EIN 23-1901416

Regional Housing Legal Services (RHLS)

IRS 501(c) type
501(c)(3)
Num. employees
27
Year formed
1973
Most recent tax filings
2023-06-01
NTEE code, primary
Description
The mission of Regional Housing Legal Services is to work to create housing and economic opportunity in under-served communities in Pennsylvania and to effect systematic change for the benefit of lower-income households statewide.
Total revenues
$4,057,886
2023
Total expenses
$3,964,365
2023
Total assets
$2,030,126
2023
Num. employees
27
2023

Program areas at RHLS

See schedule orhls program service accomplishmentsrhls is celebrating 50 years of delivering Housing solutions for communities across the commonwealth. Over five decades, rhls has helped our clients in the planning, financing, and development of affordable Housing properties worth over $1.6 billion, working with clients to create or preserve nearly 10,123 affordable homes. With racial equity driving our work, rhls dedicates a significant portion of its practice to helping all pennsylvanians access stable, healthy, and affordable Housing. Our experienced attorneys analyze policy and programs to identify barriers that prevent low-income households from accessing or keeping affordable Housing and recommend targeted solutions to those issues. Rhls accomplishes this through our program priorities, including Housing affordability, working at intersections of health & Housing, and racial equity.regional Housing Legal Services is a nonprofit law firm with unique expertise in affordable, sustainable Housing and its related components community development, economic development, utility matters and preservation of homeownership. Rhls provides innovative project and policy solutions that help create sustainable communities offering decent, safe and affordable Housing for lower-income pennsylvanians.our Services include: 1) development Services. We provide technical and Legal assistance to nonprofit organizations engaged in the development of affordable Housing or community and economic development activities. Rhls represents approximately 100 nonprofit clients annually in Housing development, preservation, and other community development matters. 2) policy. Rhls dedicates a significant portion of its practice to overcoming systemic barriers facing low-income households. Our experienced staff and attorneys analyze public policy and systemic elements with the benefit of historical perspective and rich experience, quickly identifying critical issues and pinpointing unmet needs. Rhls's policy work has helped stabilize affordable Housing units through increased access to weatherization, generated new resources that allowed an increase in the number of affordable units; preserved existing affordable Housing; and, most recently, is helping Pennsylvania communities deal with the economic impacts of covid-19.
See schedule othe Pennsylvania utility law project ("pulp") is a specialized Legal aid program housed within the rhls's administrative structure. As the designated specialized project of the Pennsylvania Legal aid network for utility issues, pulp's mission is to assist Pennsylvania's low-income residential utility and energy consumers connect to and maintain affordable utility and energy Services within their home.pulp's activities include: representing, as direct counsel or co-counsel, qualifying low-income residential utility customers or organizations comprised primarily of low-income individuals. Representing the interests of low-income, residential utility consumers before the Pennsylvania public utility commission, the Pennsylvania department of human Services, and other state and federal agencies dealing with energy or utility matters that affect low-income pennsylvanians. Providing information, training and support to Legal aid, non-profit community groups; and low-income consumers across pennsylvania.key pulp accomplishments:impact litigationin the 2022-2023 fiscal year, pulp handled 50 high impact cases involving complex representation and litigation before the Pennsylvania public utility commission. We completed and closed 25 of those cases, and 25 remained in various stages of litigation at the end of the fiscal year. Pulp's impact litigation is focused on improving utility policies and procedures regarding rates, collections, and terminations, and expanding universal service program funding, assistance levels, and accessibility. Through this impact litigation, pulp secured more than $400,000 in additional emergency hardship fund grant assistance and an additional $4.5 million in increased annual funding for energy efficiency and weatherization assistance. Our advocacy also helped to reduce proposed utility rate increases by more than $500 million.pulp's impact advocacy also resulted in a substantial reduction of a monthly fee charged to low income customers at ppl electric and columbia gas, known as "cap plus", resulting in an estimated $9 million in savings for low income households through 2022-2023.while difficult to quantify, pulp's impact advocacy resulted in numerous improvements to utility assistance program eligibility and benefits including reduction in the applicable energy burden standards for hundreds of thousands of low income customers across Pennsylvania, improvements to enrollment and retention in low income rate assistance programs, and elimination of barriers to enrollment. These program policy reforms will generate hundreds of millions of dollars in added rate relief to Pennsylvania's low income consumers. Individual representationpulp closed over 367 individual cases through its emergency utility hotline. Pulp achieved substantial success for clients through individual representation leveraging over $540,768 in financial benefits to our clients: prevented termination of service and/or assisted with reconnection in 153 cases. Removed barriers to enrollment in universal service programs in 185 cases. Helped clients to defer approximately $131,143 in utility debt for forgiveness over time. Removed approximately $100,436 in debts from client accounts. Eliminated $3,613 in fees and security deposits associated with reconnection. Obtained $305,576 in direct financial relief through grant assistance, refunds, and reduced debt.pulp also referred 582 low income pennsylvanians to other Legal, health, and social service providers, and provided over 60 hours of free pro se assistance to self-represented individuals.training and technical assistancepulp hosted or presented at more than 40 trainings, reaching over 2,500 attorneys, advocates, regulators, policymakers, and utility professionals across all regions of the state. Notably, pulp staff was invited to present at several prestigious national and statewide conferences, including the mid-atlantic association of regulator utility commissioners' annual conference, the national energy and utility affordability conference, the Pennsylvania bar institute's public utility law conference, the community action association of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Housing alliances' rural Housing summit and homes within reach conferences, on matters involving utility poverty and effective utility assistance program design.pulp attorneys and advocates also provided over 90 hours of case consultation Services to Legal and social Services providers statewide to help resolve pressing utility matters for low income consumers.

