Right to Counsel passed unanimously in Philadelphia City Council on November 14! This bill guarantees low income tenants an attorney in eviction cases and is a critical step towards stabilizing communities, stemming the effects of gentrification, and addressing systemic racism & housing discrimination in Philadelphia. Read more about this legislation here and here. Read CLS…
Thousands of Pennsylvanians face legal barriers to occupational licenses based on their criminal records. With over two dozen professions requiring a license by the state, many people who are otherwise fully qualified to work in a licensed occupation nevertheless face possible denial of the license due to a conviction – often, for a crime which…
Expungements: Good or Bad? Discuss. Two quite different perspectives on the value of record clearing (which I will refer to here as “expungements” as a shorthand) are sometimes articulated. Here’s one. “Expungement is the best remedy for people with records. It really does provide a clean slate. It doesn’t require employers or landlords to follow…
CLS Deputy Director of Operations and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Brenda Marrero on what it means to belong.
The following testimony was delivered by CLS attorney Nadia Hewka to Philadelphia City Council on October 22, 2019. My name is Nadia Hewka, thank you to the committee for inviting me to testify today on behalf of Community Legal Services. I am here to wholeheartedly support the Philadelphia Domestic Workers Bill of Rights as it…
This toolkit was researched, written, and created by CLS attorney Kee Tobar, for her project as a Stoneleigh Foundation Emerging Leader Fellow. Legal aid organizations were created to help poor people access justice. This mission expanded during President Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty.” The aim of the “War on Poverty” was to not only relieve…
The following post was written by CLS Litigation Director Sharon Dietrich. I sometimes am asked for authority for the proposition that the reporting of an expunged or sealed case by a commercial screener violates the FCRA. Unfortunately, the dearth of case law directly on point keeps me from just succinctly giving a citation, even though…
You probably are wondering, “What is she talking about, with a subject line like that?” The answer to your thought is that I use this phrase when giving clients an important warning about the effect of their expungement orders. I am illustrating for them the idea that I can’t guarantee removal of their expunged cases…
Learn how to apply for SSI and appeal if your application is denied. In 11 languages. English Should I Apply for SSI? What Should I Do If I Get Turned Down for SSI? Español (Spanish) (¿Debería solicitar el SSI? ¿Qué debo hacer si me rechazan la solicitud del SSI? 中文 (Simplified Chinese) 我是否应该申请补充社会安全金 (SSI)？如果我申请补充社会安全金 (SSI)被拒绝，该怎么办？ Tiếng…
Today we observe the passage of “welfare reform” on August 22, 1996, which “ended welfare as we know it” and created the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Far from a success, this program has eviscerated needed direct financial assistance for struggling families. As we wrote in 2016, the program is helping far fewer…
