LASP attorneys and staff are working tirelessly to prevent evictions, foreclosures and resolve other civil legal issues threatening the health, safety and economic well-being of families in our communities.

Despite the current CDC eviction moratorium, LASP advocates are seeing increased need for civil legal aid in housing and other areas, throughout Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. The need will jump even further once the CDC moratorium is lifted on Jan. 1, 2021.

Your generosity during this season of giving will provide an attorney for someone who has been hit hard by this crisis and is on the verge of losing their home.

Donate at our secure Network for Good portal today! http://bit.ly/LASPGivTue

LASP has received a generous grant from the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) Charitable Service Trust. Through this grant, LASP will be able to serve more veterans with disabilities throughout Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.

Through the Trust's grant, LASP’s Veterans Advocacy Project will help ill and injured veterans resolve legal problems, especially focused on housing, family issues, U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, and discharge upgrades. The Veterans Advocacy Project launched in June after more than a year of planning.

Veterans in Bucks, Chester, Delaware or Montgomery counties can call LASP’s new Veterans Advocacy Helpline at 610-283-0884. In addition, LASP’s Regional Helpline at 877-429-5994 is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. AND 1-4 p.m., or apply online 24/7 at lasp.org/apply.

The DAV Charitable Service Trust formed in 1986 to advance programs and services that help U.S. veterans as well as their caregivers and families.

Delaware County Bar Assoc. presents free legal information & resources for veterans and their families Nov. 17:

The Delaware County Bar Association (DCBA) Community Outreach Committee presents its ninth program, “Honoring Our Veterans … Serving those who have served.” Register: https://bit.ly/2Uafkws. For questions or additional information: Email tracy@delcobar.com.

This VIRTUAL event is free for veterans and their families who have legal questions related to COVID-19. Attorneys will present legal information or identify potential resources related to benefits, legal services and more. Presenters will include:

UPPER DARBY - Daniel Cortes, Community Engagement Staff Attorney, and Shaina Bethala, Regional Housing Unit Staff Attorney, moments before eviction court opened Oct. 9 in the Delaware County magisterial district court in Upper Darby.

DOYLESTOWN - As part of the 12th National Pro Bono Week celebration, Newtown attorney Ronald J. Smolow received a 2020 Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Pro Bono Award on Oct. 27, for his support of low-income tenants facing eviction. PBA President David Schwager presented the award following the Bucks County Bar Association (BCBA)'s Pro Bono Week CLE, held virtually due to COVID-19. At the CLE, David Keller Trevaskis, PBA Pro Bono Coordinator, discussed "Pro Bono in the Age of COVID-19" and the many pro bono opportunities available to attorneys.

Smolow was honored for his innovative eviction pilot project in Bucks County. After extensive planning with program partners, the pilot project launched in November 2019 and continued to January 2020. The program provided attorney representation and rental assistance to low-income tenants facing eviction in Falls Township, Bucks County. Building on funding provided by the United Way of Bucks County toward rental assistance for tenants, Smolow helped bring together a partnership between District Court Judge Jan Vislosky, Bucks County Bar Association, Bucks County Opportunity Council, LASP, and the Bucks County Division of Housing Services.

Robert Kim, LASP Staff Attorney, noted, “The 'attorney for a day' pro bono project in landlord-tenant court would not exist without Ron's dedication and efforts. Although landlord-tenant law is not his specialty, he saw the great need for tenants to be represented in court. Ron meets all tenants with empathy. I believe the tenants are astounded that someone is actually listening and identifying with his or her struggle. Perhaps the tenants are not used to having someone finally hear his or her story. Ron is then able to tell the story to the court in an effective and captivating manner. I have never seen anyone with such a great command of the court and the ability to control the narrative that highlights the tenant's story in the most sympathetic light. I also believe he is able to guide the pro bono attorneys to be equally effective."

Rob continued, "We are thankful for Ron in finding partners to make the program a success. We are thankful for Judge Vislosky's cooperation and patience in allowing this program in her court. We are also thankful for Bucks County Opportunity Council. Without BCOC, most of the settlements between the tenants and landlords negotiated by Ron and the pro bono attorneys would not be possible.”

LASP's November 2019 e-news included an article about this pilot project: https://conta.cc/2CVLgfl.

FILE PHOTO above shows Ronald Smolow (center); Robert Kim, LASP Staff Attorney (at left); and Magisterial District Judge Jan Vislosky at a CLE on Oct. 18, 2019, ahead of the November 2019 launch of the eviction prevention program. The CLE was on “Representing Tenants Facing Eviction in Magisterial District Court.” 

Multiple legal aid attorneys across the state, including LASP's Christina Drzal, Regional Housing Supervising Attorney, discuss implementation of the CDC moratorium in Pennsylvania.

Spotlight PA story by Charlotte Keith

(Note: Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom and is a partnership between the Philadelphia Inquirer, PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media.)

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) eviction moratorium took effect Sept. 4, 2020. It declares a national moratorium on residential evictions, through Dec. 31, 2020, for nonpayment (of rent, as well as other fees or charges) under the authority of 42 C.F.R. § 70.2. The moratorium applies only to tenants who present a signed form declaration, to their landlord.

Christina Drzal, LASP Regional Housing Supervising Attorney, shared a fact sheet about the CDC order, officially titled, "Temporary Halt in Residential Evictions To Prevent the Further Spread of COVID-19." For a two-page PDF, click here or on the image at right.

The Pennsylvania Courts' version of the CDC declaration is available in PDF at: https://bit.ly/30m6WgX. It includes instructions on page 3.

If you need help paying your heating bills, or have a heating emergency, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) may be able to help.

The program, which opened Nov. 2, is administered by the PA Dept. of Human Services. Applications will be accepted through April 9, 2021.

