Every year at the Virginia General Assembly, VPLC supports, opposes and/or works to amend legislative initiatives that affect domestic and sexual violence victims. This year is no exception. As we approach Crossover (the point at which each chamber—the House of Delegates and the Senate—must finish hearing its own bills), we’ve highlighted some of the bills […]

Keeping families together by helping relative foster families become legal guardians When a child is placed in foster care by the court, sometimes a relative is approved to become the foster parent of the child. After the child has been placed in this relative foster home, in some circumstances—if the court determines that the child […]

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 […]

  In recent years, some real estate entrepreneurs have begun marketing homes under so-called “rent-to-own” deals.  While the notion of renting-to-own can appeal to consumers as an affordable path to homeownership, in practice rent-to-own is most often a predatory scheme that saddles consumers with all the costs and burdens of home ownership (such as making […]