LSNWJ - Legal Services of Northwest Jersey

Did you know that VINELink is a tool used to register victims, survivors, and the public for notification of changes in offender custody status, as well as search for important Service Provider information?

Learn about NJ Vine here: https://vinelink.vineapps.com/state/NJ/ENGLISH

Come to a free training in how to use VINE, in partnership with New Jersey State Police Victim Services Unit and the State Office of Victim Witness Advocacy. Training is in person on September 19, 1:00 to 3:30 pm, at NJ Forensic Science Technology Center, 1200 Negron Drive, Hamilton NJ. Sign up: https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/4653155/C50B8F9AC5442CEDE0627E88A93C3144

Volunteer Spotlight
In 2022, Chubb joined forces with LSNWJ to expand our expungement program, Reboot and Rebound. We’re thrilled to celebrate Juliet Powell, one of Chubb's trailblazing volunteers, who has been instrumental in this journey. 🎉
Juliet was among the first pioneers from Chubb to take on several expungement matters, and her dedication recently led to a successful expungement for a client. We are incredibly grateful for the commitment of volunteers like Juliet, who help us make a real difference in our community.
Thank you, Juliet, for being a beacon of hope and change!

LSNWJ's Alisa Grossman, Esq., Managing Attorney in our Hunterdon County office, will be installed as a Trustee of the Hunterdon County Bar Association at their annual installation dinner on September 18.

The dinner is free to dues-paid members; dues are due by September 1. Guests may attend for $60. Registrations for the dinner are due by September 6.

Contact Hunterdon County Bar Association for more information. Email: [email protected]

Somerset County, school supplies for all ages kids, from Middle Earth NJ

We will be giving away backpacks and school supplies for all ages! Visit our Bound Brook Center next week on Tuesday, Aug 27, 4-6pm or Wednesday, Aug 28, 3-6pm.

Free event for youth in Morris County area

We congratulate our own Diane K. Smith, Esq., on her Lifetime Achievement Pro Bono Award recognition by the NJ State Bar Association, honoring her outstanding commitment to providing legal services to the state's underserved residents.

At her retirement as Executive Director from LSNWJ , Diane had devoted nearly 40 years of her legal career to the pursuit of equal access to justice for the residents of New Jersey. Diane had served as Executive Director of Somerset Suss*x Legal Services and led the merger of four separate nonprofit legal services providers into Legal Services of Northwest Jersey. She has been an active member of the New Jersey State Bar Association since 1980.

All are welcome to attend an award reception on Oct. 29 at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick, where the NJSBA will celebrate the recipients and their work to ensure fair representation under the law.

Log in at the NSBA website to register. https://njsba.com/event/pro-bono-awards-reception/

Apply to work with us as a Staff Attorney in our Main Street, Somerville office. Learn more: https://www.lsnwj.org/employment

Managing your credit is essential. Credit affects not just the interest rate for future extensions of credit but your credit history and score is also used in residential renting decisions, cost of insurance and employment decisions.
Contact us at www.LSNWJ.org for more information and to see how we can help.

Take a look at this months' FTC consumer advice for military families to identify ways to avoid being a victim to a rental scam. https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/07/avoiding-rental-listing-scams?utm_source=govdelivery

LSNWJ is committed to the growth of our attorneys new to the practice of law. Several of our staff and legal interns attended LSNJ's UPLIFT program. Through panel discussions and networking, attorneys and law students heard inspirational stories by attorneys securing access to justice for our clients and learned about the personal journeys taken by some of our attorneys.

What's it like to work with us, as a volunteer, staff, or intern? Hear from one of our summer fellows on the teaching and learning opportunities within our program and our statewide legal services network. Link in comments

Legal Services of Northwest Jersey is a proud recipient of the US Department of Veterans Affairs Legal Services for Veterans Programs. This funding will enable us to continue providing legal services to veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness by protecting veterans' basic needs that are critical for self-sufficiency: income, safe and affordable housing, access to quality health care, family stability and personal safety, and life with dignity in the community.

*xCounty

Amongst the many ways that Brandon has helped the clients of LSNWJ, we are especially appreciative of his most recent success in securing an expungement for a client. Brandon's journey with us started many years ago as a summer law school intern at LSNWJ, and we are so grateful that he has returned to continue his commitment as a volunteer attorney. Thank you, Brandon, for your dedication and hard work!

Join this free Tenant Rights Workshop online on Zoom, sponsored by Housing Partnership in Dover, NJ. Our LSNWJ attorney Randy Yang will present legal information on tenants' rights and responsibilities, rent payment and increases, a tenant's remedies, and local resources and supports. Register now for the workshop on September 18 at 6 p.m. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qUvxNuHESFeXgtoKsSnIsA #/registration

LSNWJ is proud that our attorney Kelsey Mulholland will be installed as Chair of the Somerset County Bar Foundation. The Foundation serves as a charitable organization consisting of a Board of Trustees who oversee activities, fundraising and the awarding of donations to local non-profit organizations, which are generally related to the law, and scholarships to deserving local New Jersey law school students.

Installation of the Somerset County Bar Association Officers and Foundation Trustees will be at the annual SCBA event at the Neshanic Valley Golf Course on Thursday, September 12 at 6 p.m.

