The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the Food Stamp program in Pennsylvania. These benefits are used to buy food and help eligible low-income households in Pennsylvania obtain more nutritious diets by increasing their food purchasing power at grocery stores and supermarkets. To learn about the new SNAP resource changes effective May 1, 2012, click on the following link.
http://services.dpw.state.pa.us/oimpolicymanuals/manuals/bop/fs/index.htm
Support the Luzerne County Young Lawyers Division at Senunas’ Bar and Grill, 133 North Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701 on April 27, 2012 from 6 to 8 PM. Their guest bartending event will benefit NPLS. More details to follow.
present
Top of the 80s – West Hazleton, PA Thursday, March 29, 2012
1 Hour Ethics CLE Credit
Sponsored by North Penn Legal Services and the Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association as part of the ongoing pro bono initiative for Luzerne County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, this seminar offers a variety of useful information on legal aid, what is involved in creating and operating a legal aid program, and various ethical issues that might arise.
Attendance of this program is free to any attorney who is willing to accept one (1) pro bono referral from North Penn Legal Services over the next year, otherwise the cost is $25.00 per credit hour. For any attorney attending the full hour, the CLE credit earned is one (1) ethics credit.
Presenter: Victoria A. Coyle, Esq. NPLS Executive Director
1 Ethics CLE Credit Hour. The W-BLLA is an Accredited Continuing Legal Education Provider
To register, complete and submit the Registration Form to:
NORTH PENN LEGAL SERVICES SUITE 410, 15 PUBLIC SQUARE Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701 Attn: Betty Abraham
Registration Deadline: Monday, March 26, 2012.
There are 2 things that always make an apartment unlivable. There has to be heat in the winter and there has to be running water. The utility company cannot shut off the heat to an apartment in cold weather because the bill is not paid in full. Likewise, the landlord cannot shut off heat or water to avoid making repairs or because a tenant is behind on the rent.
Some states have laws that outline specifically what makes a rental unit “habitable.” Aside from requiring heat and water, issues regarding habitability in Pennsylvania are decided on a case-by-case basis. Not all leases are created equal. Many tenants sign a lease without realizing that it might contain provisions that won’t hold up in court.
Problems with rental units are not usually simple. A tenant might move into an apartment that needs repairs and assume they will be made. The landlord promises to come back and fix a broken window or a leaky faucet but doesn’t get around to it. Problems like mold, bedbugs, or roaches crop up and the landlord doesn’t seem to be taking care of them. When problems arise tenants need to know what to do and what their rights are.
Cities have a Code Enforcement office that can help a tenant if their apartment doesn’t have heat or water. They can fine a landlord for renting a place that is unlivable. But no one can force a landlord to make repairs. Moving to a new place is expensive and time consuming; usually when people move because of issues with a rental unit, there are a number of problems.
How can you protect yourself from the most common landlord/tenant issues?
If you are a tenant…
If you are a landlord…
Tenants can help themselves by knowing their rights as renters and landlords can help themselves by knowing their responsibilities in providing safe and acceptable housing. For more information go the North Penn Legal Services web site at www.northpennlegal.org.
North Penn Legal Services, Inc., and Clean Water Action will offer a free workshop on Renters’ Rights and Clean Water Issues on March 29 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. at the Guthrie Patterson Education Building, One Guthrie Square, Sayre, PA 18840. Registration is not required.
Everyone deserves a home that is fit to live in. If you rent, you have the right to a safe, sanitary and livable home. Many tenants face difficulties and their homes may no longer meet their basic needs. Natural gas drilling has also brought changes to our community and renters may ignore safety and sanitation issues because of the increased cost of renting. Many have been affected by the September 7th flood. Others may be directly affected by drilling. Tenants may find changes in their water or air quality, and noise may affect their ability to enjoy the home they rent.
