Tag Archive for: Massachusetts Law Reform Institute

Staff Attorney – Massachusetts Legal Aid Websites Project

Are you a tech-savvy attorney passionate about justice, equity, and innovation? MLRI is seeking a creative, collaborative, and mission-driven Staff Attorney to join our dynamic Massachusetts Legal Aid Websites Project.  You’ll join a small, but committed team that uses technology to expand access to justice for low-income people across the Commonwealth.

This is an exciting opportunity to be at the forefront of legal tech in a high-impact, mission-focused environment. If you’re energized by problem-solving, community-building, and using digital tools to improve lives, we’d love to hear from you.

About MLRI:

Founded in 1968, the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) is a nationally recognized nonprofit poverty law and policy center that provides statewide advocacy and leadership in advancing laws, policies, and practices that secure economic, racial, and social justice for low-income people and communities. We pursue systems change through litigation, legislative and administrative advocacy, coalition building, community lawyering, and other strategies that address systemic harm to low-income people.

MLRI is also the statewide multi-issue poverty law support center for the Massachusetts civil legal aid delivery system; our advocates provide substantive expertise and technical assistance to frontline legal aid field program advocates and to many other advocates and providers who serve low-income people and communities in Massachusetts. See www.mlri.org

About the Websites Project:

The Massachusetts Legal Aid Websites Project uses technology to provide easy-to-understand, free legal resources to low-income people in need of legal help. It also supports a wide network of legal aid, poverty law and pro bono advocates. We manage a suite of websites visited by thousands of people every day that offer vital information, connection, and resources to both legal advocates and the public:

Major responsibilities:

1. Lead and Evolve MassLegalServices.org

  • Manage content, training resources, and collaboration tools for legal aid advocates.
  • Foster communities of practice and support statewide collaboration, including by managing substantive legal aid listservs.
  • Develop strategies for effective information management.
  • Ensure accessibility and maintain technical integrity of the platform.
  • Promote awareness and engagement with the site and its resources.
  • Work with subject matter experts to develop special initiatives.

2. Oversee Mass Legal Answers Online (MLAO)

  • Recruit and support volunteer attorneys.
  • Manage workflows, troubleshoot user issues, and oversee the legal advice queue.
  • Develop strategies to grow visibility and community engagement.
  • Assist with grant writing and fundraising.
  • Answer questions in the queue as needed.

3. Maintain and Enhance MassLRF.org

  • Keep referral information current and reliable.
  • Support users and partner organizations with updates and technical issues.
  • Monitor site functionality and user experience.

4. Advance Innovation in Legal Tech

  • Explore new technologies, including AI, that support legal aid work.
  • Collaborate on experimental and cutting-edge projects that expand access to justice.
  • Demonstrate leadership in the broader legal aid community.
  • Identify best practices from other jurisdictions.

Ideal Candidate

  • Juris Doctor (JD) and admission to, or eligible for admission to, the Massachusetts bar
  • 5–10 years of relevant experience (poverty law strongly preferred)
  • Proven leadership in project management and cross-team collaboration
  • Tech-savvy with experience in web platforms (Drupal/WordPress a plus), UX design, accessibility standards, and plain language writing
  • Strong communicator, both written and oral
  • Experience working with, recruiting, and retaining pro bono attorneys
  • Creative, adaptable, and eager to leverage technology for systemic impact
  • Commitment to anti-racism, equity, and serving marginalized communities

Salary and Benefits:

MLRI offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. MLRI provides a very generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, 403(b) plan employer contribution of 5%, as well as vacation, holiday, winter recess and family leave.

MLRI’s salaries are based on scale and are commensurate with skills and years of relevant experience. For example, for this position the annual salary range is $85,000-$105,000 depending on the applicant’s level of experience. Internal equity considerations and average salary of the peer range will be reviewed and taken into consideration.

MLRI is currently operating on a hybrid schedule with two days per week in the office. We are committed to a fair and equitable workplace that promotes work-life balance.

