In 2017, Virginia had enough affordable housing units for only 54 of every 100 low-income families,  according to the National Low-Income Housing Coalition.  This means almost half of low-income Virginians—more than 188,000 households—did not have access to housing they could afford.  This shortage is most pronounced among extremely low-income households, i.e., those earning less than […]

If Congress and President Trump won’t do their jobs, Virginia must. SB 624 and SB 625 will update Virginia law to address online lending abuses.   It’s no secret that every year the payday loan industry finds new ways to exploit legal loopholes and skirt regulators. Once new rules are implemented, they try another tactic […]

600,000 Virginians have lost their drivers licenses simply because they are too poor to pay their court fines and costs.   This effectively deprives them of reliable, lawful transportation necessary to get to and from work, take children to school, keep medical appointments, care for ill or disabled family members, or, paradoxically, to meet their financial obligations to […]

Imagine paying $700 a month for 14 years on a student loan, only to watch its balance continue to rise.  Or making eight years of payments on a $28,000 debt whose balance remains unchanged.  Or being told your struggle to meet monthly payments can be put off, only to find out much later that doing […]

The 2018 General Assembly Session began Wednesday, January 10th, at 12 pm. You may recall VPLC reorganized last year into a center service delivery method to better serve the legal aid community and the greater community’s needs.   Therefore, this year’s Legislative Agenda reflects the center model, with the main issues listed under The Center for […]

When people have access to health coverage and can take care of their medical needs, they are more likely to get needed care, and to be more financially secure and more productive. Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of Virginians remain without insurance and are stuck in the health coverage gap because they make too little to […]

VPLC Staff Attorney Susheela Varky joined Governor McAuliffe along with other advocates while he signed the historic gun legislation that in part significantly helps family Victims of Domestic Violence with up to two year protective orders.  

Three hundred people in Manassas almost became homeless because of a faulty sewer system earlier this year.  Almost all of them were homeowners, and none of them had caused the sewer system problem or were responsible for fixing it.  And, had the City of Manassas taken the action they’d threatened to take, most of these […]

“When Pauline H, then 95 years old, moved back to Virginia so her grandson could help care for her… she took out what she thought was a ($450) payday loan.   A year later, she had paid $597 toward her $450 loan and the lender, Allied Cash Advance, said she still owed $776.” He borrowed $100 from […]

  Tired of candidates discussing issues that are not really important to our day-to-day lives? What could be more important than making sure there is enough housing for everyone across income levels?  Yet the issue of  housing affordability has rarely been a key issue in electoral politics in Virginia and elsewhere in the nation. With […]

Apparently, the federal government is going to do even less than they already do when it comes to making sure nursing homes follow the laws and regulations that protect patients.  So, who do you call? Virginia’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program might be able to help.  Long-Term Care Ombudsman (LTC) advocate for older persons receiving long-term […]

By Kathleen Murphy Child Nutrition Specialist Virginia Hunger Solutions   Across the state, around 11 am, millions of students flood cafeterias ready to eat. Many have packed lunches from home. Others buy their lunches from the school cafeteria. As students approach the cash register they enter a pin number, say their name, or pay for the […]

As you are aware, Virginia Poverty Law Center lobbies members of Virginia General Assembly on behalf of low-income Virginians.  We provide the public and policymakers the background knowledge, context, and understanding of how laws and regulations are affecting our clients.  Most of our lobbyists are lawyers experienced in not only policy advocacy but also litigation […]