Free non-profit services are available to low-income people in Texas impacted by coronavirus

As the economic impact of a national lockdown continues for weeks and possibly months, many low-income Texans need legal services to deal with the crisis. From lost wages and evictions to quarantines under the threat of domestic violence, the economic shutdown and physical constraints create multiple legal issues that people in Texas are struggling to navigate.

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid is available to provide free legal services to people who cannot afford an attorney in 68 southwestern counties including the entire Texas-Mexico border. TRLA attorneys specialize in more than 45 areas of the law, including disaster assistance, family, employment, foreclosure, bankruptcy, subsidized housing, education, immigration, farmworker, civil rights, and environmental law. TRLA also operates public defender programs that serve ten Texas counties, representing low-income and indigent people accused of felonies, misdemeanors, and juvenile violations.

Our hotline is open from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (CST) Monday – Friday: (956) 996-8752. Getting assistance is not guaranteed, but bilingual (English and Spanish) staff are available to answer the phone and review eligibility as intakes are being conducted over the phone.

TRLA attorneys are available to speak to the media (in English and Spanish) to provide accurate and timely information on the services available to people facing a variety of personal and financial crises created – or worsened – by the pandemic.

These legal areas include but are not limited to:

• Employment: Lost work opportunities, emergency sick leave, unemployment benefits, disabilities

• Family: Family violence, child support, visitation, courtroom dates

• Housing: Evictions, landlord-tenant conflicts, rental assistance

• Benefits: CARES Act, SNAP, social security disability, veterans

Attorneys for Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid will be available for interviews to further discuss the legal ramifications of the virus.

Visit our website for more about our services, in addition to resources during COVID-19: https://www.trla.org/covid19-main

Contact: Shelby Alexander, Communications Director
512-374-2717, salexander@trla.org

Established in 1970, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc. (TRLA) is a nonprofit organization that provides free legal services to low-income Texans in 68 southwestern counties. TRLA’s mission is to promote the dignity, self-sufficiency, safety and access to justice for low-income Texans by providing high-quality legal assistance and related educational services.