The Civil Rights Team defends the fundamental rights of low-income individuals and communities through litigation and other advocacy. The team's attorneys combat unlawful discrimination, protect against abuses by government officials, ensure voting rights, and address denials of equal protection and due process of law. 

Services and Activities: 

• Litigate to protect the rights of low-income individuals and communities under the U.S. and Texas constitutions and other federal and state laws; 
• Provide legal education and assistance about constitutional and other legal rights and the administrative processes for asserting those rights; 
• Collaborate with partners and other TRLA teams to identify and address systemic civil rights issues affecting impoverished communities throughout Texas. 

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

The Community Development Team provides education and legal assistance to community groups to combat systemic inequities in housing, infrastructure, adverse environmental conditions, and health. The team works to empower low-income neighborhood groups to create safe, healthy, and thriving communities.

Services and Activities:

• Provide legal education and assistance to a neighborhood or other low-income advocacy groups through a community lawyering model;
• Identify inequities in housing, infrastructure, water, and adverse environmental impacts through outreach and collaboration with other teams and advocacy partners;
• Provide holistic support for low-income communities throughout other TRLA practice areas;
• File administrative complaints and litigation, if applicable, under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the Fair Housing Act, and other state and federal laws.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

The Consumer Protection Team's mission is to help low-income people protect their income and assets by providing representation, legal assistance, advocacy, advice, and education to those who are cheated by unscrupulous businesses or individuals. The team addresses a wide range of consumer issues, including unlawful repossession, student loans, payday and title loans, garnishments and receiverships, deceptive sales practices, fraudulent auto sales and repairs, shoddy home improvements, unfair debt-collection practices, home solicitations, and warranty and contract issues.

Services and Activities:

• Represent eligible consumers in state and federal courts; 
• Conduct financial literacy education training for low-income communities; 
• Collaborate with community partners to educate consumers about unscrupulous business practices and the danger of high-interest loans.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

The Disaster Benefits Team provides advice and representation for people seeking financial resources to help themselves, their families, or their small businesses recover from disasters. 

Services & Activities 

• Help low-income disaster survivors access FEMA assistance, insurance, and low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA); 
• Help navigate FEMA to seek financial aid from its Individuals and Households Program (IHP); 
• Appeal FEMA denials or award amounts; 
• Pursuing extension of temporary shelter or rental assistance; 
• Defending against recoupment demands; 
• Pursue litigation to seek solutions to systemic FEMA problems; 
• Help clients who seek fair handling of their claims with the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association and the National Flood Insurance Program 
• Help people who have applied for personal disaster loans from the SBA in relation to FEMA.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

TRLA’s Annual Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Cross-Training is an opportunity for legal advocates to learn from each other and share best practices.

Attorneys, community advocates, and social workers receive training from local, statewide, and national experts on a wide range of topics and issues affecting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, including housing issues, technology and safety, stalking prevention, and the anatomy of how a criminal case is prosecuted.

The conference provides vital opportunities for networking, information sharing, and education to provide advocates with tools to better serve survivors in Texas.

For questions or problems with registration, contact TRLA at the email below.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

The Environmental Justice Team represents low-income people in environmental matters to improve the health and safety of communities impacted by pollution. The team focuses on community outreach and education, as well as administrative advocacy before the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and other government agencies with regulatory authority over the environment.

Services and Activities:

• Represent clients before administrative agencies that regulate polluting industries;
• Prosecute “citizen suits” to enforce federal environmental laws;
• Address nuisances that impact TRLA clients, such as odors, dust, or noise;
• Promote enforcement of environmental laws in low-income minority communities disproportionately affected by pollution;
• Represent clients at contested case hearings on air, water, or solid waste permits before the TCEQ or on permits within the jurisdiction of the Railroad Commission of Texas;
• File citizen suits under the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and Safe Drinking Water Act;
• File administrative complaints under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act;
• Pursue state court suits for nuisance;
• Educate communities about making environmental complaints and about their rights under environmental and civil rights laws.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

TRLA's Fair Housing Team represents individuals and families facing illegal discrimination in violation of the federal Fair Housing Act.

The team’s mission is to ensure that landlords, lenders, and government entities comply with the provisions of the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, familial status, disability, and national origin.

