Newsletter
Nov. 19, 2019
In this Issue:
  • Multiple partners, including LASP, join forces to launch Bucks eviction prevention pilot
  • Josh Goldblum - new Bristol Office Managing Attorney
  • Pro Bono week photos - all 4 counties
  • Thank you to Montgomery Bar Assoc. & Foundation: Legal Aid Golf Classic check presented at Pro Bono Reception
  • Diane Mellott receives PBA Pro Bono Award
  • Cheser Co. Bar Foundation grant & Paralegal Assoc. donation
  • OUTREACH EVENTS in Chesco & Delco
  • LASP job openings
New in Bucks: Eviction prevention pilot
Magisterial District Judge Jan Vislosky answers a question from an attorney at an Oct. 18 CLE on “Representing Tenants Facing Eviction in Magisterial District Court.” Ronald Smolow , Esq. (center), and Robert Kim , LASP Staff Attorney, also presented information on landlord-tenant law.
Bucks County eviction & homelessness prevention pilot launched Nov. 7; pro bono attorneys needed
FALLS TOWNSHIP - With 7,000-8,000 residential evictions in Bucks County every year, “many folks are one step away from homelessness,” Ronald Smolow, Esq., noted in introducing the new Bucks County eviction prevention pilot program, Bucks Eviction Stability for Tenants (BEST) . The three-month pilot, launched Nov. 7, provides free one-day legal representation for low- to moderate-income tenants without counsel in landlord-tenant eviction cases. The pilot also provides free access to social services through the Bucks County Opportunity Council (BCOC), whose case managers are at each hearing to offer tenants services which may stabilize their housing situation. BCOC case managers also plan to follow up with tenants and provide counseling post-hearing.

In addition to LASP , Bucks County Bar Association , and Bucks County Opportunity Council , program partners include the Bucks County Division of Housing and Human Services, Falls Township District Court, and United Way of Bucks County. BEST offers pro bono legal services through the Bucks County Bar Association. Robert Kim, LASP Staff Attorney based in Bristol, who regularly provides representation to clients in landlord-tenant cases, will be available during pilot project hearings to answer questions. The Bucks County Division of Housing and Human Services provides guidance and support for the pilot and the Bucks County Opportunity Council offers social services and financial assistance to families. United Way of Bucks County is generously funding the financial assistance for the pilot.
The program is for Falls Township residents facing eviction for temporary hardship (loss of income, illness, etc.), lease violation, and vulnerable populations (households with small children, pregnant women, veterans, individuals and families with serious medical or mental health conditions). Households must be under 200% of the federal poverty income guidelines.

Most tenants facing eviction do not have legal representation and often do not attend their eviction hearings, while landlords are much more likely to have representation. “Tenants often have no attorney, no money, and no place to go,” Smolow told attorneys at the Oct. 18 CLE introducing the program. “We’d like to create a more level playing field.”
The pilot has been in the planning stages for the past two years. It will cover six landlord-tenant hearing dates in Magisterial District Judge Jan Vislosky’s Courtroom, 07-1-10, 7 th District. Located at 9187 New Falls Road, Fallsington, PA 19054, this Court has one of the highest numbers of eviction hearings (900-1,000 per year) in Bucks County, with the vast majority of those facing eviction unrepresented.

The landlord-tenant hearings are on Thursdays at 1 p.m.:
  • Nov. 7 and Nov. 21, 2019
  • Dec. 5 and Dec. 19, 2019
  • Jan. 9 and Jan. 23, 2020
Explained Jennifer Pierce, Pro Bono Chair for BCBA and Managing Attorney for LASP Doylestown, “ Our goal is to organize BCBA’s volunteer resources to provide free one-day representation for tenants to avoid eviction while they find the necessary financial or other means to address temporary circumstances.

"We’re looking for volunteer lawyers to sign up for at least one of the hearing dates,” Pierce said. “We expect a dozen or so cases with unrepresented tenants on each of the hearing dates. We don’t want anyone to be unrepresented.” To sign up for pro bono service , please email her at jpierce@lasp.org .
With 26 years in the courtroom, Judge Vislosky observed that previously, landlords would wait three to four months before filing an eviction notice, giving time for tenants to come up with back rent. But now, rentals cost more. “Landlords no longer wait that long,” she said. Accidental illness, loss of job and loss of hours are some reasons tenants fall behind on the rent.

