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 focus on how to help individuals achieve success.
Housing is fundamental to exiting poverty. Without the safety and stability of a place to call home, achieving other markers of success is much more difficult. Our Foreclosure Prevention, Eviction Right to Counsel, and Fair Housing teams work tirelessly to ensure housing stability. Read about how we helped Madeline fight eviction.
Low-income Americans have higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other chronic conditions, compared to higher-income Americans. Poor health also contributes to reduced income, creating a cycle often referred to as the health-poverty trap. Our Connecting Texas Kids to Coverage and Public Benefits teams work to ensure eligible individuals access healthcare by applying for and appealing denials for coverage through Medicaid, like in Anita’s case, and Medicare, the Texas Children’s Health Plan, and even private insurance disputes, like in Mary’s case.
Poor households nationwide experience violence at the highest rates, regardless of whether they’re in urban, suburban, or rural areas. Addressing poverty is a key part of ending violence. Our Family, Crime Victim, and Legal Assistance to Survivors of Sexual Assault (LASSA) teams turn victims into survivors by filing protective orders and divorces, handling housing and food insecurity issues, and more. Read about how we helped Samantha escape domestic violence.
For 2022, we have an extensive virtual outreach lineup scheduled, so we can continue to expand access to free legal information for Texans living in poverty. Stay tuned for upcoming event reminders!
If you or someone you know needs legal help, you can apply at https://www.lonestarlegal.org or by calling 1-800-733-8394.
Lone Star Legal Aid is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy for low-income and underserved populations. Lone Star Legal Aid serves millions of people at 125% of federal poverty guidelines that reside in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas, and 4 counties of Southwest Arkansas. Lone Star Legal Aid focuses its resources on maintaining, enhancing, and protecting income and economic stability; preserving housing; improving outcomes for children; establishing and sustaining family safety and stability, health and well‐being; and assisting populations with special vulnerabilities, like those with disabilities, or who are elderly, homeless, or have limited English language skills. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, visit our website at https://www.lonestarlegal.org.
Media contact: Media@LoneStarLegal.org