The team uses the reasonable accommodation provision of the Fair Housing Act to prevent evictions of people with disabilities and help them access affordable housing programs.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

Family Defense Project defends parental rights and preserves family integrity by representing parents involved with DFPS at a variety of stages. FDP prioritizes advocacy during the following five stages where an indigent parent is not otherwise entitled to a court-appointed attorney.

Click here for more information on the Family Defense Project.

To apply for representation, call TRLA’s intake line.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

The mission of the Federally Subsidized Housing Team is to protect the rights and benefits of people living in public housing or trying to access it through various programs including:

• Section 8 Housing Voucher Program;
• VASH Voucher Program;
• Project-based Section 8 housing;
• Rural Rental Housing;
• Continuum of Care Housing;
• Shelter+Care Housing, HOPWA;
• Supportive Housing for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities;
• Section 811 Project Rental Assistance;
• HOME-funded housing;
• and housing funded through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program.

Services and Activities:

• Assisting clients and client groups in preserving affordable housing stock;
• Defense of people who face eviction or proposed termination of their voucher assistance;
• Defense against proposed terminations of project-based rental assistance;
• Challenging denials of admission to subsidized housing programs;
• Representing clients in administrative hearings with public housing authorities;
• Challenging arbitrary landlord rules and policies that violate federal law or regulations;
• Ensuring that the law is followed in rent calculations by public housing authorities and federally subsidized landlords;
• Challenging substandard housing conditions or lack of repairs;
• Representing tenant groups;
• Representing neighborhood nonprofit organizations that develop and manage affordable housing.

The team also enforces tenant and applicant rights under federal housing laws that govern various federal housing programs, rights under the Fair Housing Act, and protections under the Violence Against Women Housing Act (VAWA).

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

This clinic helps families of children with disabilities who are transitioning to adulthood. Families and students are counseled on legal documents that will allow the student to obtain support and help without the need for guardianship.

Persons interested in having the clinic at their school or in their community should contact [email protected].

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

The mission of the Homeless Prevention team is to keep individuals and families in their homes, regardless of whether those are their own houses or rentals, by preventing evictions and foreclosures.

The team defends people facing eviction and challenges predatory lending policies that result in foreclosures and loss of homes.

(The team's work overlaps with the work of the Home Foreclosure Team and the Private Landlord-Tenant Issues Team.)

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

LASSA's mission is to provide trauma-informed, client-centered legal services to victims from intake to case closing. To that end, LASSA case handlers and advocates focus on client safety, privacy, and legal goals.

Services and Activities:

• Advise and represent survivors so they can achieve their civil legal goals, including divorce, child custody, obtaining unpaid wages, maintaining benefits, fighting workplace discrimination, and obtaining work permits and immigration status for immigrant victims of violence
• Help survivors ensure their safety through protective orders and special safety requests at work and school
• Help survivors safeguard their privacy by protecting their health information and counseling records, and by assisting them in managing ongoing privacy concerns
• Provide survivors with access to legal services by conducting trauma-informed intakes through our LASSA hotline and by reviewing legal requests for survivors at shelters and rape crisis centers
• Help empower survivors and their families by coordinating Coss-agency  referrals from and to community partners
• Survivors of sexual violence can apply for our services by calling our intake number (800-991-5153). Legal advocates at shelters and rape crisis centers also conduct intakes for survivors.

Click here for more information.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

Welcome to the page for TRLA’s LGBTQ+ Civil Rights Project. This project is an intersectional effort within TRLA to combine expertise from various legal teams to serve the unique needs of low-income LGBTQ+ Texans in our service area. 

We know that being an LGBTQ+ Texan can be challenging at times, and we are here to see how we might be able to help you navigate legal issues, from changing your name and correcting your gender marker to reflect your identity to confronting discrimination in the workplace.

We can help with:

• Name Change & Gender Marker Correction Services
• Employment
• Education
• Civil Rights
• Family Law
• Services for Survivors of Domestic Violence or Sexual Assault
• Immigration
• Housing
• Reentry & Expunction

To learn more, click here or you can apply by calling 1-833-329-8752 to get connected to legal advice and assistance.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

The first priority of the Manufactured Housing Team is to prevent homelessness when homeowners or renters are on the verge of losing titles or possession of their homes.

