Roxanne Jones Fellowship Brings Opportunity, Connections
This summer, Community Legal Services (CLS) was thrilled to establish the Senator Roxanne Jones Fellowship to enable future leaders in public interest law
Family Advocacy: How Holistic Family Defense Helps Children Thrive
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,…
Don’t Let USDA Take Food Away from 3.1 Million Americans – Including over 100,000 Pennsylvanians.
Families Should Be Able to Take a Raise, Work More Hours, or Save for a Rainy Day Without Risking Losing their Food Assistance Overnight. The USDA has proposed a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) rule that would make over 3 million Americans ineligible for SNAP benefits. The rule would severely cut back a longstanding state option – called…
CLS Files Lawsuit Challenging Unconstitutional General Assistance Cuts
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…
CLS BLOG: Automated Sealing in Action
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
Clean Slate: Changing Lives by Sealing Criminal Records
In 2018, Governor Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania signed the Clean Slate Act. With its signing, Pennsylvania became the first state
Saving Your Home and Water Service Through TAP
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 Shows Steady Progress Collecting Property Taxes While Also Helping Homeowners
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…
Get Ready, Get Set: PA Prepares for Clean Slate Implementation
In 2018, Governor Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania signed the Clean Slate Act. With its signing, Pennsylvania became the first state
Spring is Coming: Here’s How to Keep Your Utilities On
Each year, residential Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) and PECO customers are protected from utility shut offs by the winter moratorium. In Pennsylvania, it is illegal for utility companies to shut off services for low-income customers because of non-payment between December 1 and March 31. To be protected
