Community Legal Services of Philadelphia

CLS is lucky to have 7 incredible social workers who are a key part of our legal team. CLS social workers support our clients through trauma, connect them to critical resources & help our legal advocates shape strategies that meet our clients’ goals. Our social workers also contribute to our advocacy campaigns by writing reports and op-eds, playing leadership roles in coalitions & task forces, providing trainings to other advocates, presenting at national conferences, and conducting policy advocacy. #NationalSocialWorkerMonth

The Philadelphia Water Department is trying to raise your rates during the pandemic, and your voice is needed! Register ASAP to participate in the virtual public hearings by emailing [email protected] or calling (215)685-6135.

There is still time to register for CLS Worker Update: Paid Sick Leave During COVID-19! This Thursday at 6pm, join experts at CLS to learn about your right to paid leave during the pandemic. Register at tinyurl.com/covidpaidleave to attend! -- ¡Aún hay tiempo! - regístrese a la charla de CLS para los trabajadores: Licencia por enfermedad remunerada durante el COVID-19. Únase a los expertos de CLS el jueves a las 6:00 PM, y aprenda sobre las actualizaciones y su derecho a una licencia durante la pandemia. Registro disponible aquí tinyurl.com/covidpaidleave.

Dismantling the Debt Trap: A Community Conversation about Debt & Race in Philadelphia

If you have a criminal record and are looking for a job, YOU HAVE RIGHTS! And there are new laws that may protect you and make it easier for you to find work. Check out this article, with a ton of info from CLS, about how you can move forward with your life. https://www.inquirer.com//criminal-record-employment-right

PENNSYLVANIANS: DO YOU NEED HEALTH INSURANCE FOR 2021? PA has a new site for health insurance enrollment called Pennie. Get insurance and learn more at https://pennie.com Open enrollment for Pennie ends JANUARY 15! Enroll ASAP to get health insurance for 2021.

CLS is thrilled to announce that Kee Tobar will be CLS’s first Race Equity and Inclusion Director. Kee is a brilliant, creative, and thoughtful lawyer, who is also an extremely talented justice and equity advocate and communicator. In this role, Kee will provide strategic vision for and leadership of CLS’ substantive racial justice work and our DEI Committee. She will play a leadership role in community based racial justice and race equity work and coalition building to advance the interests of our client communities. She will also be involved in thinking through retention strategies and policies for CLS. This is an important step for CLS and we are grateful to Kee for taking on and shaping this new role.

"The case could have been withdrawn, or you even won the case, but that [eviction] record will still be used against you...the fact that it was filed at all is the harm. -CLS attorney Rasheedah Phillips for The Markup on reforming the tenant-screening industry. https://themarkup.org//the-obscure-yet-powerful-tenant-scr

Good news! If you get SNAP, you will get extra benefits on your EBT card until June 2021! Here's what you need to know about how much your benefit will increase, when you'll get your SNAP, and how this new boost relates to Emergency Allotments.

Today is the LAST DAY to enroll for health insurance through Pennie! Register TODAY for health insurance starting in February at pennie.com!

On MLK Day of Service, CLS attorney Michael Froehlich joins The Leon H. Sullivan Charitable Trust in a virtual conversation on Managing Housing Insecurity. Please attend this event if you are facing housing insecurity or to learn more about important housing issues. #Housing #MLKDay

Black Lives Matter. Yesterday was not only yet another illustration of white supremacy, but a threat to our democracy & institutions of justice. We will not forget what happened and we will continue to stand with communities fighting for justice, equity, & change.

"At a time when the pandemic has hit the disabled & elderly the hardest, they also face the erosion of a critical income lifeline, [SSI]. The program has collapsed during the pandemic." CLS's Jonathan Stein on what must be done to help people with disabilities and older adults survive: https://www.nytimes.com//supplemental-security-income-ssa-

Open enrollment through Pennie, the new site that connects Pennsylvanians to healthcare coverage, ends THIS FRIDAY, January 15. Apply now for coverage starting in February at pennie.com!

Utility shutoffs are starting soon! Here's what you can do NOW to protect your household from a shut off: https://clsphila.org//utility-shutoffs-are-starting-soon-/

If you did not get the $500 stimulus payment for your children that you were supposed to get, you have until NOVEMBER 21 to apply! Fill out the form at irs.gov/nonfilerEIP, and get help from Campaign For Working Families, Inc. at cwfphilly.org/stimulus https://clsphila.org//2020.10-Stimulus-Check-One-Pager-Non

We agree wholeheartedly with this Philadelphia Inquirer editorial and with Councilmember Helen Gym, Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, and Councilmember Kendra Brooks who are fighting to prevent eviction amidst this devastating pandemic. We urge the rest of City Council to immediately pass the Emergency Housing Protection Act!