Learn more about Kelsey and the rest of our team at https://www.lsnwj.org/meet-our-team

Learn about your child's rights as a student at https://www.lsnjlaw.org/legal-topics/school-learning

Learn about schools' obligations and children's rights in this edition of LSNJ's Looking Out.https://proxy.lsnj.org/rcenter/GetPublicDocument/Sites/LAW/Documents/Publications/Looking%20Out/2024/JulyAug24.pdf

Where: Phillipsburg, N.J.
Date(s): July 1st—Waiting lists will reopen
Unit(s): 2, 3, 4 Bedroom

More Info: https://phillipsburgha.com/apply/

There are still High Rise units available for those 62 years of age or older or 55 years of age and older and collecting Social Security Benefits.

For more information about finding affordable housing in New Jersey, read Where To Apply for Affordable Rental Housing and Rental Assistance
https://lsnjlaw.org/legal-topics/housing/landlord-tenant/finding-place-moving-in/pages/where-to-apply

Learn what we do and how we do it. View our Annual Report 2023. Link in comments.

Our newsletter time-sensitive info on affordable housing wait list openings in Phillipsburg and senior housing in Basking Ridge. Link in comments.

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen launched a new mental health navigator, promoted by Somerset County Dept. of Human Services. The service is available to people in Hunterdon, Somerset, Warren, and Middles*x Counties, through QR Code or by calling a confidential line.

The program's design goes beyond mere assistance, offering vital resources and advocacy to ensure individuals receive the care they deserve. Mental Health Navigators will aid residents in determining insurance coverage, provide recommendations for nearby resources, and offer guidance on what to expect when seeking assistance. According to CCDOM CEO Anthony Kearns, Esq., “Whether people are facing depression, isolation, loss of employment, substance abuse history, or a state of desperation, we need to be able to help those who need it. Catholic Charities...provides services regardless of faith, ethnicity, and income.”
If you or a loved one would benefit from this service, you may use the QR code or call
• 732-857-3811 Middles*x County
• 908-333-2282 Somerset, Hunterdon, Warren Counties

Our offices are closed on Thursday and Friday, July 4 and 5, for the holiday. You can contact us or start an application for services online anytime, for follow up by our staff next week, or find legal information at our website https://www.lsnwj.org/

We worked within the guidelines cited here to design our website to prioritize our clients' and applicants' needs first and foremost. We strive to make our services and legal information accessible to people with disabilities, people with income and technology limitations or who live in rural areas with potentially limited internet speeds. https://www.lsnwj.org/

Did you know that 16% of the world's population has a disability?

At A2J Tech, we're committed to making legal technology accessible. Check out our Accessibility Checklist to ensure your website meets legal accessibility requirements!

👉Read more:https://ow.ly/Wrfy50StkGO

Wait List opens for Affordable Housing in Phillipsburg

Where: Phillipsburg, N.J.
Date(s): July 1st—Waiting lists will reopen
Unit(s): 2, 3, 4 Bedroom

More Info: https://phillipsburgha.com/apply/

There are still High Rise units available for those 62 years of age or older or 55 years of age and older and collecting Social Security Benefits.

For more information about finding affordable housing in New Jersey, read Where To Apply for Affordable Rental Housing and Rental Assistance
https://lsnjlaw.org/legal-topics/housing/landlord-tenant/finding-place-moving-in/pages/where-to-apply

Beginning September 30, 2024, SSA is no longer counting food that someone gives you as income when figuring SSI payments. This new rule
removes a critical barrier for SSI eligibility due to informal food assistance from friends, family, and community networks of support.

For more information on the SSI program, including who is eligible and how to apply,
visit www.ssa.gov/ssi.

At Legal Services of Northwest Jersey, our priority is equal access to justice, to protect our clients' basic needs:

income,
safe and affordable housing,
access to quality health care,
family stability and personal safety, and,
life with dignity in the community.
We offer free legal help to eligible people.

Find info you need on the official SSA website specifically designed for LGBTQI+ families.
https://www.ssa.gov/people/lgbtqi/

At Legal Services of Northwest Jersey, our priority is equal access to justice, to protect our clients' basic needs:

income,
safe and affordable housing,
access to quality health care,
family stability and personal safety, and,
life with dignity in the community.
We offer free legal help to eligible people.

LSNWJ does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, s*x, disability, age, s*xual orientation and gender identity, in the delivery of services.

This spring, the NJ courts updated their online information and resources about domestic violence. Learn what crimes can establish domestic violence, who can get a restraining order, how to get a restraining order, other relief available, how to prepare for court, and other information. https://www.njcourts.gov/self-help/domestic-violence/faq

LSNWJ offers free legal services to eligible victim survivors of domestic violence, regardless of gender.

The Social Security Administration recognizes same-s*x marriages in all states, as well as some nonmarital legal relationships (such as some civil unions and domestic partnerships).

This recognition is important to determine entitlement to spousal benefits based on retirement or disability, or death. The SSA also considers marital status when to determine eligibility and payment amount for Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Learn more: https://blog.ssa.gov/social-securitys-commitment-to-the-lgbtqi-community-2/

Social Security Administration offers a video/audio to learn more about the signs of elder abuse and neglect, and resources to help.
https://youtu.be/FInH5YZ1988?si=fRuEPkrKPBcDy--M
LSNWJ can offer legal advice and legal services in cases of fraudulent transfers and other financial exploitation situations. Learn more: https://www.lsnwj.org/consumer-law

In 2017, Legal Services of Northwest Jersey started holding regular legal clinics at the nourishNJ soup kitchen to offer consultation and representation to people experiencing homelessness and income insecure. After a pause during Covid, LSNWJ has returned to nourishNJ to offer its full array of free legal services to people struggling with poverty. nourishNJ has also expanded its services to include housing, work readiness, medical, social and educational services.

To learn more visit us at https://www.lsnwj.org/ or nourishNJ at https://www.nourishnj.org/