News and stories about our work advancing civil legal rights for low-income Texans.
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Walking on eggshells around your abusive partner can be terrifying, especially when you are constantly threatened and assaulted. Kaitlyn was just a teenager when her boyfriend began violent tendencies. When Peter was 23, he met 19-year-old Kaitlyn. Soon thereafter, she became his girlfriend, and then she became pregnant with his child. Early on in their relationship, she learned that if […]
Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM) is a month-long campaign dedicated to raising awareness about teen dating abuse in an effort to prevent it before it starts. It is important to speak up about the challenges teens face in relationships, and the reality that dating violence happens to millions of people, including teens. Getting the conversation started about teen dating […]
The Federal Trade Commission’s Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week was last week. Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal or financial information — like your Social Security or financial account number — to commit fraud. Seniors are vulnerable to identity theft scams because they are often more trusting, have more savings and home equity built up, and are less […]
11 year old Abby Jones was denied Children’s Medicaid benefits while her three siblings were approved. Her father had applied for Medicaid benefits for his four children. The reason given for denying her was that the family was determined to be over income. This was obviously an error. Abby’s father contacted the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) multiple […]
Black History Month is an annual celebration of African Americans’ achievements and a time to recognize their central role in U.S. History. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson, and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. President has officially designated February Black […]
TEXAS MEDICAID AND CHIP PROGRAMS Texas Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) offer parents peace of mind knowing their children can get the routine preventative care they need, when they need it, keeping them healthy. These programs secure medical coverage benefits for more than 45 million children. Despite the number of those covered, there are still many children […]
Houston, TX – The City of Houston’s Super Neighborhood 48 (“SN48”), covering an area known as Trinity Gardens and Houston Gardens (“The Gardens”), through its attorneys at Lone Star Legal Aid, has filed a Title VI Civil Rights Administrative Complaint with the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Department of Housing and […]
The IRS will officially begin tax season on Monday, January 24th. There have been some changes to tax-filing season this year, and you can get ahead by learning what will be expected of you. In 2021, the IRS was inundated with calls about filing extensions, unemployment, and stimulus checks, so this year they have provided free help options to taxpayers. […]
Natalie Cochran met with Christian Pineda and Elizabeth Green from Lone Star Legal Aid to discuss what the public charge rule is in Texas and how it affects immigrants and their families, including their children, from accessing critical government services available to them. Listen here starting at 52:20.
In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Lone Star Legal Aid will be closed. All offices will reopen on Tuesday, January 18th, 2022. Texans can still apply for free legal help online at www.lonestarlegal.org.
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.
Houston, TX – Local natural gas company Williams of the Galleria Area has sponsored one of Lone Star Legal Aid’s clients with all the furnishings for a new apartment. December is the National Season of Giving, and Williams contacted us to find out if they could sponsor one of our clients. We connected them with Blanca Correa, a crime survivor […]
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 […]