How to Apply:

Please email the following the required materials to humanresources@mlri.org with “Websites Project Attorney” in the subject line:

  • Cover letter that outlines experience and qualifications
  • Resume

Deadline for Submission:

Application materials will be reviewed, and interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis; interested and qualified candidates are strongly encouraged to submit application materials promptly.

Outreach efforts starting as eviction-sealing law takes effect in Mass.

Annette Duke, a Senior Housing Staff Attorney at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI), has played a key role in advocating for the state’s new eviction-sealing law, which went into effect on May 5, 2025. This law allows tenants who meet specific criteria to petition to have their eviction records sealed, providing a crucial opportunity for individuals facing housing instability. Duke, along with other housing advocates, worked tirelessly to push for this legislation, which aims to remove barriers for tenants seeking stable housing. Her involvement underscores MLRI’s ongoing commitment to improving housing justice and access for vulnerable populations in Massachusetts. Read the full story from NBC Boston below.

Read the original story here. 

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Thousands of Massachusetts residents gained a new tool in the search for stable housing Monday, as a law took effect allowing eligible tenants to have their past eviction records sealed.

State Sen. Lydia Edwards, a longtime advocate for the law, said she already helped a constituent file an eviction-sealing petition Monday morning with the support of community organization City Life/Vida Urbana. Edwards said they used a website to fill out the paperwork.

“I was nervous. We got to, it was CourtFormsOnline.org — went to there, looked up housing, had the petition, just clicked on that. And then it literally walks you through: What’s your name, where’s your docket, your docket number — which everyone will need to have their docket number — and then what’s your address,” Edwards said at a press conference outside the Edward W. Brooke Courthouse in downtown Boston, where the Eastern Housing Court is located.

“And then we just went through it together, and then filed it,” the East Boston Democrat, who co-chaired the Joint Committee on Housing last session, continued. “It was filed directly in the court that it needed to go to, and we did this all from the public library.”

Edwards, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Senate President Karen Spilka, Boston Chief of Housing Sheila Dillon and other officials joined advocates and housing attorneys outside the courthouse to raise awareness of the new law, which was embedded in the Affordable Homes Act that Gov. Maura Healey signed in August.

The new law is intended to remove a major barrier to housing stability. Eviction records are publicly-accessible court records, which landlords can currently use to deny housing to prospective tenants. Records are public even if tenants won a case or reached an agreement with a landlord, advocates said.

Eviction sealing is not an automatic process under the new law. Tenants who win their case, have a case dismissed or had a no-fault eviction case can petition to have their records sealed immediately after the appeal period ends, according to a fact sheet. Tenants will need to wait four years to petition after the end of a non-payment case, and seven years after a fault-eviction case.

The law also blocks credit and consumer reporting agencies from including information about sealed eviction records in their reports.

Nearly 5,000 evictions are filed annually in Boston, with “many” submitted at the courthouse where officials and advocates had gathered, Dillon said.

“About 1,500 of those eviction filings turn into actual evictions, and it is really hard for those families to oftentimes move on because of the records that they have acquired along the way,” Dillon said.

She added, “It’s wonderful to have this new tool, but it’s also our work to make sure that less evictions happen every year by creating more affordable housing, providing more legal assistance, more rental relief. And so the work upstream needs to continue.”

Greg Vasil, CEO of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, said his organization initially opposed the eviction sealing law over safety concerns for tenants. Vasil said it’s important for building owners to know about certain past offenses when screening prospective tenants.

GBREB eventually backed the law after years of dialogue with Edwards, including during her tenure as a city councilor, and with House Majority Leader Mike Moran of Brighton.

There will be “growing pains” with the new law, Vasil told the News Service.

“It’s going to be a learning process for a lot of people. A lot of our owners are large owners that may have dealt with this in other jurisdictions across the country,” Vasil said. “It’s going to be a real sea change for the small owner, which a lot of us folks we don’t represent. It’s going to be very different for the mom and pops. They don’t have a team, they don’t necessarily have a legal staff that they can look at.”

