News and stories about our work advancing civil legal rights for low-income Texans.
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January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Since 2010, the President has dedicated the month to raising awareness about the different forms of human trafficking, also known as modern slavery, and educating people about this crime and how to spot it. Texas is a hot spot for human trafficking in the United States. Its population is spread over […]
As of January 1, 2022, veterans who receive 100% disability compensation are eligible for a new homestead tax exemption. What is a homestead exemption? Homestead exemptions remove part of your home’s value from taxation, so they lower your taxes. For example, your home is appraised at $100,000, and you qualify for a $25,000 exemption (this is the amount mandated for […]
Lone Star Legal Aid Staff will present two sessions at the Legal Services Corporation’s Innovations in Technology Conference 2022 (ITC22). The ITC22 will be a fully virtual event beginning on January 12, 2022. The Innovations in Technology Conference grew out of LSC’s Technology Initiative Grant (TIG) Program, which seeks to expand access to justice by promoting technological innovations in legal services […]
Houston, TX – The No Surprises Act (NSA) establishes new federal protections against surprise medical bills. If you’ve ever received a surprise bill after a trip to an emergency room, after thinking it would be covered by insurance, it was due to something called balanced billing. Balance billing occurs when an insured patient receives care from a physician, hospital or […]
January is Poverty Awareness Month, a month-long initiative to raise awareness and call attention to the growth of poverty in America. We fight to end poverty by creating equity and opportunity. Throughout the month of January, we’ll be talking about how and why poverty continues to impact so many people. From housing and healthcare, to personal and family safety, we […]
Conroe, TX – Susan Soto, a staff attorney in our Conroe Branch Office, participated in the Houston Bar Association’s 25th Annual AIDS Outreach Holiday Adopt-a-Family Project last month. 85 law firms, legal departments and individual donors provided holiday gifts for 128 families in need. This includes a record 484 individuals (194 adults and 290 children), making it the HBA’s biggest […]
Lone Star Legal Aid wishes you and yours a Happy New Year. In observance of the holiday, Lone Star Legal Aid will be closed. All offices will reopen on Tuesday, January 4th, 2022. Texans can still apply for free legal help online at www.lonestarlegal.org.
Lone Star Legal Aid wishes you and yours a Merry Christmas. In observance of the holiday, Lone Star Legal Aid will be closed. All offices will reopen on Tuesday, December 28th, 2021. Texans can still apply for free legal help online at www.lonestarlegal.org.
Texas families with students who previously qualified for Pandemic Food Benefits (or the P-EBT Card) should check their balance for a recent rollout in funds for the summer of 2021. Eligible families should have already received $375 per child. These benefits act as SNAP benefits. Who is eligible? Children who are certified for free or reduced-price meals through the National […]
Port Arthur, Texas – John Beard, the President of PA-CAN (Port Arthur Community Action Network), a community group client of our Environmental Justice Team, is being recognized for his environmental advocacy with two 2021 Awards, the FracTracker Alliance’s 2021 Community Sentinel Award for Environmental Stewardship and the Climate Law Institute’s 2021 Rose Braz Award for Bold Activism. The Community Sentinel […]
Houston, TX – Following statewide guidance, public libraries are now open at 75% capacity. Masks are required to enter all government facilities. If you do not have a mask, the library will provide one free of charge. Aside from offering access to physical collections of books and movies to browse and check out, public libraries also offer computer access, printing […]
While 4 and 5G networks are available, many older adults and low-income individuals use older cell phones, life alerts or other devices that still use 3G networks. 3G Wireless Networks are scheduled to shut down in 2022, which will prevent 3G cell phone users from placing and receiving calls, and cutting off their access to data. Each mobile carrier plans […]
Houston, TX – Lone Star Legal Aid is accepting cryptocurrency donations through The Giving Block this Giving Season. The Giving Block allows people to donate cryptocurrency and nonprofits to receive it safely and relatively easily. Non-profits are also businesses, and individual donations allow us to be innovative, provide high quality services, and sustain our work when other resources are unavailable. […]
Lone Star Legal Aid wishes you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving. In observance of the holiday, Lone Star Legal Aid will be closed. All offices will reopen on Monday, November 29th, 2021. Texans can still apply for free legal help online at http://www.lonestarlegal.org.
In observance of Veterans Day, Lone Star Legal Aid will be closed to honor all those who served. All offices will reopen on Friday, November 12th, 2021. Texans can still apply for free legal help online at http://www.lonestarlegal.org.
The Texas Rent Relief portal is closing on Friday, November 5, 2021 at 5:00 PM, affecting all new applications. Local rent relief may still be available in some areas. Due to the total requests for assistance now exceeding all Texas Rent Relief funds available, the program is closing its application portal to new applications and additional funding requests on Friday, […]
The deadline to sign up to receive monthly advanced Child Tax Credit payments is November 15. As part of the American Rescue Plan, the IRS started sending advanced Child Tax Credit payments in July. These payments represent half of the total Child Tax Credit eligible families would receive after filing their 2021 tax return. Qualifying families are eligible for: $300/month […]
Natalie Cochran sat down with Elizabeth Green and Christian Pineda from Lone Star Legal Aid to discuss why healthy children are better prepared to succeed in school and how you can get your children enrolled in CHIP or Medicaid with our free legal services. Listen here on KPFT radio starting at 13:25.
This week, every eviction docket in Harris County will be staffed with legal services attorneys. The Eviction Defense Coalition includes Lone Star Legal Aid, Houston Volunteer Lawyers, South Texas College of Law Houston, Thurgood Marshall School of Law’s Earl Car Institute, and the University of Houston Law Center. The Coalition’s mission is to provide an attorney to every tenant facing […]
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is providing almost $294 million in emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits starting in October, as the state continues its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The allotments are expected to help more than 1.4 million Texas households. HHSC received federal approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to […]
