News and stories about our work to protect and advance the civil legal rights of low-income Texans.
Starting on January 30, 2020, the City of Houston will host a final round of three community workshops to learn more about TxDOT’s North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP), the proposed expansion of I-45N from downtown to Beltway 8 and changes to downtown-area freeway connections including I-69, I-10 and 288. The City of Houston developed a number of improvements to […]
Houston, TX – Lone Star Legal Aid will be at the Town Hall being hosted by Counsel Member Amy Peck from District A at 6:30 PM, Wednesday, January 29, 2020, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, located at 4703 East Shadowdale Drive, Houston, Texas 77041. The location has been set up as an American Red Cross […]
Houston, TX – Lone Star Legal Aid clients will soon be able to report and track their environmental concerns through a new mobile app. LSLA’s Environmental Justice Team, part of the Equitable Development Initiative, proposed this client-based application as a tool that community members will be able to use for reporting and tracking environmental issues that they see and experience […]
On January 21, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee held a Town Hall at Phillis Wheatley High School in Houston’s Fifth Ward, where a recent cancer cluster investigation by the Texas Department of State Health Services found higher than expected rates of cancers of the lung and bronchus, esophagus, and larynx in Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens neighborhoods, with elevated rates of […]
Houston, Texas – Lone Star Legal Aid, a free civil legal aid provider; Combined Arms, a one stop shop for Veterans resources; and SBP USA, a team focused on fortifying people against unnecessary suffering, have joined forces with Bob Woodruff Foundation grant funds to find and refer veterans to one another. BWF’s key focus areas are education and employment, quality […]
Houston, TX – Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week aims to warn the public about tax ID thieves and IRS impostors. Tax identity theft occurs when someone uses your Social Security Number (SSN) to file a phony return and claim your refund. IRS impostors are scammers who pretend they are calling from the IRS claiming you owe taxes and demand immediate […]
Overview With the widespread lack of awareness and understanding of slavery and human trafficking, more men, women and children are being exploited, bringing in an alarming revenue of billions of dollars for traffickers. There are 40.1 million victims of human trafficking globally with hundreds of thousands of victims right here in the United States. To forego keeping this a hidden […]
Houston, TX – Lone Star Legal Aid’s Shrushti Kothari, Disaster Relief Unit Staff Attorney, collaborated with Pro Bono Net in their creation of “Figuring Out FEMA,” a project they worked on with Center for Urban Pedagogy and designed by Carmen Lopez. “Figuring Out FEMA” is a pocket-sized visual resource for disaster survivors. The project is part of Center for Urban […]
Overview Stalking is directed at a specific person that would cause reasonable fear. Unlike other crimes that involve a single incident, stalking is a pattern of behaviors. This crime is made up of several escalated acts intended to cause the victim to be on edge. Since stalking can happen to anyone, including you, it is significant to educate yourself, your […]
The season of giving and gifting is here and we are all excited to make that perfect purchase for someone in our lives. In 2018, there were over 65,000 victims reported in the United States totally $184 million in losses. These days, scammers are very clever with their tricks. Holiday crooks can spoil your celebrations when they steal your personal […]
Overview Tax season is approaching and is the time of year when individual taxpayers prepare financial statements and reports from the previous year and submit their tax returns. In the United States, individuals must file a tax return by April 15 giving the IRS all reportable earnings. However, this is also the time of year for tax-related identity theft. Scammers […]
Human Rights Day is an annual reserved date to recognize and remind the world of the inalienable rights that everyone is inherently entitled to regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, political, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Human Rights Day is observed by the international community every year on December 10. In 1948, the United Nations […]
Members of the transgender community and their allies recognize Transgender Awareness Week the second week of November of each year which gives them an opportunity to connect and share stories about the challenges they face every day. It is also a chance for anyone who supports the transgender community to educate the public and have awareness raising events across the […]
National Military Family Month Our service members undergo many sacrifices fighting for the United States and many don’t realize the hardships military families go through as well. Military families face disparities such as moving from base to base, losing a loved one, having a loved one deployed for months, or dealing with long-term physical and emotional wounds. Every November, our […]
Texas Veterans Legal Aid Week is a statewide campaign that centers on building awareness of the legal issues facing veterans, surrounding Veterans Day. Across the state, legal aid organizations will host legal clinics, intake, legal informational workshops, seminars, media events, and issuing press releases. With 1,584,844 veterans living here, Texas ranks second in veteran population according to the Department of […]
HOUSTON, TX – Lone Star Legal Aid joined CHILDREN AT RISK for an educational bus tour presentation, sponsored by Locke Lord, LLP, on human trafficking in Houston on Tuesday, October 22, 2019, where they were able to get a first-hand look at both where major trafficking incidents have occurred and where this crime may be presently occurring. This informative event […]
PLAN YOUR ESCAPE The most dangerous time for a survivor of domestic violence is the moment when he or she decides to leave their abusive partner. When the abuser realizes they are losing control over their victim, they often take drastic and sometimes deadly steps to regain their power. Having a safety plan in place is vital to ensuring that […]
The severity of crimes associated with domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking was finally addressed by Congress when VAWA, the Violence Against Women Act, was passed in 1994. Within a decade, the legislature expanded the act including protections and provisions, improving action and enforcing efforts to address violence in America. The bill marked the first comprehensive federal legislative package designed […]
After a natural disaster, scammers are eager and adamant to target homeowners with post-disaster damage. In desperate times, it can be easy to fall victim to shady contractors who overpromise and under deliver. Having to avoid shady contractors in the wake of a natural disaster is a common experience for a homeowner. Con artists and fraudsters can be sneaky, but […]
Join Lone Star Legal Aid and CHILDREN AT RISK for an educational bus tour presentation on human trafficking in Houston Tuesday, October 22, 2019, generously sponsored by Locke Lord, LLP. Attorneys will get a first-hand look at both where major trafficking incidents were identified, where this crime may be presently occurring, and will learn to identify the red flags and […]