Erin Lukoss, Executive Director/CEO for the Bucks County Opportunity Council, explained, “The BEST program will provide financial assistance to help prevent eviction as well as long-term stability services for clients to create opportunities for economic independence.  Without the right intervention, it is very possible for a family to become evicted from their home. Once evicted, it is much harder to secure safe, affordable housing. The goal of the program is to prevent that spiral from eviction to homelessness.”
For more information on the pilot, contact:
  • Jennifer Pierce at 215-340-1818, ext. 205, or jpierce@lasp.org.
  • Ron Smolow at 215-579-1111 or ron@smolow.com.
  • Tammy Schoonover, Director of Community Services at the Bucks County Opportunity Council, at 215-345-8175, ext. 218.
The BCBA gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the Montgomery Bar Association and the Eviction Prevention & Intervention Coalition (EPIC) in the preparation of CLE materials introducing the new Bucks County pilot.
New Bristol Office Managing Attorney
Josh Goldblum joins Bristol Office as new Managing Attorney
BRISTOL - Joshua Z. Goldblum joined LASP on Nov. 1 as Managing Attorney of the Bristol Office. After a long stint in private practice, he is returning to where he started his career: public interest law.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Josh began his career at the Defender Association of Philadelphia. Josh was a staff attorney for Bucks County Legal Aid Society, the predecessor to Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania, from 1979-1981. In 1981, he opened his own office in Levittown, and maintained his office in Feasterville from 1990-2018. In his solo practice, Josh continued to help people in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia with their personal financial and family problems concentrating in consumer bankruptcy law, divorce and related family law matters, wills and estates. 

He served for more than 30 years as a board member and officer of A Woman's Place, volunteering frequently as a pro bono attorney for domestic violence survivors in Bucks County.

Upon his appointment, Josh remarked, "I am thrilled to continue my work at LASP. I have always been a legal services attorney at heart. I hope that my skills and experience will enhance the important work being done at LASP."
Pro Bono Month photos - all 4 counties
Montgomery County Pro Bono Month
Legal Aid Golf Classic check presented at Pro Bono Reception:
Thank you, Montgomery Bar Association & Montgomery Bar Foundation!
NORRISTOWN - LASP thanks the Montgomery Bar Association  and Montgomery Bar Foundation for continued support through the Legal Aid Golf Classic. Held June 24, the 2019 Golf Classic raised $54,000 to support free civil legal aid . Pictured from left: Carl N. Weiner, President, Montgomery Bar Foundation; Shawn Boehringer, LASP Executive Director; Gregory R. Gifford, President, Montgomery Bar Association; and Nancy R. Paul, Executive Director, Montgomery Bar Association and member, LASP Board of Directors.

For more photos from the 2019 MBA's Pro Bono Month reception, please see LASP's Flickr album at:  https://flic.kr/s/aHsmHL6dwD .
Shawn Boehringer (at left); Michael Rainone, Esq.; Kesha James, LASP Deputy Director for Advocacy; and Nancy Paul.
Joseph P. Lynch (at left), member, LASP Board of Directors; and Robert Duminiak.
Carl Weiner; Gregory Gifford; Dean Beer, Montgomery County Public Defender; Jennifer Whitehurst, Esq.; Nancy Walsh, Director of Engagement, Leadership & Community Outreach for MBA; & Hon. Joseph P. Walsh, Chair of the MBA Pro Bono, Access to Justice, and Community Service Committee.
Reentry simulation shows challenges in navigating 'the system'
NORRISTOWN - For a person transitioning from imprisonment and reentering society, it's challenging and confusing to navigate probation, clerk of courts, housing, drug and alcohol treatment, transportation, etc. With a goal of bringing awareness to this struggle, the Montgomery Bar Association held a Pro Bono Week Reentry Simulation CLE/CJE on " Understanding and Addressing the Challenges of Reentry" on Oct. 23.

Leslie Faith Jones , Esq. (center), Policy & Advocacy Director for the Montgomery County Public Defenders' office, and Nancy Walsh , Director of Engagement, Leadership & Community Outreach for MBA, facilitated the event for judges, district judges and attorneys. Volunteers, including Kesha James , Esq. (at right), LASP Deputy Director for Advocacy, staffed tables representing the various organizations. Follow-up discussion explored takeaways and potential solutions.
Delaware County Pro Bono Week
72 birth certificates requested!
CHESTER City - Thank you to pro bono volunteers from Santander Bank, Villanova Branch, and to pro bono attorneys for helping at the Birth Certificate Clinic Oct. 23! This clinic helped 72 people apply for birth certificates. Without a birth certificate, people often cannot apply for a driver's license, obtain medical assistance or other benefits, enroll in school, and more.

