SSI: How to Appeal and How to Apply (in 11 languages)

Public Benefits

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…

Report: Mending the Safety Net – Why Pennsylvania Must Restore Its TANF Program to Protect Its Neediest Families

Public Benefits

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…

Getting ICE out of the Courts

Employment

Have you seen ICE at the Courthouse? Have you been intimidated by ICE at the courthouse or witnessed someone being intimidated? If so, please fill out this short form to report the incident. If you agree that the courts should limit ICE’s interactions with the court, including presence in and around court houses and probation offices, please sign…

Reporting Expunged or Sealed Cases in Commercial Background Checks Violates the Fair Credit Reporting Act

Criminal Records, National Record Clearing Project

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (the FCRA) governs the accuracy of criminal background checks prepared by commercial screeners.  While there is not much case law holding that the FCRA prohibits commercial screeners from reporting expunged or sealed cases, there is little doubt that it does. Two FCRA provisions apply: Commercial screeners must use “reasonable procedures”…

Opening Doors: How Philadelphia Area Colleges Can Promote Access and Equity by “Banning the Box”

Criminal Records, Youth Justice

Young people of color across Pennsylvania are over-criminalized at staggering rates. The consequences for any contact with the juvenile or criminal systems can be severe and long-lasting, while the circumstances that lead to arrest are often minor and may once have been thought of as normal adolescent behavior. The movement to “Ban the Box” on…

Report: Danger of the Opt-Out: Strategies for Preserving Section 8 Project-Based Housing in Philadelphia

Housing

Community Legal Services calls for action to preserve affordable housing for low-income tenants. PHILADELPHIA – A report detailing affordable housing at risk of being lost due to owner opt-out was released by the Justice Lab clinic at the Stephen and Sandra Sheller Center for Social Justice at Temple University Beasley School of Law and Community Legal Services…