Services and Activities:

• Prevent evictions and foreclosures with appropriate litigation;
• Help manufactured homeowners avoid losing ownership in foreclosure cases;
• Help manufactured homeowners keep their homes when they are being evicted from rented lots;
• Help obtain title to homes in cases of deception or negligence;
• Help homeowners file complaints with the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs-Manufactured Housing Division (TDHCA-MHD) in warranty or unlicensed activity cases.

Research has established that about 60 percent of an individual's health is determined by social and economic factors such as personal and family stability, income and health insurance, immigration status, housing and utilities, and education and employment. 

TRLA's MLP staff work with their medical partners in hospitals and health clinics to identify the legal problems that compromise the health of their patients.

By referral from a partner medical facility.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

The Mental Health team represents people with mental health disabilities in both disability and housing cases, including:

• disability cases involving individuals who have been denied or face a reduction in Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits; 
• housing cases involving individuals who are threatened with eviction from private housing or federally subsidized housing because of conduct related to their disabilities;
• housing cases involving individuals whose behavior related to their disabilities has resulted in denial of public and Section 8 housing or threatened their Section 8 housing or VASH vouchers.

Mental Health team members also serve as primary points of contact for mental health providers and related agencies in the community and as liaisons to build collaborative networks with area agencies that serve the needs of the mentally ill.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

The Mental Health Legal Project (MHLP) empowers persons with serious mental illness to advocate for their rights and make their own life and treatment decisions through the development of psychiatric advance directives.

The following resources explain TRLA's model of providing services to persons with serious mental illness through psychiatric advance directives.

• Psychiatric Advanced Directives The TRLA Model
• Advocating for people with serious mental illness

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

The Mental Health Legal Project (MHLP) empowers persons with serious mental illness to advocate for their rights and make their own life and treatment decisions through the development of psychiatric advance directives.

The following resources explain TRLA's model of providing services to persons with serious mental illness through psychiatric advance directives.

• Psychiatric Advanced Directives The TRLA Model
• Advocating for people with serious mental illness

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

The Private Landlord-Tenant Team focuses primarily on ensuring that tenants living in private housing, especially multi-family housing, are not illegally evicted in violation of their leases and Texas law on the eviction process.

The team also enforces tenant rights concerning the Fair Housing Act and the Texas Property Code. This includes provisions relating to landlord retaliation, repairs, late fee limitations, early lease termination because of domestic violence, stalking, or military deployment, and tenant rights after catastrophes such as hurricanes, fires, and tornadoes.

The team provides legal representation to individuals and families who are having difficulty accessing private housing because of discriminatory landlord policies.

The team also ensures that tenants in homes that have been foreclosed upon are safeguarded from eviction by the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

Are you an attorney or other professional looking to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others? Consider joining our pro bono program! With over 2.6 million eligible residents in Southwest and Central Texas, the demand for legal aid is high, and we need your help to meet it.

Currently, there's almost one legal aid lawyer for every 21,000 potential clients in our area. By volunteering your time and expertise, you can make a real impact on the lives of those who would otherwise struggle to access justice. In 2021, our PAI program helped over 1,000 clients with a range of legal issues, including family law, housing, wills, probate, and alternatives to guardianships.

More information: 

• Our Service Area

• Contact Information for TRLA Pro Bono and PAI Staff (PDF)

• For Law Students: Clerkships and Internships

• CBar / Non-profits Information Page

• Natural Disaster Pro Bono Portal

• Current Cases Needing Help

• FAQ for Pro Bono Attorneys

Click here to join our volunteer network.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

The Real Property and Home Foreclosure Prevention team: 

• Provides colonia residents and property owners with legal services such as advice, counsel, negotiations, or representation in litigation in the areas of foreclosures, platting issues, real estate conveyances, title issues, and substandard housing;
• Supports nonprofit self-help housing groups in the TRLA service area;
• Creates and maintains important contacts with other direct-services agencies and community groups;
• Conducts seminars and distributes flyers on financial literacy, consumer rights, and property ownership;
• Conducts sessions to teach the financial literacy curriculum to promotoras, who can replicate the TRLA seminars in their communities;
• Represents and advises people and families who are facing home foreclosure sales caused by wraparound mortgage scams; home-equity loan noncompliance; reverse mortgage servicing and origination; tax lender servicing or origination violations; Home Owner Association (HOA) practices; FHA, VA, RHS, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and conventional loan practices; violations of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) regulations; and other fraudulent or predatory practices;
• Defends clients using provisions of the Texas law that allow people who are over 65 or disabled to defer property taxes until their death and help other homeowners negotiate installment payment plans with taxing entities to avoid foreclosures and prevent homelessness.

