News and stories about our work to protect and advance the civil legal rights of low-income Texans.
The IRS announced yesterday that they were extending the amount of time Americans have to request their Economic Impact Payment (stimulus) to November 21, 2020. This applies to people who didn’t have to file a 2019 tax return, who didn’t get their payment or register for it. If you have already completed the non-filer portal but have not gotten your […]
Every October, the United States takes a stand against intimate partner violence in observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Advocates wear purple, survivors tell their stories, neighbors share their resources, and social media arranges an open forum for activists to educate the world. Join Lone Star Legal Aid this October in powering up against domestic violence. Domestic violence was a […]
Thanks to the generous support of the Legal Services Corporation, Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) is proud to announce two important online tools through the new Texas Disaster Legal Help portal to help Texans affected by Hurricane Harvey. Developed in partnership with Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (LANWT) and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA), these tools will be available statewide […]
This week’s Facebook Live virtual outreach schedule is jam-packed with information about resources from several of our community partners. Tune in at www.facebook.com/LoneStarLegalAid to catch one of our presentations listed below. Tuesday, September 29, 2020, at 1:00 PMOur Crime Victim’s Unit will talk with HPD’s Victim Services Department about resources for survivors of domestic abuse. Wednesday, September 30, 2020, at […]
Our Beaumont, Clute, and Galveston offices are closed today, Monday, September 21, 2020 due to inclement weather. This post will be updated throughout the day if more offices closures are necessary. Individuals may still apply for legal assistance over the phone at 1-800-733-8394 or online at www.lonestarlegal.org.
Have you suffered food loss because of Hurricane Laura? A news release from Governor Abbot says that SNAP (Food Stamp) recipients in Hardin, Jefferson, Newton, Orange, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, and Tyler counties will automatically receive replacement food stamp benefits. People in these counties have until September 30, to report other food loss and ask for benefits in addition to […]
Lone Star Legal Aid’s Individual Safety Unit has created The Safe Space, a virtual outreach series that will premier monthly to provide information and resources about sexual assault to survivors. Sexual violence can have an immediate and devastating effect on the survivor in nearly every aspect of their life, resulting in a need for survivor-centered and trauma-informed legal representation. Since […]
In observance of Labor Day, all Lone Star Legal Aid offices are closed today, Monday, September 7, 2020. All offices will reopen on Tuesday, September 8, 2020. Texans can still apply for free legal help online at http://www.lonestarlegal.org. Be careful and stay safe!
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an order on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, protecting low to moderate-income renters from eviction for nonpayment of rent throughout the remainder of 2020. The order’s eviction moratorium protects only renters who meet all of the following: The renter must expect to earn no more than $99,000 in annual income in 2020 […]
Houston, TX – Lone Star Legal Aid is working with a coalition of eviction defenders in partnership with Harris County and the City of Houston to offer a pilot program, the Eviction Right to Counsel Project, in certain jurisdictions – on a small scale. The coalition is comprised of Lone Star Legal Aid, Houston Volunteer Lawyers, South Texas College of […]
Houston, Texas – Lone Star Legal Aid is hosting a Facebook Live event on Wednesday, September 2, 2020, at 1:00 PM CST to discuss the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s order preventing eviction for the remainder of 2020. Leaders in their field, Dana Karni, manager of LSLA’s Eviction Right to Counsel Project, and Jon-Ross Trevino, manager of LSLA’s Houston […]
Houston, TX – Lone Star Legal Aid’s Dana Karni, Managing Attorney of the Eviction Right to Counsel unit, has been appointed to the Harris County and the City of Houston’s Housing Stability Task Force. With sixteen years’ experience, Ms. Karni’s practice covers cases in Justice of the Peace courts, state civil courts, and includes federal civil district court litigation on […]
August 17, 2020 is National Nonprofit Day and is a special day for nonprofits all over the world to celebrate their charitable endeavors to help others in their communities. This year is a different from all the rest because we are celebrating and recognizing each other virtually. These changing times during the pandemic haven’t interfered with Lone Star Legal Aid’s […]
Whether Lone Star Legal Aid offers advice to clients or gives them extended services, our team of attorneys, paralegals, social workers, and communicators work with the client to ensure equal access to justice, to provide emotional support and to let their voices be heard. Our stories of justice platform is a full page of real stories told by real clients […]
Purpose Each year at the end of July, the world recognizes World Day Against Trafficking and this year’s focus is on first responders. These are the people who work in different sectors such as identifying, supporting counseling and seeking justice for victims of trafficking. Trafficking is a serious crime and violation of human rights. Thousands of men, women and children […]
For tenants facing eviction, the Supreme Court of Texas issued its 20th Emergency Order on Tuesday, July 21, 2020. The order applies to rental properties covered by the CARES Act and requires landlords to make three statements about the rental property. First, the landlord must state that the tenant was provided with a 30 day Notice to Vacate. Failure to […]
Every July, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Defense, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Military Saves, and other consumer advocacy and military support organizations join for Military Consumer Protection Month in an effort to provide military consumers with resources about managing their money. 2020 has presented brand new challenges and this year, Lone Star Legal Aid joins Military Consumer […]
Galveston, TX – Lone Star Legal Aid is going to Washington, D.C. to fight for Sandpiper Cove tenants in Galveston, Texas. On Tuesday, June 30, 2020, LSLA’s Fair Housing team and housing civil rights lawyers Mike Daniel and Laura Beshara of Daniel & Beshara, P.C. filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for intentional discrimination […]
All Lone Star Legal Aid offices will be closed tomorrow, Friday, July 3, 2020, in observance of Independence Day. All offices will reopen on Monday, July 6, 2020. Texans can still apply for free legal help online at www.lonestarlegal.org. Have a safe and joyous holiday.
As millions of Texans continue to struggle with financial hardships brought on by mass layoffs and record job losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, Houston became one of the first major American cities to allow eviction proceedings to resume after the Texas Supreme Court lifted a temporary statewide moratorium on evictions in May. While the federal CARES Act continues to prohibit […]