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Because of your support, we have had an incredible year at CLS, helping our clients live with stability, security, and dignity, and tackling big legal problems through systemic solutions.
We couldn't have done it without you. When you
donate to CLS, you power our advocacy and help us make a difference to the people who need us the most.
We asked our staff to tell us what they are proud of this year, and we hope you will read their answers and feel inspired.
Thank you for your support!
"I negotiated with a utility to restore service to my client, based on special legal provisions that apply to survivors of domestic violence, ensuring that she would be able to keep her child at home and move forward
without worrying about her heating and cooling." -
Joline Price, Attorney, Energy Unit
"I helped an immigrant client get medical assistance coverage for a surgery that
restored vision to one of his eyes." -
Liz Soltan, Skadden Fellow, Medical-Legal Partnership
"I was able to get
$51,312.00 worth of US Department of Education student loans discharged
on behalf of client with 'Total and Permanent Disabilities' this year." -
Mike Ruffin
, Paralegal, Homeownership and Consumer Rights Unit
"I
helped a cancer survivor
get rid of an old predatory second mortgage, and stopped the mortgage company from foreclosing on her home." - Rachel Labush, Attorney, Homeownership and Consumer Rights Unit
"I
prevented a family from being evicted the day before Thanksgiving
." - David Wengert, Social Worker, Housing Unit
"When an elderly client had her bank account improperly frozen based on an old judgment by a company she'd never heard of, I worked with her bank to get her money back and went to court to challenge the judgment against her. With the judgment opened,
she is no longer harassed
by the debt buyer and her bank accounts and home are safe from collection." - Laura Smith, Independence Foundation Fellow, Homeownership and Consumer Rights Unit
"This year I built a strategy with my coworkers to advocate at City Hall for The Right to Counsel Bill.
The Right to Counsel Bill was passed. I am very proud of the work my team and I have done in efforts to fight the mass eviction issue that is occurring in our city." -
Deneya Gadson, Paralegal, Housing Unit
"I have
helped older and disabled homeowners avoid foreclosure by collaborating with other units to preserve income from benefits, increase household income, and reduce utility costs. By improving and balancing a homeowner's budget, we can help them avoid foreclosure by either qualifying for loan modifications or persevering through 3 to 5 years of Chapter 13 bankruptcy." -
Gigi Nikpour, Paralegal, Homeownership and Consumer Rights Unit
"
I helped design a system to streamline CLS' process of screening clients' criminal records for sealing eligibility under Pennsylvania's new Clean Slate law. To date, CLS has communicated with more than 2,000 Pennsylvanians to let them know if they qualify and what next steps they should take." - Jessa Boehner, Special Project Coordinator, Employment Unit
"I am happy that more than 700,000 people so far have benefited by having cases sealed by Clean Slate, the
first-in-the-nation automated sealing law that was CLS's brainchild." -
Sharon Dietrich, Litigation Director, Employment Unit
"Thanks to our advocacy, changes have been made statewide to public benefits renewal forms. Now, renewal forms are pre-populated with information that was previously provided, so there is no need to fill out the forms from scratch. Because of this change, It's now easier for low-income Pennsylvanians to keep Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps), and cash assistance, leading to
more stability and security." -
Louise Hayes, Attorney, Health and Independence Unit
"I am proud that I was able to gain the trust of a woman who had been isolated with mental illness (and zero income), for many years following her parents' death, and
help her enter treatment. I also helped her obtain the necessary home repairs to have her utilities turned back on. She had spent at least five winters without heat, water or electricity.
She began treatment regularly, which has helped her with her SSI disability benefits case, and has now entered a peer counseling group. She has made friends and is able to leave her home. Although things are not perfect, this sweet, mistrustful and funny person is able to
engage with the world again." -
Patty McGlone, Social Worker
"With the help of the Housing Unit, I was able to support a young mom and her infant who were living in a Rapid Rehousing program without heat. Mom was able to advocate for herself to the provider and able to get L&I to come out and check the property and confirm her concerns.
She and baby are now warm for the winter." -
Bridget Biddle, Social Worker, Youth Justice Project
"
I worked on getting a law passed in Philadelphia that requires a landlords to give all tenants, including public housing and Section 8 tenants, a Lead-Safe Certification before moving into their property." -
George Gould, Attorney, Housing Unit
"I was proud to be part of a three-unit team that helped our client, a tenant,
restore utility service illegally shut off by the landlord, which had placed child custody in jeopardy. Ian Charlton and I traveled to the client's home and met with utility personnel to restore service and ensure that the retaliating landlord would be responsible for the bills. After service was restored, Beth Larin coordinated with the DHS investigator, who agreed that there was no longer any need to remove the child." -
Robert Ballenger, Attorney, Energy Unit
"I worked on providing evidence for a young woman who suffered with severe panic attacks and PTSD. The Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) after reviewing the compelling evidence submitted to Social Security, made a 'favorable decision' on the client's behalf
without her having to go through the trauma of a hearing." -
Karen Wheeler, Paralegal, SSI Unit
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