Visit the state website at https://bit.ly/32v9gmN for income eligibility guidelines, how to apply, telephone helplines, and brochures in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Cambodian, Russian and Vietnamese.

MEDIA - Did you know? You can access documents online, 1982-present, from the Delaware County Recorder of Deeds Office for free. You don't need an account or a subscription. Robert A. Auclair, Recorder of Deeds, announced this service on the Delaware County website: https://bit.ly/3kOXw5W.

MEDIA - LASP Staff Attorney Kimberly Hollenback is shown representing clients at Protection from Abuse (PFA) court in Delaware County. In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, advocates around the country wore purple on Oct. 22 to raise awareness for DV and to stand up for survivors. The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence coordinated PA's effort.

LASP helps victims of domestic violence in Delaware, Montgomery, Bucks and Chester counties. For more information, visit lasp.org/domestic-violence.

In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) presented data on Protection from Abuse (PFA) filings in Pennsylvania.

To speak to a staff member in either Doylestown location, call 215-340-1818. LASP offices are currently closed to the public due to COVID-19, but all LASP staff are working.

Check out the new issue of the Montgomery Bar Association's Sidebar magazine: https://bit.ly/34YzOP5.

THANK YOU to the Montgomery Bar Foundation for launching the Appeal for Legal Aid (p. 11) and to all donors! Our new Veterans Advocacy Project is featured on pp. 14-15, and some of our dedicated Montgomery County team members "zoomed" in remotely for a photo.

THANK YOU to our pro bono volunteers! YOU directly increase access to justice throughout the year in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.

To learn about specific pro bono volunteer opportunities to impact your community during COVID-19, visit lasp.org/pro-bono-portal.

DOYLESTOWN - The Bucks County Bar Association celebrated Pro Bono Week with a virtual CLE and awards Oct. 27 and an in-person Pro Bono Thank You reception Oct. 28. The Bucks County Bar Foundation noted that 227 attorneys in Bucks County donated 2,613 hours of time in the past year, helping county residents in need and increasing access to justice for all.

Thirteen member attorneys were recognized as 2020 Bucks Keystone Attorneys for devoting over 50 hours to pro bono legal service for the community in the past year. Bucks Keystone Attorneys include Cynthia Bashore, Christopher J. Brill, Jahn Chesnov, Grace M. Deon, Martin Ghen, Morris J. Kaplan, Kimberly Litzke, Hillary Moonay, Jessica A. Pritchard, María Judith Rodríguez-Martyak, Amir M. Stark, Jill M. Vogenberg-Richter, and Shari R. Gelfont Williams. Thank you for your selfless service!

DOYLESTOWN - At Bucks County's virtual Pro Bono Week CLE and awards, Hon. Wallace H. Bateman Jr., President Judge, and Hon. James M. McMaster thanked Bucks County pro bono volunteers. They requested pro bono attorneys' help with Protection from Abuse (PFA) court days in 2020. (In photo, Hon. McMaster is at left, and Hon. Bateman is at right.)

PFA hearings take place Wednesdays (and Thursday, Nov. 12) at the Bucks County Justice Center at 100 N. Main St., Doylestown 18901.

To volunteer with LASP's Bucks County Division on one or more of these dates, please contact Randi Riefner, Paralegal and Bucks County Assistant Pro Bono Coordinator, at rriefner@lasp.org or 215-781-1111 x203.

CHESTER City - James Rooney is a CARES Attorney Fellow in the Housing Unit, based in the Chester City Office. A Montgomery County native, he holds a J.D. from Drexel University Law School and a B.A. in history from Millersville University, where he played soccer on the men's team. During law school, James interned with the Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office. He just completed a one-year clerkship with Hon. Darlene J. Pereksta in the New Jersey Superior Court, Criminal Division, where, among other responsibilities, he mediated small claims, civil and landlord-tenant cases. James can be reached at jrooney@lasp.org.

DOYLESTOWN - Julie Rose joins LASP as a CARES Attorney Fellow in the Doylestown Office. Julie is an experienced dependency and family law attorney. She has represented parents and children in dependency cases in Philadelphia for four years, has written numerous appellate briefs and argued in front of the Pennsylvania Superior Court. She also represented children in abuse and neglect cases in Gloucester and Camden counties, New Jersey. She served as a contract attorney in the metro Washington, D.C. area and in Philadelphia. Her volunteer work includes HIAS, Philadelphia VIP and Support Center for Child Advocates. She holds a J.D. and Master's in Social Work from Tulane University in New Orleans and a Bachelor's in Creative Writing from Oberlin College in Ohio. Julie can be reached at jrose@lasp.org. 

POTTSTOWN - Lisa Whalen joins LASP as a CARES Attorney Fellow in the Pottstown Office. Lisa recently returned to Pennsylvania after practicing and serving on the bench in Arizona. As a trial lawyer in Phoenix, Scottsdale and in private practice in Yuma, Lisa handled family law and criminal defense misdemeanor cases. Lisa served as a Yuma County Superior Court judge for more than eight years. As a judge, Lisa handled mostly family law and felony criminal cases, and also served on the Arizona Governor's Committee to establish statewide mental health court rules and procedures. She served as judge spearheading creation of the Yuma County Mental Health Court program, which received the "Arizona Supreme Court Strategic Agenda Award for Equal Access to Justice" in 2015. She holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Florida, Gainesville and a J.D. from St. Thomas University School of Law, Miami. Lisa can be reached at lwhalen@lasp.org.

If you received e-news as a forwarded email, or if you found it on social media, please subscribe at lasp.org/enews or email Marion Hoffman Fraley, Communications Manager, at mfraley@lasp.org.

Past issues are at lasp.org/enews.