Thanks to Catholic Social Services of Delaware County for hosting the clinic, and to Santander Bank and the Delaware County Bar Association for sponsoring the birth certificate fees.
Anil Punjwani (at left), Small Business Relationship Manager, Santander Bank;  Thomas Kerstan , LASP Staff Attorney & Pro Bono Coordinator for Delaware Co.; Pylicia Seymour , Small Business Relationship Manager, Santander; Larry DeMarco , Esq.; Ana Carr , Paralegal, Santander; and Leona Torres , Paralegal, Santander.
Santander's volunteer team : Anil Punjwani , Ana Carr , Leona Torres , and Jessica Binder , Litigation Paralegal.
Chester expungement clinic helps 40
CHESTER City - LASP met with 40 people at State Rep. Brian Kirkland's free Criminal Record Expungement Clinic and Re-Entry Resource Fair Oct. 23 at Chester City Hall.

Daniel Cortes, Community Engagement Staff Attorney, noted that 15 cases were eligible for expungement or sealing and five people received information on the pardon process. For those with cases not eligible for expungement, "We will be providing appropriate information so clients can know what to do moving forward," Cortes said.
Bucks County Pro Bono Week
Diane Mellott receives Pennsylvania Bar Association Pro Bono Award
DOYLESTOWN - Diane Mellott , Esq. (center) received a Pro Bono Award from the Pennsylvania Bar Association Oct. 23. David K. Trevaskis, PBA Pro Bono Coordinator, presented her award at the Bucks County Bar Association's pro bono celebration. Pictured from left: Robert Repko , BCBA President; David K. Trevaskis ; Jennifer Pierce , LASP Doylestown Managing Attorney & Pro Bono Chair of the BCBA Pro Bono Committee; Diane Mellott ; Hon. James M. McMaster ; Hon. Wallace H. Bateman , President Judge; and Hon. Robert O. Baldi .

In a CLE on "The Neurobiology of Trauma," Charity O'Reilly , Counseling Coordinator for Network of Victims Assistance (NOVA) in Bucks County , explained trauma's impact on our reptilian brain, mammalian brain and neocortex - all important to human brain functionality.

More photos at LASP's Flickr album: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmJ3JEPs.
Carol Shelly , Esq. (at left), Tom Donnelly , Esq., Hon. James McMaster, and Judith A. Algeo, Esq., President of the LASP Board of Directors.
Diane Mellott accepts a Pennsylvania Bar Association Pro Bono Award. Diane provides pro bono representation in Protection from Abuse (PFA) cases for LASP clients and also helps in BCBA's PFA Defense program.
Martin Ghen, Esq. (at left) and Amir Stark, Esq. with Diane Mellott.
Chester County Pro Bono Week
Pro Bono Week Family Law CLE

WEST CHESTER -The Chester County Bar Association held a Pro Bono Week Family Law CLE Oct. 25. Following long-standing tradition, some of the CCBA members wore costumes while enacting sample cases. Pictured (from left): Dave Melchiorre; Andrea Pettine; Cathie Voit; Cheryl MCallin; Hon. Ann Marie Wheatcraft; Bill Litvin; Christin Kubacke Brian Doyle, LASP Staff Attorney & Pro Bono Coordinator; and Rachel Houseman, LASP Chester County Managing Attorney. Missing from photo: Hon. Juan Sanchez and Custody Conciliator Julia Malloy-Good.
Chester County Appreciation
Chester County Bar Foundation awards LASP a Community Grant
LASP thanks the CHESTER COUNTY BAR FOUNDATION for its generous Community Grant, awarded Oct. 30. LASP was among 11 grant recipients who provide important services in Chester County. Shawn Boehringer , LASP Executive Director, accepts the grant from Mary-Ellen H. Allen , Esq., President of the Foundation.
Encore THANK YOU to Chester Co. Paralegal Assoc.
THANK YOU to the CHESTER COUNTY PARALEGAL ASSOCIATION for supporting LASP through the 2019 Encore! Fundraiser on Oct. 3. CCPA presented a check for $5,850 to LASP at its Nov. 14 membership meeting. Pictured (from left): Pat Klim , Luciann Givonetti , Donna D’Ortone , Amy McCall , Barbara Butler , Deborah Steeves , Rachel Houseman , Donald P. Bristol , and Robyn Rykard .
Underutilized program for winter heating
LIHEAP applications opened Nov. 1 for 2019-20 home heating season
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Applications opened Nov. 1 for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). This underutilized program helps low-income families pay their heating bills.