The Massachusetts Trial Court launched an online tool Monday, called the Eviction Sealing Guided Interview, to help Bay Staters navigate the process and file petitions electronically. Annette Duke, senior housing staff attorney at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, also encouraged residents to visit SealMyEviction.org for resources about the process.

Campbell called Monday a “historic and amazing day” for tenants. Black renters are 2.4 times more likely to have an eviction filed against them than their white counterparts, and Black women are at greatest risk of having an eviction record or case filed against them, the attorney general said.

“We want everyone today to know that if you have an eviction in the past, that starting today, this option may be available to us. So, it will be incumbent upon all of us to get this information out to the people across the commonwealth,” Campbell said. “I want to promise, and I’m making a promise, that our office will do everything in its power to continue our trainings, Know Your Rights, providing legal clinics, materials, all the resources that we are able to provide to ensure that folks have access to this critical information.”

With SNAP theft rising, parents struggle to feed their families

As SNAP benefit theft surges in Massachusetts, leaving thousands of families without food assistance, the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute is leading the charge for urgent action. MLRI reports that over $3.6 million has been stolen from 7,800 households since December and is advocating for state funding to replace lost benefits and expedite secure chip-enabled EBT cards. Read the full story from the Boston Globe below.

Read the original story here.

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Dawn Hines had just finished a quick grocery run when she realized all the SNAP funds had been drained from her card — $608 gone in the 10 minutes it took to get through the checkout line at the Braintree Stop & Shop, walk back to her car, and check her account.

Hines is one of thousands of low-income Massachusetts families that collectively had millions of dollars in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds stolen in recent months. The theft of SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, has become a national epidemic in recent years, fueled by suspected crime rings using skimmers on retail card readers to access electronic benefits cards.

Since December, when federal funding to replace stolen SNAP money was halted, families have been left without the help they rely on to put food on the table. And massive funding cuts to the SNAP program being discussed by the Trump administration make additional federal replacement funds unlikely.

Hines, 46, was going through a severe depression that left her unable to continue working full-time as a personal care attendant when she received her first round of SNAP benefits in January. With only 57 cents left on her card after she discovered the funds were gone, and a month to go until the next deposit, Hines went to food pantries for noodles, bread, cheese, and soup to feed herself and two sons.

“I was so happy to have that money and for it to be gone in … a blink of an eye, I felt like somebody stabbed me in the heart,” she said. “To me it felt like a million dollars — $600, I can feed my kids.”

Roughly 7,800 Massachusetts families have had more than $3.6 million stolen from their accounts since mid-December, according to the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, an advocacy group for low-income families. The rate of thefts is on the rise, currently draining about $1 million a month from residents’ accounts, MLRI said; all told, roughly $18 million in SNAP funds have been stolen from state residents over the past three years.

Criminals have been skimming data from electronic benefits transfer cards loaded with SNAP benefits since at least 2021, according to the FBI, by inserting or overlaying undetectable devices on card readers in stores, some of which can wirelessly transmit information from the cards’ magnetic stripes. The funds can then be deposited into an account or transferred to a cloned card to make bulk purchases of items that can easily be resold.

In fiscal years 2023 and 2024, more than $220 million in SNAP funds were stolen nationwide, according to the USDA.

“It’s our understanding that they are part of an organized crime ring,” said Birabwa Kajubi, associate commissioner for quality management at the state Department of Transitional Assistance, which administers SNAP benefits and works with the USDA and local police departments to investigate thefts.

Skimming has become a major issue for consumers of all types. Last summer, six British, Romanian, and Irish citizens were charged with defrauding thousands of Rhode Island and Massachusetts residents using skimming devices at ATMs and retail stores, and two Romanian nationals recently admitted to installing card skimmers at ATMs in six states, including Rhode Island and Massachusetts, over two years.

In November, the Springfield Police Department issued an alert about skimming, noting that four skimmers had been found in convenience stores.