Who funds Regional Housing Legal Services (RHLS)

Grants from foundations and other nonprofits
GrantmakerDescriptionAmount
Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN)Provide Legal Services To Public.$1,304,677
Pennsylvania Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts BoardLegal Assistance$958,549
Hillman Family FoundationsAffordable Housing Preservation and Homelessness Prevention Legal Aid$250,000
...and 7 more grants received

Personnel at RHLS

NameTitleCompensation
Phyllis GuillaumeChief Financial Officer and Director of Administat$150,416
Mark Levin, Esq.Chief Counsel$110,819
Dina SchlossbergExecutive Director$180,285
Elizabeth MarxPulp Executive Director$114,447
Cindy DaleyDirector of Community Redev$115,858
...and 7 more key personnel

Financials for RHLS

RevenuesFYE 06/2023
Total grants, contributions, etc.$4,054,289
Program services$0
Investment income and dividends$2,958
Tax-exempt bond proceeds$0
Royalty revenue$0
Net rental income$0
Net gain from sale of non-inventory assets$0
Net income from fundraising events$0
Net income from gaming activities$0
Net income from sales of inventory$0
Miscellaneous revenues$639
Total revenues$4,057,886

Form 990s for RHLS

Fiscal year endingDate received by IRSFormPDF link
2023-062023-10-11990View PDF
2022-062022-10-06990View PDF
2021-062021-10-13990View PDF
2020-062021-02-19990View PDF
2019-062019-11-22990View PDF
...and 9 more Form 990s
Data update history
December 26, 2023
Received grants
Identified 1 new grant, including a grant for $125,000 from The Heinz Endowments
November 30, 2023
Posted financials
Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2023
November 30, 2023
Updated personnel
Identified 6 new personnel
August 21, 2023
Received grants
Identified 1 new grant, including a grant for $100,000 from Hillman Family Foundations
August 10, 2023
Posted financials
Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2022
Nonprofit Types
Crime and legal aid organizationsLegal service nonprofitsHeadquarter / parent organizationsCharities
Issues
Human servicesCrime and lawLegal services
Characteristics
Political advocacyLobbyingState / local levelReceives government fundingManagement and technical assistanceTax deductible donations
General information
Address
123 S Broad St 1330
Philadelphia, PA 19109
Metro area
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Website URL
rhls.org/ 
Phone
(215) 572-7300
Facebook page
rhlspa 
Twitter profile
@rhlspa 
IRS details
EIN
23-1901416
Fiscal year end
June
Taxreturn type
Form 990
Year formed
1973
Eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (Pub 78)
Yes
Categorization
NTEE code, primary
I80: Legal Services
NAICS code, primary
5411: Legal Services
Parent/child status
Central organization
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