Friday, January 13th, 2017

Here is what we have learned about internet loans from callers to our predatory loan hotline  866-855-4501   The interest rates are unbelievable and borrowers can’t repay  “Only later did I realize the 6-month $900 loan would actually end up costing me $3,019 at an interest rate of 638%.” “I borrowed $525 …When I saw […]

Friday, January 13th, 2017

Here are the lessons we’ve learned directly from borrowers’ experiences with open-end, “line of credit” loans.  866-855-4501  Borrowers get caught in a debt trap “I kept paying and paying and paying on it, but the balance never went down. After a year and a half of never missing a payment, my balance was higher than […]

Friday, January 13th, 2017

Hot off the Press and ready to view! We invite you to look at the 2017 VPLC Legislative Agenda to see our legislative priorities for this year’s General Assembly session. Each page has details of issues our staff is advocating on, what we hope to accomplish and bring awareness around to legislators, and quotations to inspire […]

Wednesday, January 4th, 2017

VPLC wishes everyone a happy and healthy 2017

Saturday, December 17th, 2016

Both the Virginia Partnership to Encourage Responsible Lending (VaPERL)  and the Virginia Poverty Law Center(VPLC)  submitted comments this fall on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau  proposed Rule governing payday and car title lending.  You can see the full comments here and here. VPLC Comments with borrower Stories VaPERL (Virginia Partnership to Encourage Responsible Lending) Coalition […]

Tuesday, November 29th, 2016

Friday, September 23rd, 2016

The Virginia Poverty Law Center is pleased to welcome new staff members: Eric Dunn, Valerie L’Herrou, and Regenea Hurte, Natasha Evans, and Davis Creef We are excited to continue our fight for civil legal justice with the help of our New Team Members. Eric Dunn Eric Dunn serves as a new staff attorney in our […]

Wednesday, September 21st, 2016

Open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace starts November 1, 2016. However, some consumers may still qualify for a special enrollment period or SEP before then. If consumers have experienced a life-qualifying event, such as having or adopting a child, graduating from college, moving, marriage or divorce, change in employment, change in immigration status, or […]

Friday, August 5th, 2016

We’re honored that this month the Richmond Justice project chose to highlight VPLC Staff Attorney Susheela Varky. Her personal story, understanding, and huge desire to help victims is captivating. Read her captivating interview.

Wednesday, July 27th, 2016

Last week the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC), responding to a legislative mandate from the 2016 session of the Virginia General Assembly, conducted a public hearing on the important issue of energy efficiency programs in the Commonwealth and the costs and savings that can be achieved through such programs. The Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC) […]

Wednesday, July 27th, 2016

Post-recession America still has a somewhat hidden problem- hunger. Hunger is not always evident in communities or nationwide, but the Food Research and Action Center’s new report shows that “food hardship” is still a significant problem. “Food hardship” is defined as not having enough money to buy food that you or your family needed in […]

Wednesday, July 27th, 2016

Join the thousands of people who have come together with us to as for affordable, clean energy to be a priority   Now is the time to bring equality to Virginia’s electricity. Low-income single and multi-family households—and minority families—pay much more for energy as a percentage of overall income than average households, according to a […]

Friday, July 1st, 2016

Wednesday, April 13th, 2016

A legend in the legal community is retiring.  The Virginia Poverty Law Center and many other organizations working for justice for all in Virginia owe their very existence to Jack Harris.  This article in Virginia Lawyers Weekly calls Jack Harris a jack of all trades.  He is not a “jack of all trades and master […]

Monday, March 7th, 2016

  Virginia Hunger Solutions (VHS), a project of the Virginia Poverty Law Center in conjunction with the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), debuted their first Annual School Breakfast Report: Food for Thought. The report highlights the marked improvement in implementing Breakfast in the Classroom and the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), across the state of […]

Friday, March 4th, 2016

Each year, the Center for American Progress releases its “State of the States” report, which evaluates progress toward cutting poverty and increasing opportunity by tracking 15 key indicators in each state.   As this report underscores, policy matters when it comes to addressing poverty and improving economic opportunity. State policymakers have a host of tools […]

Friday, March 4th, 2016

Why does VPLC work so hard on health insurance issues?   For the third year in a row, VPLC and our many allies tried but failed to get Virginia to close the health insurance coverage gap .  Why do we keep working so hard on this?  Take a look at this video and then try […]

Friday, February 26th, 2016

Rubber Stamp Justice:  Can’t we stop this abuse? Human Rights Watch released a report in January entitled Rubber Stamp Justice:  U.S. Courts, Debt Buying Corporations and the Poor.  This Report does an excellent job shining a light on problems that legal aid attorneys and their clients have been complaining about for years. “Every year, several […]

Thursday, February 11th, 2016

A big “THANK YOU!” goes to Governor McAuliffe and Secretary Hazel. Their leadership and support of efforts to increase access to affordable health coverage throughout Virginia made it possible to achieve such strong enrollment numbers in the Health Insurance Marketplace. “Having access to health care coverage is critical as we work toward improving the health […]

Monday, February 8th, 2016

See the faces and read the stories of everyday Virginians’ struggle with healthcare access under our current system without Medicaid expansion. ‘Faces of Virginia’s Coverage Gap’, is a storybook that highlights the real need for expanding coverage to the many people of the commonwealth caught in the gap. They are hard-working, in need of basic […]

Monday, February 8th, 2016

VPLC is once again working with Voices for Virginia’s Children on foster care issues.  Below is a guest blog from Amy Woolard , Legislative Director for Voices for Virginia’s Children, previously posted on their website. A column was just published in the Richmond Times Dispatch by Delegate Jennifer McClellan on the need for funding youth […]