Clarissa Ayala

Since March 2021, Ms. Hilary Tyson of Boyar Miller Attorneys at Law has been working closely with Lone Star Legal Aid to serve the Houston/Trinity Gardens community. The Houston/Trinity Gardens community is predominately African American, low-income, and while historically residential—it has suffered from years of neglect and divestment. Because Houston is without zoning, incompatible land uses plague this residential community, […]

Since 2017, initially as part of a collaborative grant funded by the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, the Environmental Justice Team at Lone Star Legal Aid has worked closely with Professor Kelly Haragan and her law students at the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law to expand legal aid’s capacity to address the needs of […]

Pro bono work is a professional responsibility and an individual ethical commitment of each lawyer. The Pro Bono Committee of the American Bar Association launched the National Celebration of Pro Bono in 2009 due to the increasing need for pro bono services in harsh economic times, and the unprecedented response of lawyers to meet this demand. Every October since 2009, […]

In 2019, the U.S. reported a population of 54.1 million people age 65 or older (the most recent year for which data is available). They represented 16% of the population–more than one in every seven Americans. Older adults consistently experience the most significant percentage of loss during and after natural disasters compared to younger age groups (Fernandez, Byard, Lin, Benson, […]

Houston, TX – Lone Star Legal Aid is on the front lines of supporting low-income families in East Texas when disaster strikes. Five years ago, Hurricane Harvey devastated our region and left thousands with unstable housing, food insecurity, and uncertainty about their future well-being. Supported by the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF), the State of Qatar, and Qatar Harvey Funds, LSLA’s […]

Launched in 2004, National Preparedness Month (NPM) is FEMA’s national annual preparedness outreach. NPM is managed and sponsored by FEMA’s Ready Campaign. The Ready Campaign, in conjunction with the Ad Council, aims to educate and empower Americans during NPM and throughout the year to prepare for and respond to all types of emergencies, including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks. […]

Houston, TX – Last week, Adorable Pointe Apartments, owned by Grace Business Ventures, LLC, an affiliate of Grace International Church, forced a tenant to vacate an apartment for no reason – she had paid in full. Grace International Church has congregations in Houston, and in the Bronx, NYC. Lone Star Legal Aid’s Eviction Right to Counsel Attorneys met Samayah Winston […]

Lone Star Legal Aid, in partnership with Texas Legal Services Center, is happy to announce the launch of its Eviction Text Messaging Program. The program helps to guide our clients through the JP Court Eviction Appeal process with text messaging support. This guided support will provide text message reminders of deadlines, links to helpful information at appropriate times, and answer […]

Port Arthur, Texas – A coalition of organizations led by Lone Star Legal Aid Group Client, the Port Arthur Community Action Network (PACAN), launched a Month-of-Action to stop the proposed Blue Marlin Crude Oil Pipeline.  Energy Transfer has proposed building a crude oil pipeline through the middle of Sabine Lake and down to an offshore export terminal off the coast […]

July is Military Consumer Month. Whether someone is a new recruit, a service member PCS’ing (permanent change of stations) with their family, or a soon-to-be veteran, the FTC wants to share some ways to steer clear of rip-offs and scammers. Individuals preparing to leave the service might be looking at ways to make a living while exploring new career options. […]

Texas has Refused to Fix Problems in its Air Permitting Program that Affect Environmental Justice and Public Participation   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, June 28, 2022  Media Contacts: Tom Pelton, Environmental Integrity Project, 443-510-2574 or tpelton@environmentalintegrity.org  Alexandria Trimble, Earthjustice, (202) 792-6889, atrimble@earthjustice.org Clarissa Ayala, Lone Star Legal Aid, 832-627-8404, cayala@lonestarlegal.org Austin, Texas – Today, the Environmental Integrity Project and twelve other […]

June is the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s National Homeownership Month, a time to celebrate the benefits that homeownership brings to families, neighborhoods, and communities across America. To learn more about National Homeownership Month, read the Presidential Proclamation. June is also the beginning of the Gulf Hurricane Season. Lone Star Legal Aid joins National Homeownership Month by sharing resources […]

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 — […]

Every May, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) leads the nation’s annual celebration of Older Americans Month (OAM). In 2022, ACL will focus on aging in place – how older adults can plan to stay in their homes and live independently in their communities for as long as possible. By 2040, more than 1 in 5 Texans is projected to […]

The Houston Legal Aid Clinic, later known as the Houston Legal Foundation, was established by the Houston Bar Association and Texas Southern University, among others. East Texas Legal Services was created due to local interest from multiple parties, including client groups in Nacogdoches and Tyler, members of the Nacogdoches County Bar Association, and to some degree, the Jefferson County Bar […]

April is Texas Giving Month, and East Texas Giving Day is April 27th! Now that Texas is opening back up and the pandemic is hopefully winding down, it is a great time to help East Texas Charities recover. “Giving Day is happening at a critical time for the nonprofit community,” said Holly McFarlin, Public Relations Director of East Texas Communities […]

Each April, local communities, fair housing advocates, and fair housing organizations across the country commemorate Fair Housing Month by hosting an array of activities that highlight HUD’s fair housing enforcement efforts, enhance Americans’ awareness of their fair housing rights, and emphasize the importance of ending housing discrimination. Our Fair Housing team focuses on the right to stay in decent and […]

The independence and financial security of older adults can be threatened by abusive practices in the consumer world. A growing scam that disproportionately targets older Americans can, and often does, literally cost them the homes they have lived in for years and worked hard to obtain. It is called a foreclosure “rescue” scam, and it is anything but what the […]

The Federal Trade Commission’s National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) is March 6-12, 2022. Looking to protect yourself from fraud, identity theft, and scams? Maybe you’re wondering about the best way to use credit, how to shop for a used car, or even how to prevent foreclosure or bankruptcy. NCPW is a time to help people understand their consumer rights.  Texas […]