You can help!

Thanks to donors like you, NLS has many attorneys who represent clients pro bono and/or at greatly reduced rates. Yet, we still have many more clients than attorneys.

Please give today to ensure everyone in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler and Lawrence Counties in Pennsylvania gets the same chance at equal justice under the law.

A $100 donation

will allow NLS to provide advice to a tenant facing eviction or a parent telephone advice on a custody issue.

A $200 donation

will allow NLS to represent a victim of domestic violence seeking protection.

A $300 donation

allows a client to expunge their criminal record for a fresh start

A $500 donation

secure a family's title to their home allowing them to make necessary repairs.

"Neighborhood Legal Services helped me to rely on myself instead of my family."

Deborah was denied Supplemental Security Income (SSI) after a series of strokes left her unable to continue her career as a hair stylist. The denial was based on the court's expectation that her condition would improve enough for her to go back to work. Deborah attempted to return to her workplace in some capacity; however, she was unable to stand or sit for any length of time and she could no longer write or even recall phone messages. She tried unsuccessfully to appeal the SSI decision on her own., then turned to NLS.

While Deborah survived 18 months on public assistance and help from friends and family, NLS gathered medical evidence establishing her right to benefits designed for low-income people who cannot work due to disability. At the appeal hearing, the judge agreed that Deborah qualified for SSI and ordered benefits to be paid retroactively.

That modest income enabled her to shift some of her financial responsibility from her family to herself.

Deborah

- Deborah | Butler, PA

"Without Neighborhood Legal Services, I would have lost my home."

At age 86 and legally blind, Willa risked losing her home of 60 years to foreclosure for failing to make monthly payments that were substantially more than her monthly social security benefit. This untenable situation was created when a lender approached the elderly woman, who owned her home free and clear, and promised to make repairs in exchange for pacing a lien on the property.

Willa's home then was mortgaged for triple its market value and the promised repairs never started. NLS successfully defended against the Mortgage Foreclosure Complaint asking for damages against the lender. A negotiated settlement was reached requiring the lender to cancel her contract and the mortgage.

The Complaint was withdrawn and Willa again owns her home debt-free.

Deborah

- Willa | Pittsburgh, PA

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