Due to limited resources, TRLA cannot accept every case that has merit. The foreclosure prevention team also provides advice, sample forms, and, when appropriate, other limited services.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

This program provides low-income entrepreneurs with legal services to help them form, maintain, or expand their small businesses, social enterprises, or cooperatively owned businesses.

Services & Activities 

• Help people who are working to create and retain assets and improve their economic prospects through entrepreneurship by providing referrals, counseling, and services;
• Provide direct legal services to low-income entrepreneurs who are starting and growing their businesses; 
• Develop legal resources for low-income entrepreneurs; 
• Provide legal services and support for entrepreneurs seeking to engage in non-exploitative forms of business such as cooperatively owned and managed enterprises; 
• Conduct community outreach and provide community legal education for the entrepreneurial community supporting microenterprise development.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

All TRLA programs can be accessed through intake at the Telephone Access to Justice hotline.

To qualify for TRLA services, you must meet the income, asset, and immigration requirements established by the U.S. Congress, the Texas Legislature, and other funding sources.

The guidelines are complicated, but intake workers at our Telephone Access to Justice (TAJ) hotline can help you through the application process. 

TRLA intake is free.

TRLA’s CBAR program matches eligible nonprofits with volunteer attorneys who provide legal help with business matters that do not involve litigation, such as incorporation, federal tax exemption, bylaws, contracts, internal policies, board compliance, and other nonprofit legal needs.

Click here to download the application. This is a fillable form, so you can either print and fill out the document, or complete the fillable form on your device. Send the completed application to us by:

• Email attachment to [email protected]
• Mail to Texas CBAR, 2930 N. IH 35, Austin, Texas, 78751, or
• Fax to 512.447.3940

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

The Texas Foster Youth Justice Project provides free and confidential legal services for current and former foster youth throughout Texas.

The team helps youth with various legal and administrative matters such as obtaining copies of CPS records; erasing criminal and juvenile records; and accessing foster youth benefits and programs that help in the transition from foster care to independence.

Click here or phone the number below to get help.

Click here to view or download the Texas Foster Youth Justice Project brochure with important information about your rights and how to keep them.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

TRLA staff works to remove barriers to obtaining Driver's Licenses by assisting in clearing outstanding citations. Staff also assists in researching and resolving other issues that prevent individuals from obtaining a valid Driver's License or valid ID, including obtaining an out-of-state birth certificate.

For more information, please email [email protected].

The clinic serves homeless and low-income veterans in Bexar County.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid will host a legal clinic for eligible veterans*, widows and spouses of veterans, and current service members to speak with a lawyer about their civil legal needs including housing evictions, HUD-VASH, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), SNAP/food stamps, Medicaid, VA benefits, wills and probate, advance directives, and much more.

This program is for eligible veterans, widows and spouses of veterans, and current service members only.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid’s (TRLA) Veterans Advocacy Project (VAP) hosts a legal clinic for eligible veterans*, widows and spouses of veterans, and current service members to speak with a lawyer about their civil legal needs including housing evictions, HUD-VASH, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), SNAP/food stamps, Medicaid, VA benefits, wills & probate, advance directives, and much more.

Click here for available clinic dates.

The Clinic is held at the VA Northwest Health Care Center (Rooms 2B127 & 2B155).

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees. 

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid’s (TRLA) Veterans Advocacy Project (VAP) hosts a legal clinic for eligible veterans*, widows and spouses of veterans, and current service members to speak with a lawyer about their civil legal needs including housing evictions, HUD-VASH, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), SNAP/food stamps, Medicaid, VA benefits, wills & probate, advance directives, and much more.

This program is for eligible veterans, widows and spouses of veterans, and current service members only.

TRLA representation is free, but there may be other related charges such as court fees.