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Happy Spring – April updates from Legal Aid

Posted April 14, 2022
10:30 am

We provided this update on local events, community updates, and other newsworthy items to our partners and public officials.

If you are on-staff at a local organization or government agency, please email us with a request to join the mailing list. Include your name, title, organization and email in the note. You will then begin receiving Legal Aid's bi-weekly updates.

Welcome to a (hopefully) warm spring season! Legal Aid is available in person, by phone and online to meet our clients’ needs. Applicants can now schedule a call back time when they apply online. Read on for more news and community updates –

LEGAL AID IS HIRING for a variety of positions, including a new posting for a Client Support Specialist. Client Support Specialists work closely with attorneys and clients to address barriers that interfere with effective legal representation. Visit the careers page on our website.

Beware potential scammers posing as Legal Aid employees! If someone claiming to be an employee of Legal Aid asks you to send them your financial information by email—don't do it! Read these tips to learn what you can do to make sure you are talking to a real Legal Aid employee.

Another potential scam alert: “HEAP Connect”
People are being contacted by someone indicating that they are representing HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Program) with a new program called “HEAP Connect,” which allegedly provides clients with monthly vouchers for use at Walmart, Macy’s and/or Giant Eagle once clients provide their HEAP account and debit card information. "HEAP Connect" does not exist, and HEAP never provides gift cards to clients, or asks clients for a debit card number.

Spotlight on Medical-Legal Partnerships
Medical-legal partnerships integrate the unique expertise of lawyers into health care settings to help address structural problems at the root of so many health inequities. Legal Aid created the first medical-legal partnership in Ohio when we formalized our partnership with MetroHealth in 2003, and we just launched our fourth and newest partnership with the Cleveland Clinic earlier this month. Learn more about medical-legal partnerships by tuning in to the following events, where we’ll chat with a Legal Aid attorney, a paralegal, and a social worker from one of our partner sites, St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.

Please share these upcoming Legal Aid events with clients and colleagues:

In-person brief advice clinics are back!
We are excited to be back at our partner organizations to offer in-person Brief Advice Clinics! Please visit a partner site near you for free legal advice about civil legal issues. View the full events calendar on our website.

Legal Aid and #CLEReentry Week2022
Legal Aid is proud to help promote and lead events to honor National Reentry Week 2022.
Use #CLEReentry Week2022 on social media and join the conversation! More information about local events can be found on our website.

Naturalization Advice Clinic on Saturday, May 7 at 9:00 a.m.
Legal Aid will host this specialty advice clinic providing individuals with help applying for U.S. citizenship. Appointments preferred by calling 888-817-3777. Visit our website for more information.

Please share the following community resources and updates with clients and colleagues:

Social Security Administration resumes in person-services
Local Social Security offices recently resumed in-person services, including for people without an appointment. Customers are still encouraged to schedule appointments if possible. The full announcement is available online.

City of Cleveland Exterior Paint Program
The City of Cleveland Department of Community Development offers various programs to assist homeowners and tenants in the upkeep of their dwellings, including the Exterior Paint Program. The Exterior Paint Program assists Cleveland residents who reside in single or two-family homes by providing grants of up to $600 for exterior paint and supplies for owner-occupants and up to $400 for tenants/landlords. Eligibility requirements and application details can be found online.

April 18th is the last day to file taxes!
In Cuyahoga County, two events will be held on April 18th as a last chance to file before the deadline. Events will be held at the Cuyahoga County Division of Senior and Adult Services, 13815 Kinsman Road, Cleveland from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., and at Famicos Foundation, 1325 Ansel Road, Cleveland from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Give Feedback about Cleveland’s Efforts to Create Lead Safe Rental Housing!
Cleveland’s lead safe certification law requires all rental housing built before 1978 to receive a lead-safe certification before 2023. To help with this process, the law created a Lead Safe Auditor whose job is to monitor the certification program and report on its effectiveness to the City’s Lead Safe Advisory Board. The public (e.g., renters, landlords, advocates, organizations) is encouraged to make comments, raise concerns, or give feedback about the lead safe certification program directly to the Auditor. Learn more and find the form online.

Thank you for your partnership in striving for justice throughout Northeast Ohio. As always, please reach out with any questions or ideas!

Sincerely,

Anne K. Sweeney
Managing Attorney for Community Engagement
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland

Direct: 216.861.5242
Main: 216.861.5500
Email: anne.sweeney@lasclev.org

Rights. Dignity. Justice.

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