We are very humbled by the continued and unwavering support of our legal community. Despite these difficult economic times, the Seminole County legal community has rallied together, and provided donations of over 11% than prior year’s contributions. This generosity assists us to help the less fortunate and ensures that they have access to justice and can continue on to a path of self-sufficiency, escape domestic violence and avoid homelessness.

It is not lost on us that this pandemic has brought economic hardships to everyone which is why we want to say a special thank you to our Seminole County Legal Community that has taken the time to donate, like the great American Author Coretta Scott King once said "the greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members."

Thanks to a charitable donation we have once been given the opportunity to do a school supply drive for children that may need it the most. We have packed 150 backpacks with supplies for kids k-12, regardless of whether they are online learning or physically attending school.

To pick up a backpack(s) for your kid(s) please call 407-834-1660 ext: 100 or email assistantcoordinator@scbalas.com

Veterans interested in meeting virtually with an attorney can sign up by clicking here, or they can call (407) 834-1660, extension 113, or email coordinator@scbalas.com for more information.

On September 8, 2020 Governor Ron DeSantis announced the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity has completed the necessary technology changes to begin paying the Federal Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program benefits to eligible Floridians. This program, authorized by President Trump’s memorandum, provides additional benefits for individuals who are eligible for Reemployment Assistance for weeks of unemployment ending on or after August 1, 2020. This means the Department is providing an additional $300 per week to eligible Reemployment Assistance claimants.

To view the full text and to look at a step by step guide please, click here.

 

The Seminole County Minor Home Repair Program is designed to provide funds in the form of a grant to qualified applicants with necessary repairs and/or alterations to affect the immediate livability of the home. The five (5) trades in which assistance can be provided are roofing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC (heating and cooling systems), and accessibility/barrier removal.

To view the application please, click here.

If you think there is a mistake with your SNAP case, find free local legal at The Florida bar Foundation.

If you're among the one in three Medicare recipients living with diabetes, you'll find that many participating drug plans will offer a 30-day supply of insulin for $35 or less starting January 2021. Visit here to learn more! 

·   Click here to find a plan

·   Click here to view the Medicare and You eHandbook.

Most K-12 school districts have resumed classes on a digital space making it a drastically different learning environment. One concern that parents, teachers, administrators, and technology leaders face now is how to protect students’ personally identifiable information (PII) in an online environment. Child identity theft is a serious problem and educational institutions have been a target for hacking due to the vast amount of personal student data their servers store. A child’s identity credentials are extremely valuable to identity thieves, primarily because of the long period of time they can be used by the thieves before being discovered.

Internet safety for kids using online platforms will become even more important as more students (especially K-12) utilize digital education for a longer time period.

• Know what websites your kids visit and teach them about what types of information are okay to enter online

• Help your kids be aware of the dangers of clicking links or downloading files, as these can contain viruses and malware

• Make sure all your kids’ online interactions occur with a known and trusted individual to lessen the opportunity for social engineering

• Enact the strictest privacy control settings available on the computer, mobile devices, and browsers your children use

Additional information on identity theft can be found at the Identity Theft Resource Center.

People have reported seeing messages that seem to be from Pepsi, Walmart, Whole Foods, Target, and other big-name brands on their WhatsApp and Facebook accounts offering free help due to covid-19.

These messages all offer money to people who need it — through grants, coupons for food support, or other giveaways. But they’re all fake.

You might get this kind of message, in English or Spanish, from a friend or contact. The message tells you to click a link to get your money. If you click, you might find a survey to take. Or they might ask you to enter your name, address, phone number, or other

information. And they might ask you to forward the message to several friends to be eligible to collect. But what these messages are really doing is running a phishing scam to collect your information (and your friends or contact's information), and possibly putting malware on your phone, tablet, or computer if you click the link.

What do you do if you get one of these messages?

• Don’t click on any links. That could download malware, expose you to even more scams, or add your phone number to lists sold to still other scammers.

• Delete the messages – and certainly don’t share them.

• Call the friend who shared the message. Did they forward it to you? If not, tell them their account might have been hacked.

If you already clicked or shared, run a security scan on your device to look for malware.

Christopher has a Bachelors Degree from UCF, a Legal Studies Degree from Seminole State College and several years of experience providing legal assistance. He is also passionate about videography and language learning; he has studied Japanese past year. We are very excited to have him as part of our team.

October 8, 2020 - Virtual Veteran's Clinic

October 5, 2020: Last Day to Register to Vote in the General Election