What can you do if your place is unlivable? This session will discuss a renter’s right to a livable home, discuss and examine signs that water quality has decreased. We invite everyone who is interested in these topics, whether you are a renter, a service provider, or simply interested in the topics, to attend this free seminar.
You could be eligible to get more money back from the IRS – as much as $5,751. If you earned less than $49,078 from wages, self-employment, or farming last year, you may qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit – or EITC.
EITC is a financial boost for working people in a recovering economy. You may be among the millions who will qualify for the first time because your financial, marital or parental status changed in 2011.
Eligibility is based on several factors, including the amount of earned and other types of income, or combined income if married, whether you have qualifying children and how many. Workers without children may also qualify.
Four of five eligible people claim and get their EITC. Use IRS’s online EITC Assistant to see if you qualify. If so, you must file and claim the credit to get it.
Free help is available at volunteer income tax assistance sites. Locate a volunteer site by calling your community’s 211 or 311 number for local services or call the IRS at 1-800-906-9887.
Get back even more if your state also has an EITC.
EITC. You earned it. Now file, claim it and get it.
The impact of current and future budget cuts is already contributing to an increase in the number of low-income people who are turned away for services. Potential clients are experiencing greater difficultly in accessing our services due to a decrease in staff which affects the staffing of our central intake line. Below is a list of our current and future funding cuts.
RESULT: the barrier of access to justice increases at a rate that neither NPLS, nor our clients can overcome.
Board members play a critical role in moving any non-profit organization forward. At NPLS, we have openings for client representatives from any of the 20 Northeast PA counties to serve as board members.
It is vital to NPLS that clients have a voice on our board to ensure quality services are provided to those in need. Client board members can expect to meet 6 times per year during their 3-year term. Additional meetings are scheduled on an as needed basis. Board meetings are convened throughout the NPLS service area. The main responsibilities of board members include promoting the NPLS mission and purpose, planning and evaluating the organization’s work, and establishing policies to guide that work. All board members are ambassadors on behalf of NPLS helping to make our community in Northeastern, PA a better place to live and work.
Interested individuals may call Vicki Coyle, NPLS Executive Director at 610-317-5308.
Washington, DC—The nonprofit programs funded by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) to deliver civil legal assistance to low-income Americans are implementing layoffs and staff reductions because of budget constraints, a survey conducted by LSC found.
According to the survey, LSC-funded programs anticipate laying off 393 employees, including 163 attorneys, in 2012. The reductions continue a staffing downturn that began about a year ago. In December 2010, LSC-funded programs employed 4,351 attorneys, 1,614 paralegals and 3,094 support staff. During 2011, LSC programs reduced their staffing by 833 positions through layoffs and attrition. They now anticipate a new round of layoffs this year, bringing the staffing loss to 1,226 full-time personnel.
The survey was conducted in late December and early January, and 132 of the 135 nonprofit legal aid programs funded by LSC responded.
“These staff cutbacks are devastating,” LSC President James J. Sandman said. “At a time when low-income families are increasingly seeking legal assistance with matters involving domestic violence, foreclosure, veterans’ benefits and other matters, I am very concerned that these staff reductions will lead to reduced services for the most vulnerable among us.”
LSC-funded programs have experienced a decline in LSC and state grants, funds from Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA), and other revenue sources over the last two years. LSC—the nation’s single largest funder of civil legal assistance—received $348 million from Congress for Fiscal Year 2012, down from $420 million in Fiscal 2010.
LSC was established by the Congress in 1974 to provide equal access to justice and to ensure the delivery of high-quality civil legal assistance to low-income Americans. The Corporation currently provides funding to 135 independent nonprofit legal aid programs in every state, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.
The Corporation’s grants help address the civil legal needs of the elderly, veterans, victims of domestic violence, individuals with disabilities and others with pressing civil matters. More than 60 million Americans have incomes at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty line and qualify for civil legal assistance—an income of $13,613 for an individual and $27,938 for a family of four.
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