But credit and debit card holders have largely been shielded from fraud by federal protections, and most of those cards have been equipped with chips for a decade. These protections don’t apply to EBT cards, however. Equipping EBT cards with chips, which generate a unique transaction code for each purchase and make it much more difficult to steal information, is the “most promising systemic solution,” Kajubi said.

In January, California became the first state to issue chip EBT cards, and Governor Maura Healey recently allocated $15.5 million in her supplemental budget for the current fiscal year to convert SNAP benefits to chip cards. But it will take months to update point-of-sale devices in retail stores and issue new cards. In the meantime, the swipe cards used by more than 665,000 older adults, people with disabilities, and working parents in Massachusetts remain vulnerable to skimming.

In late November, DTA rolled out a tool that allows SNAP recipients to lock their accounts using an app or online portal. But as Hines’s experience shows, funds can be drained quickly — sometimes minutes after they’re deposited in recipients’ accounts.

Adding pressure to the situation is the fact that the SNAP program is facing cuts of up to $230 billion from the Trump administration, which would slash the program by more than 20 percent.

Advocates are pushing the state, which previously dedicated around $3 million to supplement federal replacement funds, to allocate $6 million to help families grappling with stolen benefits. State Senator Robyn Kennedy of Worcester, who sponsored a bill to grant replacement funds, said in a statement that this is a “modest investment compared to the daily harm being inflicted on low-income households, many of whom rely on these benefits to feed their children.”

“While we see more and more devastating cuts coming from the Trump administration and Congress, it’s clear we cannot rely on the federal government to support our residents as they previously did to replace stolen SNAP benefits,” said Kennedy, a Democrat.

Until chip cards are in place, families whose benefits are stolen need help to feed their families, said Victoria Negus, senior economic justice advocate at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. Parents have told about skipping meals to feed their children and counting out change to buy a gallon of milk.

“I learned my SNAP was stolen when trying to purchase a full cart of groceries at Market Basket,” one said. “We are hungry. We have no food. We did not eat yesterday.”

The government finger-pointing has been “infuriating,” Negus said: “State government pointing at federal government, federal government pointing at state, and nobody has systemically taken the steps that families need to put them on equal footing in the checkout line.”

Hines, who has been careful to lock her card since her account was drained, is still worried about feeding her family, especially with the economy in turmoil and tariffs threatening to raise prices even higher.

“Things are very expensive now,” she said. “You spend $100 and you’re getting a bag of groceries and it’s not feeding you for a week. … If things go any higher, I don’t even know what we are going to do.”

Director of the Massachusetts Legal Aid Websites Project – MLRI

We are seeking an energetic self-starter to join our team as the Director of the Massachusetts Legal Aid Websites Project. This is a unique professional opportunity for someone who is interested in advancing the role of technology to further access to justice for low- and moderate-income people in Massachusetts.

About the Massachusetts Legal Aid Websites Project and MLRI:
The Massachusetts Legal Aid Websites Project uses technology to provide easy-to-understand, free legal resources to low-income people in need of legal help. It also supports a wide network of legal aid, poverty law and pro bono advocates. We operate a number of websites including MassLegalHelp.org, MassLegalServices.org, MassLRF.org. MassProBono.org and MassLAO.org. We are also engaged in other access to justice through technology initiatives. The Websites Project is located at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI).

Founded in 1968, MLRI is a nationally recognized nonprofit poverty law and policy center that provides statewide advocacy and leadership in advancing laws, policies, and practices that secure economic, racial, and social justice for low-income people and communities. We pursue systems change through litigation, legislative and administrative advocacy, coalition building, community lawyering, and other strategies that address systemic harm to low-income people.

