January 10, 2023 by Nesibe Selma
Lone Star Legal Aid Receives Bob Woodruff Foundation Veterans Disaster Grant
Houston, Texas – Lone Star Legal Aid is one of thirty-four organizations to receive a 2022 Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) Fall Grant. We are proud to accept this contribution towards our work to provide free civil legal services to Veterans, service members, and their families.
The BWF grants support programs that:
- Increase accessibility to high-quality, evidence-based mental healthcare to address PTSD, substance use disorder;
- Provide legal assistance to increase Veterans’ access to benefits and decrease barriers to long-term stability;
- Provide comprehensive services to Veterans experiencing homelessness and/or those at risk of becoming homeless;
- Ensure the success of student Veterans;
- Meet Veterans’ immediate basic needs, including food insecurity; and
- Improve the emotional, mental, and financial wellbeing of military/Veteran households.
Texas is home to the second-largest Veteran population in the U.S., and over 10% live in Harris County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Texas also has the third-largest population of active-duty military. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, civil legal problems — from threatened evictions to other-than-honorable discharges from the military — are often the greatest obstacles to a Veteran’s health, housing, stability, and productivity. Obtaining access to free legal services can be critical for Veterans, like Chester and Janelle, to get the benefits and support they need for themselves and their families.
Chester is a 92-year-old Veteran of WWII and the Korean War. He is mostly blind and deaf, and has Parkinson’s Disease, which makes it difficult for him to walk and write. His only income is Social Security, and he relies on the assistance of a neighbor to help him get around. We helped Chester reduce his property taxes and obtain medical coverage, and SNAP benefits.
Janelle was terminated from her job after complications with her pregnancy. When she applied for unemployment, her former employer appealed. We helped Janelle obtain unemployment benefits and backpay to ensure her family’s stability.
“Lone Star Legal Aid is an incredibly grateful recipient of the Bob Woodruff Foundation grant. With this grant, LSLA’s Military Veterans Unit will continue to serve low-income Veterans in need of legal services. Lone Star Legal Aid is preserving housing for Veterans, fighting food scarcity, and obtaining access to public benefits. By addressing these legal issues, attorneys and paralegals are bettering the lives of Veterans and their families. This powerful work would not be possible without the continued support of the Bob Woodruff Foundation,” says Andrew Moore, Managing Attorney of LSLA’s Military & Veteran’s Unit.
About the Bob Woodruff Foundation:
The Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) was founded in 2006 after a roadside bomb wounded reporter Bob Woodruff while covering the war in Iraq. Since then, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has led an enduring call to action for people to stand up for heroes and meet the emerging and long-term needs of today’s veterans, including suicide prevention, mental health, caregiver support, and food insecurity. To date, BWF has invested over $124 million to find, fund, and shape programs that have empowered impacted veterans, service members, and their family members across the nation. Visit bobwoodrufffoundation.org for more information, or follow us on Twitter at @bwforg.
Contact: Emily Bader, Director of Grants, emily.bader@bobwoodrufffoundation.org, 917.797.0144
Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy for low-income and underserved populations by providing free legal education, advice, and representation. LSLA serves millions of people at 125% of federal poverty guidelines, who live in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas, and 4 counties in Southwest Arkansas. LSLA focuses its resources on maintaining, enhancing, and protecting income and economic stability; preserving housing; improving outcomes for children; establishing and sustaining family safety, stability, health, and wellbeing; and assisting populations with special vulnerabilities, like those with disabilities, the aging, survivors of crime and disasters, the unemployed and underemployed, the unhoused, those with limited English language skills, and the LGBTQIA+ community. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, visit our website at www.LoneStarLegal.org.
Media contact: media@lonestarlegal.org
