Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, or TRLA, attorneys will be available to provide free civil legal services to low-income survivors and relatives of victims of the El Paso mass shooting.
Those needing help can call the TRLA disaster hotline at 866-757-1570 or go to the El Paso office at 1331 Texas Ave. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
TRLA will help survivors and their families with:
• establishing heirs and estates of the deceased in order to access benefits and bank accounts;
• applying for survivor or disability benefits with the Social Security Administration;
• assisting with applying for and appealing denials of unemployment benefits;
• negotiating with mortgage companies and landlords requesting payments;
• helping to locate and assist with the prevention of repossession of vehicles;
• assisting with applying for and appealing denials of crime victims’ compensation benefits and other benefits; and
• resolving problems with the enrollment of children in school because of changes in household composition.
Those who are not eligible for TRLA assistance will be referred to private attorneys who have agreed to provide assistance pro bono.
Attorneys who want to assist survivors and relatives can attend a training from noon to 5 p.m. August 22 at the Ceremonial Courtroom, El Paso County Courthouse, 12th floor. The training is sponsored by TRLA and the El Paso Bar Association and has been approved for 4.5 hours of MCLE and 0.5 hours of ethics credit.
For more information about TRLA, go to trla.org.