During these unprecedented times, CLS is so fortunate to have steadfast supporters of our work. We wanted to take the time to thank our Leadership Council Tri-Chairs Elizabeth Seyle Fenton of Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP, James Goslee of Cohen, Placitella & Roth, P.C. and Larry Bendesky of Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky, P.C. for all of their hard work and dedication which made our 2020 Bar Campaign a success. We are also incredibly grateful to all of the members of our Leadership Council for their commitment to CLS and our clients. Please visit our website to see the members of our Leadership Council and a list of the generous law firms that donated to our 2020 Bar Campaign. https://clsphila.org/leadership-council/

More on Rep. Morgan Cephas and PA State Rep. Jason Ortitay's #BanTheBoxEdu legislation. CLS supports this legislation and we encourage you to contact your state representative and ask them to sign on to it.

Today, Rep. Morgan Cephas and PA State Rep. Jason Ortitay introduced legislation to Ban the Box for colleges in Pennsylvania. CLS supports this legislation and will be telling you much more about it soon. For now, we want to thank Reps. Cephas and Ortitay for introducing this legislation and issue a special shoutout and thank you to People's Paper Co-op for providing incredible artwork for the press conference and campaign. They have been incredible partners and advocates!

Please join us in supporting this important legislation!

Today we honored our Equal Justice Awardees at our 31st Annual Breakfast of Champions. Thank you to our amazing awardees: Fox Rothschild LLP for their unwavering financial and pro bono support, their wise counsel, and for the many members of the firm that have served on our Board and Leadership Council; Councilmember Helen Gym, for being a champion for our clients and renters across the city, a fighter for justice, and a passionate leader in making Philadelphia more equitable... for all; CLS Energy Unit co-directors Josie B.H. Pickens and Robert W. Ballenger, for a decade of fighting for racial justice, economic justice, and environmental justice. Their work has ensured that thousands of families are able to have heat, running water, and electricity, promoting health and safety for people most in need. Rue Landau of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, an esteemed alumna of CLS, for her tireless work as a defender of civil rights, strengthening legal protections for Philadelphians and ensuring that our clients can access justice in times of crisis. Please join us in congratulating the winners of our Equal Justice Award!

As the pandemic enters into its eighth month, families across Philadelphia are continuing to feel the devastating impacts of COVID-19. Our community members are facing unprecedented rates of unemployment, and as cold weather approaches, it has never been more important to protect every Philadelphian's right to housing. The Emergency Housing Protection Act, which was signed into law by Mayor Kenney on July 1, has protected thousands of Philadelphia renters from being evicted a...nd set in place key programs to ensure that renters could remain safely in their homes and that landlords would eventually get paid. With over 4,400 evictions pending in court and thousands of Philadelphians still struggling to make ends meet, it is urgent that we extend the Emergency Housing Protection Act to prevent a massive wave of displacement and homelessness. Every family deserves the right to the single most important safeguard against COVID-19a home. Show your support for extending the Emergency Housing Protection Act below! bit.ly/HousingJusticePHL Thank you to Councilmember Helen Gym, Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, and Councilmember Kendra Brooks for introducing this important legislation!

In case you missed it! Joline Price and Josie Pickens from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia (Energy Unit) deliver a closing keynote on energy affordabil...ity. Part of our recent Clean Energy and Health Conference. View the conference in its entirety at https://www.psrpa.org/conference-2020. Community Legal Services of Philadelphia See more

DEADLINE EXTENDED! The COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program and The Pandemic Mortgage Assistance Program (PMAP) are accepting applications until NOVEMBE...R 4TH! PMAP provides up to $1000/month to help cover missed payments between the months of March and December 2020. If you are a homeowner who has missed a mortgage payment or are worried about missing one, apply here: https://bit.ly/Pa-PMAP. The COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program provides up to $1500/month for qualified tenants. For more information or to apply, visit: https://phlrentassist.org/phase-2/ If you need application assistance for RENTAL or MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE or have questions about your eligibility, contact the Save Your Home Philly Hotline at (215) 334 4663!

LAST CALL: The deadline to fill out the Census is TOMORROW (Friday) at 5:59 a.m.! Please fill out the Census at https://my2020census.gov/ TODAY if you haven’t yet. The Census helps Philadelphia get funding for Medicaid, free lunch & more! You can also complete the Census at 844-330-2020 or by mail (check your mail!) EVERYONE can get counted no matter their race, immigration status, age, or gender.