MLRI is also the statewide multi-issue poverty law support center for the Massachusetts civil legal aid delivery system; our advocates provide substantive expertise and technical assistance to frontline legal aid field program advocates and to many other advocates and providers who serve low-income people and communities in Massachusetts. See www.mlri.org

Responsibilities:
Program leadership
● Lead strategic direction and goal setting to maintain and expand the Websites Project’s role as a key legal technology and legal information resource for Massachusetts residents and the legal services community statewide.
● Spearhead the development of new initiatives that leverage Websites Project’s resources and related technology innovations, including Artificial Intelligence and document assembly, to increase access to justice in Massachusetts.
● Lead strategic communications and outreach activities to grow awareness and usage of the Websites Project’s resources and services among key stakeholders. Build relationships with broader justice community stakeholders, including legal aid practitioners, the courts, bar associations, law schools, and non-legal institutions such as public libraries, educators and social workers, to advance outreach and collaboration strategies.
● Support the other Websites Project team members in ongoing development and maintenance of the Websites Project’s websites, and participate directly in these activities as needed, including:
○ Content development
○ Technical and design enhancements
○ Community outreach and communications
○ Website evaluation and data collection and analysis
○ Engaging with site editors and legal aid program administrators
○ Working with external technology vendors and consultants
● Participate in statewide and national legal aid and technology networks.
Administration and Fundraising
● Develop and manage the Websites Project budget.
● Manage, supervise and mentor the team of 3 Website Project staff, cultivating a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence.
● Oversee management and reporting on program grant and/or contract deliverables.
● Manage contracts with external vendors, such as our technical website developers.
● In coordination with MLRI development staff, engage in fundraising efforts for the Websites Project, including proposal development.
● Oversee program impact evaluation efforts.
This job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee; others may be assigned.

Qualifications:
● 10 plus years relevant work experience, including management experience. Poverty law and/or nonprofit legal tech experience is strongly preferred.
● Strong knowledge about poverty law issues facing Massachusetts residents. JD preferred but not required.
● Bold and creative thinker with a passion for using technology to promote access to justice.
● Demonstrated experience developing and managing programs and projects that use technology to effectively inform and support members of the public and/or communities of practice. Experience using these technologies to support pro se litigants and legal aid advocates is a plus.
● Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including listening, public speaking and writing skills.
● Demonstrated ability to lead projects, work well with people, and foster and facilitate collaboration among diverse stakeholders.
● Strengths in managing, developing and coaching individuals or teams.
● Ability to think and act strategically, creatively, and collaboratively.
● Strong self-motivation and initiative required.
● Commitment to MLRI’s mission to serve low-income and vulnerable populations and to advance an anti-racist, community-driven advocacy agenda.
● Web and tech savvy. A strong understanding of content management platforms, UX/UI, analytics platforms, web accessibility and writing in plain language for online audiences, is preferred. Demonstrated experience administering websites and content management systems, particularly Drupal and WordPress, is a plus.

Salary and Benefits:
● Position is full-time. MLRI is currently operating on a hybrid schedule.
● MLRI offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment.
● MLRI provides very generous benefits including health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, 403(b) employer match, 403(b) plan employer contribution of 5% after 6 months of employment, as well as vacation, holiday, and family leave.
● MLRI’s salaries are based on scale and commensurate with skills and years of relevant experience. For example, for this position the annual salary range for someone with 10 years or so of experience is $105,000 – $117,000 depending on applicant level of experience. Internal equity considerations and average salary of the peer range will be reviewed and taken into consideration.

To apply:
To apply, please email a resume and thoughtful cover letter outlining your experience and qualifications to humanresources@mlri.org, with “Websites Project Director” in the subject line.

Application Deadline:
Application materials will be reviewed, and interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis; interested and qualified candidates are strongly encouraged to submit their application materials as soon as possible.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
MLRI is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We believe that having a staff, board, and volunteers with diverse personal and professional backgrounds and lived experience enhances our ability to meet our mission and creates an environment where all members of our community can thrive. We strongly encourage applications from people of color, immigrants, women, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community, people with lived experience of poverty and/or racism, and people from underrepresented and historically marginalized groups.

