Philadelphia, PA – Last week, the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas ruled that the state Private Detective Act’s lifetime employment ban barring people with criminal records from working as private unarmed security guards was unconstitutional on its face and could no longer be enforced. This ruling means that employers in Philadelphia can no longer deny…
If You Have Federal Student Loans: Take Action Now to Protect Your Income and Your Rights! Federal student loans are changing. If you have federal student loans that you took out for yourself or for your child’s education, here are four updates you need to know. If you have any Parent PLUS loans, you must…
About CLS’s 60th Anniversary For 60 years, CLS has led the way in Philadelphia-based civil legal aid and has been a model for legal services nationwide. If access to justice is a bedrock of a free and equal society, then CLS works to cement it, around the corner and around the country. Celebrating CLS’s 60th anniversary…
Did the County Assistance Office make a mistake? You can appeal! What can you appeal? They cut off your benefits (medical card, cash, or food stamps) You keep trying to reschedule a missed appointment, but they still cut you off. They lost your paperwork. They denied your application. Any other decision you disagree with. Appeal…
The federal budget reconciliation bill, which became law in July 2025, included devastating cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. CLS has created this page to help you understand how you may be impacted and take action to protect your SNAP (food stamps). You may lose your benefits in December 2025 if work requirements affect you! Starting…
Starting September 1, 2025, many adults will need to work 20 hours a week to keep their SNAP. These work rules do not apply to people who meet an exemption. If you are not exempt or working 20 hours a week, you can only get 3 months of SNAP in 3 years. Download the Flyer…
Starting September 1, 2025, many Pennsylvanians will only be able to get 3 months of SNAP every 3 years unless you can show you are exempt from or complying with SNAP work requirements. New work requirements apply if you are ages 18 to 64, you don’t get SNAP for children under 14, and you don’t…
The Philadelphia Bar Association’s Bar Reporter has a special #probonospotlight this week! Click here to read about Lanique Roberts’s path to CLS’s Justice Rising Advocates and her reflections on volunteering at our Clean Slate Clinics. Lanique writes, “In a city like Philadelphia, you never know who might need the assistance of CLS. As attorneys, we’re…
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) are both halted because of the federal government shutdown. This leaves millions of Pennsylvanians without money for food or utility bills to keep their families warm as the weather gets colder. Read on for more information about resources that are…
Starting September 1, 2025, many Pennsylvanians will only be able to get 3 months of SNAP every 3 years unless you can show you are exempt from or complying with SNAP work requirements. New work requirements apply if you are ages 18 to 64, you don’t get SNAP for children under 14, and you don’t…
