News and stories about our work to protect and advance the civil legal rights of low-income Texans.
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 […]
The Federal Government has approved protections for homeowners struggling economically as a result of COVID-19 related illness or loss of wages. Below you will find resources to several foreclosure moratoriums that could save your home. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) authorized the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to implement an immediate foreclosure and eviction moratorium for single family […]
All Lone Star Legal Aid offices will be closed on Friday, June 19, 2020, in observance of Juneteenth. All offices will reopen during normal business hours on Monday, June 22, 2020. Online applications may be submitted at any time at www.lonestarlegal.org.
On June 12, Harris County officially sent out half of its $30 million Coronavirus relief fund to 44 community-based organizations. These organizations are tasked with dispersing the money to eligible residents and families to help pay for housing, childcare, food, electricity, and other essential needs. Residents of Harris County in need can apply to qualify for the second round of […]
Each month, Lone Star Legal Aid recognizes victim-centered national and international awareness raising opportunities. These opportunities help crime survivors obtain the information they need to recover and also educate the community on how they can advocate for that particular cause. Below are all of the awareness opportunities happening in June. National Elder Abuse Awareness Month Elder abuse is defined as […]
LSLA will be hosting a live chat with its partner, Credit Coalition, and its Foreclosure Prevention Project on Friday afternoon on Facebook Live. Learn how to the CARES Act protects properties from foreclosure. Tune-in to our Facebook account @LoneStarLegalAid at 3 PM – Friday, June 19, 2020. Lone Star Legal Aid is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy […]
Learn more about IMPACT, Lone Star Legal Aid’s group client and community partner, who has been working to raise awareness of legacy contamination in two Houston neighborhoods that is likely the source of a newly-determined Cancer Cluster, by watching this documentary by Aljazeera news. Lone Star Legal Aid is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy on behalf of […]
Lone Star Legal Aid’s online intake is now available in Spanish and Vietnamese. According to the Texas Tribune, “Of the nearly 24 million people in Texas five years or older, 65 percent speak only English at home. The rest speak more than 160 languages combined.” Spanish and Vietnamese are numbers 1 and 2 in the top 10 languages spoken in […]
A Houston program is now providing free animal boarding services to survivors of abuse, in effort to help them flee from their violent homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Houston Dog Ranch is partnering with animal shelter PetSet to launch “Pet Protect,” a service to cover boarding costs, and training or rehabilitation fees for both the dog and owner. Dogs […]
Hurricane season has officially started. With storms already being identified and named, Lone Star Legal Aid would like to remind its client community that we are available to assist in the recovery process. Our Disaster Relief Unit has extensive experience helping families in our service area as well as those who relocated to our service area in an evacuation as […]
LSLA will be hosting a live chat with its Disaster Relief Unit on Friday afternoon on Facebook Live. Learn how to legally prepare yourself for hurricane season. Tune-in to our Facebook account @LoneStarLegalAid at 3 PM – Friday, June 5, 2020. Lone Star Legal Aid is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy on behalf of low-income and underserved populations. […]
The United States Department of the Treasury began mailing prepaid debit cards to people who did not have direct deposit set up, instead of a paper check. EIP Card recipients can use them just like regular debit cards; to make purchases, get cash from in-network ATMs, and transfer funds to their personal bank account without incurring any fees. It could […]
Lone Star Legal Aid was awarded an emergency grant to expand its military and veteran services to all of Texas. Lone Star Legal Aid’s Military Veterans Unit (MVU) provides free civil legal services to low-income United States military veterans, their dependents, and surviving spouses- now, throughout the State of Texas. The MVU can help with veterans benefits, housing issues (evictions, […]
Fort Bend County approved $19.5 million of funding to assist renters and landlords in paying rent, mortgage, and utilities during the Coronavirus pandemic. Funding for the County’s rental assistance program comes through the Federal CARES Act. The funding will be implemented in 3 phases of $6,500,000 each. Phase 1 will be from June-July, Phase 2 August-September, and Phase 3 October-November. […]
Lone Star Legal Aid is pleased to announce LSLA CARES, a property research and documentation tool that will help tenants search the many public databases currently available to find out if your property is subject to the CARES Act. The CARES Act temporarily protects some renters from eviction for nonpayment of rent. It also stops late fees for rent for […]
LSLA will be hosting a chat with its community partner, The Jesse Tree, tomorrow afternoon on Facebook Live. Learn how the CARES Act provides protections to Texas tenants, stopping many landlords from going forward with evictions until August. Tune-in to our Facebook account @LoneStarLegalAid at 3 PM – Friday, May 22, 2020. Lone Star Legal Aid is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm […]