About MLAC
The Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC) was established by the Commonwealth in 1983 to ensure that low-income people with critical non-criminal legal problems would have access to legal information, advice and representation.
MLAC is the largest funding source for civil legal aid programs in Massachusetts.
Springfield Officials Stress Help Is Available For People To Avoid Eviction
/in Blog, Program News - Archives, Program News - Current /by mlacGovernment funds have helped people in western Massachusetts stay in their homes as jobs were lost and income shrank during the pandemic. Last June, the city of Springfield announced a $2 million emergency housing fund to help people pay rent, mortgage, and utility bills. All but $140,000 has now been claimed. The state has put […]
Boston advocacy groups will argue to keep policy in lawsuit challenging new exam school admissions process
/in Blog, Program News - Archives, Program News - Current /by mlacA coalition of Black, Asian and Latino advocacy groups will intervene in a lawsuit brought on by Boston parents that challenges a new admissions process for entry into the city’s elite exam schools, a policy the coalition wants to keep in place…. The lawsuit filed Friday by the Boston Parent Coalition for Academic Excellence against […]
As bills pile up for many jobless workers, state’s ‘dinosaur’ benefits system provides only frustration
/in Blog, Program News - Archives, Program News - Current /by mlacFor many Massachusetts workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic, the stress of being laid off has been magnified by the Sisyphean effort to navigate a balky unemployment system that has been hammered by more than 2.7 million new claims filed since mid-March of last year…. “They weren’t prepared to address unemployment in regular […]
Why are Latinos so overrepresented in the state child welfare system?
/in Blog, Program News - Archives, Program News - Current /by mlacRaquel, who did not want her last name used, is one of thousands of Latino families struggling to navigate a state child welfare system that is disproportionately ensnaring members of their community – and that is not always well-positioned to serve them. Latino children are more likely than white children to have an open DCF […]
When Does COVID-19 Become A Disability? ‘Long-Haulers’ Push For Answers And Benefits
/in Blog, Program News - Archives, Program News - Current /by mlacWhen COVID-19 first arrived in the U.S., Jodee Pineau-Chaisson was working as the director of social services for a nursing home in western Massachusetts. By the middle of April, residents at the Center for Extended Care in Amherst were getting sick. Pineau-Chaisson is a so-called long-hauler. These are people who survive COVID-19 but have symptoms […]
Hundreds of actions taken related to December evictions, state report shows
/in Blog, Program News - Archives, Program News - Current /by mlacLegal representation for tenants lags behind representation for landlords, a problem that drew a $12.3 million state investment in legal aid. Community Legal Aid, which provides free civil legal services to low-income or elderly residents of Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin, Hampshire and Worcester counties, was one recipient of that money. The group brought on 30 temporary […]
AG, Chief Justice, hundreds of attorneys call for increased funding at Talk to the Hill
/in Blog, News Coverage - Archives, News Coverage - Current /by mlacAdvocates urge legislature to fund civil legal aid at $35M in FY22 With demand for civil legal aid surging amid the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of attorneys and law students gathered online to make the case for increased state funding for civil legal aid. The 22nd annual Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid was […]
MLAC’s response to Governor’s Budget
/in Blog, News Coverage - Current, Press Release - Archives, Press Release - Current /by mlacUrges legislature to provide $35M for civil legal aid in FY22 BOSTON, January 27, 2021 – Today, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker released his FY22 budget with a recommendation to fund civil legal aid at $29 million, the same amount of funding it received in the FY21 budget. “I am grateful to Gov. Baker for his […]