This week, Community Legal Services submitted comments to proposed rules issued by Pennsylvania’s Office of Attorney General. The rules seek to clarify Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law (CPL). Fifty years ago, the General Assembly enacted the CPL to “even the bargaining power between consumers and sellers in commercial transactions, and to promote…
CLS filed an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief in the Supreme Court of the United States urging the Court to take up the case of Doe v. Iowa, being litigated by our colleagues at Iowa Legal Aid. Doe v. Iowa is a case of great importance, as it challenges Iowa’s ability to prevent low-income…
This summer, Community Legal Services (CLS) was thrilled to establish the Senator Roxanne Jones Fellowship to enable future leaders in public interest law
The conversation about child welfare is changing, both locally and nationally. While over 440,000 children are in foster care on any given day in our country, society is beginning to question a model that for far too long has seen family separation as the solution to poverty and instability. In the words of our federal Children’s Bureau leadership,…
This afternoon, Community Legal Services (CLS) and Disability Rights Pennsylvania (DRP) filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of almost 12,000 low-income Pennsylvanians who will lose their only source of income once the General Assistance program ends. The Pennsylvania residents who will lose this vital support are people with disabilities, people fleeing domestic violence, people completing treatment…
Mr. Amos has a criminal record. Even though the charges against him were dismissed, they still remained on his record and affected his ability to find work. Today, Mr. Amos’ record is sealed
Join the Youth Action Board! The Youth Justice Project is looking for Fellows to join our Youth Action Board for the coming year. Youth Action Board Fellows will spend a year working together, along with CLS Advocates, to develop ideas, goals, and projects to support young people in Philadelphia. April 2022 — April 2023…
Billie Washington was struggling to make ends meet. A former home care attendant, she was no longer able to work due to her rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and other illnesses. While waiting for her disability benefits hearing, she began receiving General Assistance. Ms. Washington carefully budgeted the monthly $205.00 to cover her rent, toiletries, medical co-payments, and public transportation to get to doctor’s appointments. When she found out that General Assistance was being eliminated, Ms. Washington felt like she had the rug yanked out from under her. Describing the feeling of desperation, she said, “I was crushed. I just, I didn’t know what I was going to do.”
A recent Pew Charitable Trusts article highlighted a growing problem across the country – overdue water bills causing the loss of a family home. In Philadelphia, getting behind on your water bills could mean losing your home through a Sheriff’s Sale – a public auction where the City sells your property to the highest bidder. That’s a…
Philadelphia’s tax one-year non-collection rate hit a low of 3.9% in 2017, according to a report out in February from the Pew Research Center.[LINK]. This marked the third year in a row that the City has seen a decrease in the number of properties with uncollected taxes, outpacing similar cities with high poverty rates. According…
