Report: Reforming the Child Abuse Registry System in Pennsylvania
Every year thousands of Pennsylvanians are placed on the child abuse registry for alleged child abuse or neglect, without first…
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PA Supreme Court Rules No Forced Drug Tests in Child Welfare Investigations
CLS contributed to a big victory for Pennsylvania families! On June 16, 2020 the PA Supreme Court unanimously held that…
PA General Assembly Enacts Bipartisan Economic Recovery Bill, Removing Criminal Record Barriers to Occupational Licensing
On June 24 2020, the General Assembly enacted Senate Bill 637 (DiSanto, R-Dauphin/Perry and Schwank, D-Berks), which reforms occupational licensing…
CLS Scores Important Victory for Families in PA Supreme Court
CLS staff attorney Caroline Buck won a victory for families in an important new Pennsylvania Supreme Court case, In re…
Most Philadelphia Workers Are Entitled to Sick Leave!
Información en español sobre Licencia por EnfermedadUPDATE: You may be covered by sick leave for the Covid-19 coronavirus now. If…
Good News: Extended Unemployment and More in Stimulus Bill
A piece of good news for people who are unemployed! Congress passed a COVID relief bill which extends emergency unemployment…
CLS and TURN to PECO: Keep Your Promises to Low Income Customers
On Tuesday, August 25, 2020, Community Legal Services, on behalf of our client the Tenant Union Representative Network (TURN), filed…
PGW Wants to Raise Your Gas Bill During a Pandemic. Here’s What You Can Do.
PGW wants to increase customer rates by $70 million per year. They say the average household’s gas bill would go…
Reflections on Racial Injustice from CLS’s Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer
Reflections from CLS Deputy Director of Operations and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Brenda Marrero on racial injustice.
Report: Breaking the Record: Dismantling the Barriers Eviction Records Place on Housing Opportunities
Each of the nearly 20,000 eviction complaints filed in Philadelphia Municipal Court each year carries a lifelong blemish on a…
Report: Legal Remedies and Limitations on the Employment of People with Criminal Records in Pennsylvania
Download the full report Like most Americans, ex-offenders need to be employed to support themselves and their families. Moreover,…
Report: Pennsylvania Clean Slate: Delivering on Its Promises
Pennsylvania’s Clean Slate law, Act 56 of 2018, was passed to bring criminal record sealing to scale by the use…
COVID-19’s Impact on Race and Housing Security Across Philadelphia: Philadelphia Renters Report
Read the full report Racial and economic disparities in affordable housing existed long before the COVID-19 pandemic, and yet, new…
Report: Philadelphia Should Expand Its Kinship Care Program
We all know instinctively, and it is borne out in the research, that children do better with their families. Removal…
Report: Supporting Women in the Criminal Legal System Through Access to Diversionary Programs
Today, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, as part of Incarcerated Women’s Working Group (“Working Group”) released a report on increasing…
Right to Counsel Passes Philadelphia City Council!
Right to Counsel passed unanimously in Philadelphia City Council on November 14! This bill guarantees low income tenants an attorney…
