collaborate to provide holistic legal services to the most vulnerable and underserved sexual violence survivors in Texas. Since the LASSA Program’s inception in October 2015, the Network has […]
Being verbally and physically abused is a difficult affliction to tolerate. Being stalked and not knowing when your stalker just might show up is even worse. It causes fear and takes a mental toll on the survivor. For Cody, it was just that. Cody met Delilah in high school, but their romantic affairs did not take off until they reunited […]
The Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign is a national outreach and enrollment initiative that aims to connect families with children and teens with Children’s Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This year’s campaign theme is to take care of teeth and keep smiles healthy. The mission is to: Raise awareness about health coverage available under these programs; […]
April 7, 2022 is World Health Day. Lone Star Legal Aid’s Connecting Texas Kids to Medical Coverage Unit provides legal assistance to those who need help accessing health care benefits for their children. There are 623,000 children without health insurance in Texas. Those who lack insurance coverage typically experience far worse health status than those insured. Uninsured children in Texas […]
Taylor was caring for her sister’s four children when the youngest, Cameron, just 20-months-old, was denied health benefits while the other three were approved. After submitting documents to prove to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) that she was the caretaker of the child, HHSC denied the application again. Taylor’s sister is a repeated drug abuser, […]
Staff Attorney Cheranda Robertson works in our Crime Victims Unit within Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA). While handling some business in her private life, she met a woman who used our services 30 years ago, and now donates her time and money to legal aid advocacy. She shared her story with Attorney Robertson. Many years ago, Monica became pregnant as […]
Texas has the 8th highest obesity rate for youth ages 10-17 and the 12th highest adult obesity rate in the U.S and it is only getting worse. Childhood obesity results in extra health care costs. A child with obesity has $12,900 more in medical costs than a child with normal weight. It is vital that we get our kids insured […]