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June is National Homeownership Month, a time to celebrate, promote, and reflect on the American Dream – owning your own home. Homeownership provides social and financial stability, builds communities, and helps improve the national economy. While most Americans dream of owning a home, obstacles such as student loans, credit card debt, poor credit, interest rates, and the ever-fluctuating job market […]

Overview A traumatic experience can affect a person’s entire life making them vulnerable to ongoing fear.  Fear is a result of a negative outcome in which horrifying memories are engraved on the brain causing people to have terrorizing flashbacks and uncontrolled panic attacks. Trauma is real and it affects people to where they behave and respond differently. Crime victim survivors […]

Domestic violence or abuse in a relationship is a pattern of behaviors used to maintain power and control over their partner. This behavior can physically cause harm or arouse fear by the use of physical and sexual violence, threats, intimidation and emotional abuse. Anyone of any race, age, religion, gender or sexual orientation can become a victim or perpetrator. It […]

While emotional abuse, physical abuse, neglect and abandonment are frequently used forms of elder abuse, financial exploitation is the most common and fastest growing form of elder abuse. Anyone can take advantage of the elderly whether they are a caretaker, a family member, neighbors, attorneys, bank employees, doctors, or nurses. The mistreatment of vulnerable adults is widespread and can even […]

All Lone Star Legal Aid offices will be closed Monday, May 27, 2019, in observance of Memorial Day. All offices will reopen on Tuesday, May 28, 2019.

HOUSTON, TX – Lone Star Legal Aid’s Crime Victims Unit attorney Zelda Howell and social worker Ashleigh Cormier hosted the Justice for Crime Survivors presentation on Thursday, May 23, 2019 at the downtown Houston Police Department (HPD). The presentation covered specific methods to approach and handle cases dealing with survivors of crime. After victimization, the individual will face many challenges. […]

Port Arthur, TX – Alleging over 1.8 million pounds of unauthorized air pollution were released over the past 5 years by Valero’s Port Arthur Refinery, the community group and Lone Star Legal Aid client, Port Arthur Community Action Network (PA-CAN), announced at a press conference today that it intends to sue Valero Energy Corporation and its parent company, Premcor Refining […]

Fayette County, TX – Lone Star Legal Aid is fighting to save the home of Ms. Sharelle Wright from effectively being foreclosed upon by the same non-profit that helped build it for her. Ms. Wright is a single mother with 6 children whose previous home was badly damaged during Hurricane Harvey when a tree smashed the roof and rained destroyed […]

Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott has announced the month of May as Elder Abuse Prevention Month. During the month of May, Adult Protective Services (APS) collaborates with community advocates across Texas to raise awareness. Our elderly population routinely faces several forms of abuse such as neglect and financial exploitation. Consistently educating the public through advocacy and action will provide awareness […]

For Immediate Release Huntsville, TX – The State Bar of Texas Family Law Section’s Pro Bono Committee has selected Huntsville as one of the locations this year for its “Family Law Essentials” seminar on May 17, 2019.  The event will take place at the City of Huntsville Municipal Court, 717 FM 2821 W., Suite 200 in Huntsville, Texas. The Family […]

April 29 – May 3 is Air Quality Awareness Week (AQAW).  This year’s theme, “Check the AQI and Get Outside,” encourages us to learn about air quality by checking AirNow’s Air Quality Index (AQI) to find out the healthiest times for outdoor activities in your area. LSLA’s Environmental Justice Team recently caught up with EJ Attorney Colin Cox to talk […]

Houston, TX – With funding from Texas Access to Justice Foundation, Houston Endowment, and the Jacob & Terese Hershey Foundation, Lone Star Legal Aid’s Equitable Development Initiative is making headlines with its advocacy. The Equitable Development Initiative’s goal is to provide legal assistance to foster community revitalization in low-income neighborhoods by fighting systemic discrimination and degradation and by helping residents […]

Houston, TX – Lone Star Legal Aid’s environmental justice team attended Air Alliance Houston’s 2nd Annual State of the Air Gala on Thursday, April 4, 2019 at the historical Buffalo Soldiers National Museum. Air Alliance Houston believes everyone has a right to breathe clean air. Through applied research, education, and advocacy, they work to deliver clean air for a healthier […]

Harris County, TX – On Sunday, March 17, 2019, at approximately 10am, a storage tank caught fire at the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) Deer Park facility, located at 1943 Independence Parkway. Industry neighbors and multiple local agencies actively fought the fire to prevent it from spreading and to extinguish it as quickly as possible. As of early Wednesday morning, March […]

Since 1981, America has celebrated National Crime Victims’ Week every April. During this week, we aim to educate our citizens on victimization and its effects on individuals and their loved ones. Additionally, we strive to promote policies and programs that will aid victims of crime. This year’s NCVRW theme is “Honoring Our Past. Creating Hope for the Future” which honors […]

Houston, TX – Lone Star Legal Aid has been given a $5,000 Cy Pres award resulting from a federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) class action Karni Law Firm, P.C. brought against Cavalry Portfolio Services, LLC and its lawyers Rausch, Sturm, Israel, Enerson, & Hornik for misrepresentations made during the course of collecting judgment debt. The original dunning letters […]

Each year during the Month of April, government agencies, rape crisis centers, business, campuses, and individuals plan events that emphasize the prominence of sexual violence and the dire need for prevention efforts. “I Ask”  This year’s theme, as decided by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), is “I Ask”—a message that highlights the importance of consent in a part […]

This week marks the 51st anniversary of the passing of the Fair Housing Act. This legislation prevents the discrimination of anyone based on sex, race, family status, disability, nationality, religion, or skin color in the act of rental, financing, or sale of housing.

The Federal Emergency Management Administration announced in its March 18th weekly bulletin that it’s Individuals Assistance Program has been expanded to provide additional assistance to survivors of declared disasters after August 1, 2017. This will include home repair, personal property, and transportation funds. Read more, here.

Lone Star Legal Aid’s Environmental Justice Team recently talked with Executive Director of Air Alliance Houston, Bakeyah Nelson, PhD, to find out more about a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) being conducted by AAH this spring. Funded by the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation under the 500 Cities Data Challenge, the HIA will determine expected impacts of the […]