News and stories about our work to protect and advance the civil legal rights of low-income Texans.
With at least 4 million Texans having filed for unemployment since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in eviction cases as well. Tenants and landlords have been awaiting an update on the federal moratorium on evictions. The moratorium has now been extended until June 30, 2021. The Texas Eviction Diversion Program launched in October. The […]
Houston, Texas – Lone Star Legal Aid is hosting a Facebook Live event on Thursday, December 10, 2020, at 12:00 PM CST to discuss the Center for Disease Control and Prevention order preventing eviction for the remainder of 2020. As the end of the year rounds the corner, Texas tenants are anxious about their rights in eviction cases. The federal […]
The Texas Disaster Legal Help project, a joint project of Lone Star Legal Aid, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, is hard at work, creating resources and integrating advanced technology, to ensure that volunteer attorneys are prepared to effectively respond to the legal needs of disaster survivors – before the next disaster occurs. In the coming […]
The Coastal Texas Study is a proposal from the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to spend approximately $20 billion to protect the Texas Gulf Coast from flooding during storms and from rising sea levels. Its impacts will be broad, and affect many aspects of life on the Gulf Coast. The US Army Corps of Engineers recently released a “Draft […]
Houston, TX- Lone Star Legal Aid joins #GivingTuesday, the national day of giving. Occurring this year on December 1st, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday to kick off the holiday giving season and inspire people to collaborate on improving their local communities and to give back […]
As the world continues to fight the spread of the coronavirus, domestic and family violence have intensified. To combat this increase, Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) has taken its outreach efforts online with targeted live presentations. LSLA provides virtual presentations for the community where attorneys and community partners provide legal information about the services they offer. The Safe Space, […]
In observance of Thanksgiving, all Lone Star Legal Aid offices will be closed Thursday, November 26th and Friday, November 27th. All offices will resume normal business hours on Monday, November 30th for online and telephone intakes. Happy Thanksgiving!
Kamaria Chery is an active-duty soldier currently stationed at Fort Hood and the mother to a newborn son. When her son was only 5 months old, his father filed a family suit seeking to be named the Sole Managing Conservator for him. Chery was concerned because shortly before, she had reported him to the authorities at Fort Hood, and they […]
Overview This month is Military Family Appreciation Month and while we recognize the military men and women who have served and are currently serving in the line of duty, we take the time to honor the heroes besides the hero; the family members. Military families oftentimes can become victims of targeted military family scams while the service member is away. […]
Elizabeth Villareal came to LSLA after being served with an eviction petition and having her water shut off for three weeks. She, her husband, and two daughters were struggling financially as a result of COVID-19; Elizabeth contracted COVID and lost her job as a result. By the time she had recovered, the business had gone under. Elizabeth’s landlord, who was […]
Houston, TX – Lone Star Legal Aid has been awarded a $40,000 grant from the Texas Bar Foundation that will support its Eviction Right to Counsel initiative. The concept of the program came to fruition after the pandemic pushed Houston and the rest of America into an eviction crisis. The Eviction Right to Counsel initiative (ER2C) is similar to a […]
Need free or low-cost health insurance for your kids? Would you like assistance with applying for Food Stamps? Come to a free Lone Star Legal Aid enrollment clinic! Where: Spring Branch Family Development Center – Social Services Office 8575 Pitner Road Houston, TX 77080 When: Thursday, October 29th from 9 am – 2 pm Thursday, November 5th from 9 am […]
Healthcare.gov is now open for enrollment, re-enrollment, or changes to your health plan! All enrollments, re-enrollments, and changes must be made by December 15, 2020. Please note this deadline is different for Medicare Part D. The Medicare Part D open enrollment period ends December 7, 2020. The Medicare plan in place December 8, 2020, will be the plan set for […]
Every year, Texas Veterans Legal Aid Week offers the opportunity for legal aid programs, bar associations, law schools, and more, to amplify awareness of civil legal aid available to veterans. This year, LSLA is excited to announce that it is part of the Texas Veterans Legal Coalition working with several other legal aid programs throughout the state to create educational […]
Many of the 1.5 million incarcerated people in the U.S. met the requirements for stimulus payments but only 85,000 of them were able to receive their checks before the action was reversed. Those who had been incarcerated as of March 27, 2020 were previously deemed ineligible by the IRS to receive their stimulus checks. However, the IRS is appealing to […]
With the nation beginning its economic recovery, the Texas Workforce Commission will reinstate work search requirements for those in need of unemployment benefits. Work search requirements have been suspended since March when the pandemic forced sweeping shutdowns. Although the COVID crisis is nowhere near resolved, employment opportunities have been steadily cropping up in Texas as the economy slowly adjusts. When […]
Texas legal aid providers collaborate on one-stop-shop to support Texas renters Millions of Texans are struggling to pay rent and face possible evictions. Stop TX Eviction, a new online portal, is a guide to help tenants understand their legal rights and the remedies available to keep them housed. A project of Texas’ three primary legal aid providers, Stop TX Eviction […]
National Night Out was rescheduled in Texas to today, October 6, 2020, however, with COVID-19 still persisting and making social activities unsafe, the Houston Police Department (HPD) has officially postponed NNO city-wide and declared it will resume in 2021. Here is a statement from the Houston Police Department. “The Houston Police Department has decided to postpone our celebration of National […]
The IRS announced yesterday that they were extending the amount of time Americans have to request their Economic Impact Payment (stimulus) to November 21, 2020. This applies to people who didn’t have to file a 2019 tax return, who didn’t get their payment or register for it. If you have already completed the non-filer portal but have not gotten your […]
Every October, the United States takes a stand against intimate partner violence in observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Advocates wear purple, survivors tell their stories, neighbors share their resources, and social media arranges an open forum for activists to educate the world. Join Lone Star Legal Aid this October in powering up against domestic violence. Domestic violence was a […]