Date: April 9, 2025

Child Welfare Attorney – MLRI

The Opportunity:

Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) seeks an experienced attorney to lead its statewide child welfare advocacy. The attorney will lead and support strategic campaigns to prevent children and parents from entering the MA child welfare system and to create a well-resourced community-based system of support so Massachusetts children and families can thrive without involuntary state intervention. In addition, the attorney will support the statewide MA Family Preservation Project (FPP) by providing technical assistance, trainings and other forms of substantive support to project attorneys and other advocates in civil legal services programs across the state who are representing families involved in or at risk of involvement in the child welfare system. This position will report to the Deputy Director of Advocacy/Supervising Attorney of the Families & Children practice group.

About MLRI:

Founded in 1968, MLRI is a nationally recognized nonprofit poverty law and policy center that provides statewide advocacy and leadership in advancing laws, policies, and practices that secure economic, racial, and social justice for low-income people and communities. We pursue systems change through litigation, legislative and administrative advocacy, coalition building, community lawyering, and other strategies that address systemic harm to low-income people. MLRI is also the statewide multi-issue poverty law support center for the Massachusetts civil legal aid delivery system; our advocates provide substantive expertise and technical assistance to frontline legal aid field program advocates and to many other advocates and providers who serve low-income people and communities in Massachusetts. See www.mlri.org

Job Responsibilities:

• Lead MLRI’s statewide child welfare/regulatory system policy advocacy, through legislative and administrative advocacy, litigation, coalition building, working with community groups and individuals with lived expertise, and trainings.
• Support the MA Family Preservation Project (FPP), including facilitating monthly workshops and trainings, answering substantive questions from project attorneys related to DCF policies/practices/regulations, managing the FPP listserv, providing guidance and technical assistance on data collection.
• Help drive racial justice advocacy in the child welfare/regulatory system in Massachusetts and integrate a race equity lens connecting the child welfare/regulatory system with other substantive areas of advocacy.
• Lead, engage in or support law reform litigation in the child welfare area.
• Provide or update child welfare related content as needed for external legal information websites (e.g., MassLegalHelp.org, MassLegalServices.org).
• Work with the Massachusetts child welfare coalition to identify long-standing and emerging issues and strategize solutions to advance a collective agenda.
• Cultivate and strengthen relationships with community-based groups and individuals with personal experiences with the child welfare/regulatory system to inform and direct MLRI’s work and support the work of community-based partners.
• Participate in national child welfare advocacy through the State Policy and Advocacy Resource Center (SPARC) and other groups.
• Provide client assistance to child welfare system-involved individuals.
• Assist with financial and other resource development including grant development.
• This job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee; others may be assigned.
Desired Experience & Qualifications:
• J.D. and admission to, or eligible for admission to, the Massachusetts bar.
• Minimum 7 years legal experience.
• Demonstrated experience or background in child welfare law/regulatory system policy and advocacy.
• Experience working with families involved in the child welfare/family system and interacting with the Department of Child and Families (DCF) and with the Court system especially Care and Protection Cases.
• Experience in supporting other advocates through training, provision of information, consultation, and other forms of technical assistance.
• Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to racial justice advocacy including an ability to confront, identify, and develop strategies to dismantle structural racism, bias, and oppression.
• Ability to lead diverse groups effectively and prioritize responsibilities.
• Demonstrated ability to work with people living in poverty, people of color, people with diverse backgrounds and experiences, individuals involved with the child welfare/regulatory system, or community-based organizations and coalitions.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, listening, research and writing skills.
• Ability to think and act strategically, creatively, and collaboratively.
• Bold and creative thinker with a passion for advocacy to change the child welfare/regulatory system.
• Commitment to MLRI’s mission to serve low-income and marginalized populations and to advance an anti-racist, community-driven child welfare advocacy agenda.

Salary and Benefits:

• MLRI offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment.
• MLRI provides a very generous benefits including health, dental, vision, life, and
disability insurance, 403(b) employer match, 403(b) plan employer contribution of 5% after 6 months of employment, as well as vacation, holiday, and family leave.
• MLRI’s Staff Attorney salaries are based on scale and are commensurate with skills and years of relevant post-JD attorney experience. For example, for this position the annual salary range is $70,000 -$91,800 depending on applicant level of experience. Internal equity considerations and average salary of the peer range will be reviewed and taken into consideration. MLRI is currently operating on a hybrid schedule.

