News and stories about our work to protect and advance the civil legal rights of low-income Texans.
Updated July 1, 2020 The Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Texas Department of Agriculture, and the Texas Education Agency have created a new program to help parents of school-age children. WHAT IS IT? COVID P-EBT BENEFITS – A ONE TIME BENEFIT of $285 per child (like disaster food stamps), for people with school-age children on FREE OR REDUCED PRICE […]
All Lone Star Legal Aid offices will be closed on Monday, May 25, 2020, in observance of Memorial Day. All offices will reopen for telephone and online applications on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. Have a safe and joyous holiday!
Lone Star Legal Aid announces the launch of its Eviction HELP Project. This project is a self-guided tool that helps Texas renters to fight evictions during the COVID 19 Pandemic. Right now, thousands of renters across Texas are facing evictions. But there are protections for renters. The Eviction HELP Project helps eviction litigants prepare for court by giving renters legal […]
What Is The CARES Act? The CARES Act temporarily protects some renters from eviction for nonpayment of rent. It also stops late fees for rent from March 26, 2020 until July 25, 2020. Landlords cannot issue notices to vacate for nonpayment during this time. You still have to pay rent even if your home is covered by the CARES Act. […]
With some evictions allowed to start now, it’s important to understand who can and who cannot be evicted at this time. LSLA will be hosting a chat with its community partner, United Way of Matagorda County, tomorrow afternoon on Facebook Live. Learn how the CARES Act provides protections to Texas tenants, stopping many landlords from going forward with evictions until […]
Late Wednesday night, on April 23, a wayward tornado tore through Onalaska, Texas in Polk County, leaving some dead, many injured, and even more destruction in its wake. The aftermath left many residents displaced and in dire need of help. Lone Star Legal Aid’s community partner, Red Cross, rushed to address the immediate needs of those affected by the storm, […]
Have environmental laws changed during COVID-19? Yes, some temporary changes were recently made to both federal and state environmental policies in response to COVID-19. On March 26, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the agency’s exercise of its enforcement discretion for noncompliance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy applies retroactively beginning on March 13, 2020. A seven-page […]
The Texas Supreme Court issued an order April 27, 2020, in effect until July 15, 2020, saying that for determining a person’s right to possession of and access to a child under a court-ordered possession schedule, the existing trial court order controls in all instances. Family Law experts from Lone Star Legal Aid’s Justice for Crime Survivors Project and Legal […]
On May 6, Houston City Council members approved a $15 million rental relief program to help landlords and renters make up for rent losses due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Funding for the City’s rental assistance program comes through the Federal CARES Act. The program will cover up to $1,056 per month in rent expenses for the months of April and […]
You and your family’s personal safety comes first when preparing for a disaster. Disasters can take lives, homes, cars, as well as all of your personal belongings. Having your financial, medical, and identification information and documentation safe is vital to start the recovery process. Taking the time to protect these documents will save you from unnecessary stress following a disaster. […]
Lone Star Legal Aid is no stranger to disaster recovery. This National Preparedness Month, as the world endures the COVID-19 Pandemic, LSLA focuses on continuing its hurricane preparation education. While it’s important to prepare the physical structure of your home for the elements, it is also important to make sure that your property is ready legally so that you are […]
Rural TX – Lone Star Legal Aid was awarded a new grant from Texas Access to Justice Foundation to serve struggling Texans in rural communities. LSLA serves 47 designated rural counties and the remaining 25 counties are designated urban with rural areas. Many communities are long distances from LSLA offices, and they suffer from isolation, extreme poverty levels, no public […]
On March 27, 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The CARES Act gave people with federally backed mortgages certain temporary protection from foreclosure. What is a federally backed mortgage under the CARES Act? A federally backed mortgage is a mortgage that is issued, purchased, or insured by one of the following government agencies: […]
Clarissa Ayala | Communications Director Lone Star Legal Aid | 832-627-8404 | cayala@lonestarlegal.org Shelby Alexander | Communications Director | Texas RioGrande Legal Aid 512-374-2717 | salexander@trla.org Shelby Jean | Director of Communications | Legal Aid of Northwest Texas 817-339-5384 | jeans@lanwt.org Meghan Lee | Communications Manager | Texas Legal Service Center | 281-705-4973 | mlee@tlsc.org Houston, TX – Last week […]
Texas Legal Aid Providers Offer Housing Resources During Coronavirus Pandemic As a new month approaches, many people across Texas are still reeling from the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic and are struggling to make rent. The Texas Supreme Court issued its 12th emergency order extending the statewide eviction trial moratorium to help Texans unable to pay their rent. This order […]
April 22, 2020 marks the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, celebrated worldwide annually since 1970. Earth Day began as a grassroots movement to raise awareness about our shared dependence on the earth’s environment for our lives and health, and our shared responsibility to protect it. Earth Day sparked the establishment of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and saw the […]
Who is eligible? U.S. residents will receive the Economic Impact Payment of $1,200 for individual or head of household filers, and $2,400 for married filing jointly if they are not a dependent of another taxpayer and have a work-eligible Social Security number with adjusted gross income (AGI) up to: $75,000 for individuals $112,500 for the head of household filers and […]
Texas residents anticipate receiving their Federal Stimulus payments after the federal government passed the CARES Act. With Texans expecting to receive upwards of $1,200.00 there was concern about debt collectors and their ability to freeze consumers’ bank accounts. The Texas Supreme Court issued its 10th Emergency Order to stop most actions to collect consumer debt until May 7, 2020. I […]
Common questions related to eviction in Texas during the COVID-19 pandemic. I heard that Landlords weren’t allowed to evict people in Texas right now. Is this true? Yes and No. A landlord may file in court to evict you right now but courts cannot hold a hearing to decide the matter until after April 30, 2020. In other words, you […]
April is the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Fair Housing Month. The goal of the month is to educate the public on specific housing issues so that if they are facing them, they can seek help. Why April? On April 11, 1968, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 and Title VIII of that law is known […]