September 9, 2024 Richmond, VA – The Supplemental Nutrition Access Program (SNAP) is a crucial lifeline for food insecure Virginians. SNAP supplements grocery budgets for families in need of food help and injects money into local economies: every dollar spent with SNAP benefits generates $1.54 in economic activity. A new report by the National Council […] The post VPLC and the Federation of Virginia Food Banks Respond to Senior Hunger Report appeared first on Virginia Poverty Law Center ..read more

July 23, 2024 About Us: Virginia Poverty Law Center is a legal services organization dedicated to using advocacy, education and litigation to break down the systemic barriers that keep low-income Virginians in poverty. Duties & Responsibilities This attorney’s work will focus on consumer rights of low-income Virginians including fair debt collection, fair credit reporting, and fair lending. The attorney will also focus on the rights of workers, mainly the right to collect unemployment benefits. VPLC works to bring about systemic change and we welcome creative approaches to old problems tha ..read more

Direct File is the IRS’ first attempt to provide a free filing program comparable to existing commercial software. While the pilot was limited to people with simple tax returns in a handful of states, the Department of the Treasury estimated that one-third of taxpayers in those states — almost 19 million people — were eligible to use the tax service this past filing season.  The IRS conducted a pilot program of the direct file option in 12 states for the 2023 tax year and reported that 140,803 taxpayers used it to save $5.6 million on preparing their tax returns. The IRS says it is lookin ..read more

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today proposed an interpretive rule explaining that many paycheck advance products, sometimes marketed as “earned wage” products, are consumer loans subject to the Truth in Lending Act. The guidance will ensure that lenders understand their legal obligations to disclose the costs and fees of these credit products to workers. “If someone gives you money and you must repay it later, then that is a loan.  It’s common sense,” said Jay Speer, consumer rights attorney with the Virginia Poverty Law Center. The CFPB released data from several lender ..read more

Naomi Y. Cordova joins the VPLC team as the new Legal Assistant for the Legal Assistance to Victim-Immigrants of Domestic Abuse (LA VIDA) program. Naomi brings a wealth of experience in immigration law and a diverse skill set to VPLC. Naomi has a robust legal background, with many years of client communication, legal documentation, translation, and case management experience. Previously, she worked as an Immigration Paralegal, Workers’ Compensation Paralegal, and Immigration Legal Program Coordinator, demonstrating her commitment to supporting clients through complex legal processes. She also ..read more

Shark Week 2024: Be Careful Where You Borrow By Jay Speer, Virginia Poverty Law Center Executive Director Welcome to Shark Week 2024, at least according to the annual designation fronm Discovery Channel   In years past, the Virginia Poverty Law Center has used this week to call out all the loan sharks attacking Virginia borrowers.  There are still a few loan sharks out there in Virginia waters but thanks to VPLC and the Virginia Partnership to Encourage Responsible Lending and all our allies (particularly Pew Charitable Trusts), the sharks are under control, and it is safer to g ..read more

The post New Rules for Utilities & Customer Shut-Offs appeared first on Virginia Poverty Law Center ..read more

As heat waves roll through Virginia, a new law to protect residents from unsafe utility shut-offs during periods of extreme weather goes into effect on July 1. Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D-Petersburg) and Del. Irene Shin (D-Herndon) introduced a pair of bills to the General Assembly in January. The bills gained bipartisan support and were signed into law by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The new law prevents Virginia utilities from shutting off service to a customer: when temperatures are at/below 32°F or at/above 92°F on Fridays, weekends, state holidays or on the day before a state holiday during a state o ..read more

 Richmond, Va, June 27, 2024 – The Richmond Public Library (RPL) and Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC) today launched a new partnership to help renters facing potential eviction. The program will provide guided assistance using VPLC’s new online Eviction Defense Center to answer users’ questions and help prepare them for court. Patrons often ask librarians for help understanding their options when facing eviction. “Unfortunately, eviction affects so many in Richmond,” according to RPL’s Law Librarian, Charles Schmidt. “So, we are excited to partner with VPLC to expand our patrons’ access ..read more

Richmond, VA June 21, 2024 – Today, the Supreme Court of the United States delivered a ruling in the case of USA vs Rahimi, upholding the constitutionality of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8), which prohibits individuals subject to domestic-violence restraining orders from possessing firearms. This case originated in Texas, highlighting the state’s pivotal role in shaping national policy on domestic violence. Two-thirds of women killed by an intimate partner are killed with a gun.1 Access to a gun makes it 5x more likely that a woman will die at the hands of a domestic abuser.2 Every month, an average o ..read more