News & Updates
SALSA Spotlight
Housing Hotline Partnership Update
As rent relief programs created to assist during the pandemic wind down, the need for legal assistance regarding housing issues has risen dramatically due to the increased risk of displacement, eviction, and homelessness. To combat these issues, SALSA has collaborated with St. Mary’s Law Consumer Protection Clinic headed by St. Mary’s Clinical Professor of Law Genevieve Hébert Fajardo, which operates a housing hotline for community members in need of legal assistance.
SALSA Impact
Eliminating Crushing Debt for a Military Surviving Spouse
Mary is seventy years old, recently recovered from breast cancer, and currently providing care for her mother and adult disabled son on an extremely limited income. In May of 2021, Mary* received a letter from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). The letter informed Mary that she was no longer qualified to receive her deceased husband’s pension. It also notified her that she had been overpaid more than $85,000.00, a debt that she now owed to the VA.
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SALSA Spotlight
Planning for the Future at the TODD Clinic
SALSA recently hosted its first ever Transfer on Death Deed (“TODD”) Clinic in partnership with the Mexican American Unity Council (“MAUC”). A TODD is very simply, a legal document filed with the county clerk that operates to automatically transfer title to real property upon a person’s death, removing the need for that property to go through the probate process and potentially preventing delays if the property must be sold or transferred right away.
SALSA Spotlight
Bilingualism and Translation Services in Pro Bono
We have recently seen an increase in Spanish-speaking applicants for legal services with SALSA. This increase has become apparent in all our programs and clinics, but it has especially shown…
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SALSA Spotlight
Behind the Scenes of the TODD Clinic: Hollerbach & Associates
On Saturday, May 21, 2022, SALSA hosted its first ever Transfer on Death Deed (“TODD”) Clinic in collaboration with our partners at Mexican American Unity Council, Inc., where our talented…
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SALSA Impact
Expert Assistance at a Critical Moment
Mr. Lopez attended one of SALSA’s Wednesday clinics at Haven for Hope for assistance with a rent relief application to pay back rent he owed. Upon inputting his information into the rental relief portals database, an existing application populated as “under review.” When we asked him about his existing application, he stated that he had gone through so many applications and called so many numbers for help, that he could not remember what work had actually been done – a problem that many of SALSA’s clients face.