To receive help through LIHEAP:
  • You don’t need to be receiving public assistance/welfare.
  • You don’t need to have an unpaid heating bill. Your heat can still be on.
  • You can rent or own your home.

There are three parts of LIHEAP. You can get all three if you qualify:
  1. Cash grants help with your heating bill. Grants range from $200 - $1,000. It can take up to 30 days to process a cash grant application.
  2. Crisis grants help families who have an emergency and are in danger of being without heat. Crisis grants range from $25 - $600.
  3. Weatherization can help families repair or replace an inoperable or inadequate heating system.

The Pennsylvania Dept. of Human Services administers the program through this link: http://bit.ly/31MTYY8 , where you can find details, download a paper LIHEAP application, or apply online through COMPASS at www.compass.state.pa.us . You also can go to your County Assistance Office. (Hours at each office are Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
  • Bucks County Assistance Office: 1214 Veterans Highway, Bristol, PA 19007.
  • Chester County Assistance Office: 100 James Buchanan Drive, Thorndale, PA 19372.
  • Delaware County Assistance Office: 701 Crosby St., Chester, PA 19013.
  • Delaware Co. Darby District, 845 Main St., Darby, PA 19023.
  • Montgomery County Assistance Office: 1931 New Hope St., Norristown, PA 19401.

Applications for LIHEAP will not be accepted after April 10, 2020. If you received LIHEAP last year, you must reapply this year.
Events
Chester County
Monthly expungement workshops in Coatesville
COATESVILLE - LASP, in partnership with the Coatesville Center for Community Health , will present Expungement / Clean Slate workshops in Nov. 20 and Dec. 10. Choose the date which works best for you. Both workshops will be held at Coatesville Center for Community Health, 1001 E. Lincoln Highway, Coatesville, PA 19320 (across the street from Turkey Hill). Pictured at the Sept. 18 clinic are Deborah Steeves , LASP Staff Attorney, with Kathryn Spurlock , Director of the Coatesville Center for Community Health.

Workshops will be:

To register, call 610-383-4612, email kathryn@coatesvillecenter.org or click the Eventbrite link for your choice of workshop.
Expungement workshop Dec. 9 at PA CareerLink in Exton
EXTON - An Expungement / Clean Slate workshop will be Monday, Dec. 9 at 10:30 a.m. at the Financial Stability Center, 479 Thomas Jones Way, Exton PA 19341. LASP, together with United Way of Chester County and PA CareerLink of Chester County, partner to present the workshop.

The clickable flyer (at left) includes registration instructions on page 2.
Delaware County
Expungement Clinic Nov. 21 in Brookhaven

BROOKHAVEN - A free Expungement Clinic, sponsored by Rep. Leanne Krueger and LASP, will be held Thursday, Nov. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Brookhaven Municipal Center, 2 Cambridge Road, Brookhaven, PA 19015 in the Community Room.

Reservations are required to participate in this free service. Attorneys will provide information and discuss options that might be available for clearing a person’s record. If expungement is not an option, additional resources will be offered.

To register or for more information , please call 610-534-6880 or email RepKrueger@pahouse.net .
LASP team to present landlord-tenant information at Chester Senior Center Nov. 26
CHESTER City - Richard Prebil, LASP Staff Attorney, and Karen Tyler, Paralegal, will present " Principles of Tenant Law " Saturday, Nov. 26 at the Chester Senior Center, 721 Hayes St., Chester, PA 19013 , at 11 a.m . Learn your rights and responsibilities as a tenant in Delaware County.
LASP at Veterans Expo

BROOMALL - LASP Staff Attorneys Sherri Peace-Gordon and Richard Prebil represented LASP at the Veterans Expo Nov. 16 at Marple Public Library, Broomall. The event was co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, PA Sen. Tim Kearney, and PA Rep. Jennifer O'Mara.
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