How to Apply:

To apply, please email a cover letter, resume and a legal writing sample with “Child Welfare Attorney” in the subject line to: humanresources@mlri.org In your cover letter, please describe your relevant experience with the child welfare/regulatory system and your understanding of the role that racial justice plays in effective child welfare advocacy, and/or that child welfare advocacy plays in achieving racial justice.
Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. Qualified candidates are encouraged to submit their application materials promptly.

MLRI’S Commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion:

MLRI seeks to create a team that reflects our organizational values of justice, equity, and community. This includes hiring staff with connections to the communities we serve whenever possible. We believe that having a staff, board, and volunteers from diverse personal backgrounds enhances our ability to fulfill our mission and creates an environment where all members of our community are reflected in our advocacy. We strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, immigrants, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, people with lived experience of poverty, and people from underrepresented and historically marginalized groups.

Policy shifts in how Mass. handles its homelessness crisis took effect this week. Advocates have mixed reactions.

Below is an excerpt of an article published by the Boston Globe on December 16. The article discusses changes in policy meant to address the homelessness crisis, with advocates saying new policies are creating confusion and instability, instead of creating sustainable solutions to an urgent crisis. Staff from Greater Boston Legal Services and Massachusetts Law Reform Institute are quoted.

Changes to how Massachusetts is handling its homelessness crisis took effect this week, and the shifts in policy were met with mixed reaction from advocates, some of whom pointedly asked whether the moves were efficient, humane, or even legal.

Last month, state officials said they are creating a new, two-track system for eligible homeless families seeking shelter. In a change that began on Tuesday, authorities are allowing many families to stay for 30 business days in so-called temporary respite centers. The previous cap was five days, which critics lambasted as cruel.

While the change will give some families more time, some advocates said it’s still not nearly enough. Kelly Turley, associate director for the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, said it’s unrealistic to expect many families to be able to exit homelessness into safe, affordable housing in 30 business days.

“Artificial timelines for five days or 30 days — we’re afraid they’re going to set families up for failure,” she said this week.

Under the state’s new approach, there is now a different track, separate from the respite centers, for families seeking shelter who are considered high-risk. Women who have late-term pregnancies or families that include people with intellectual or developmental disabilities will be allowed to stay for months under what state officials called a longer-term “bridge shelter” track.

Read more at the Boston Globe.

Facing a cost of more than $1 billion, Healey proposes dramatic changes to emergency shelter system (Boston Globe)

Below is an excerpt from a Boston Globe article published On November 24. It discusses new changes implemented to the Emergency Shelter System by Governor Healey, with hopes of alleviating financial pressures on the state. Advocates say the new regulations will continue to constrain and force families into homelessness. Massachusetts Law Reform Institute’s Andrea Park is quoted.

Governor Maura Healey said Friday she will seek to cap stays in emergency shelters for homeless and migrant families to six months, marking her latest effort to contain spending within a strained shelter system that is projected to cost the state nearly $1.1 billion this fiscal year.

If approved by the Legislature, Healey’s proposal would slice three months off the maximum time families are allowed in shelters, which itself was among the first restrictions the state put on shelter stays since the inception of Massachusetts’ right-to-shelter law four decades ago.

The proposal is one of several dramatic changes Healey’s administration will impose — or try to impose — in the coming weeks and months. State officials said Friday they intend to “phase out” the use of hotels and motels to shelter homeless families, a task that proved a years-long effort for Healey’s predecessor. Healey said she will also ask lawmakers to increase subsidies available to families looking for long-term housing to help move more of them out of shelter.

More immediately, state officials said they are creating a new, two-track system for eligible homeless and migrant families seeking shelter. Starting Dec. 10, many families will be allowed to stay for 30 business days in so-called temporary respite centers; they’re currently capped at five days, which critics have argued is “cruel” and has helped push families to the street.

Read more at the Boston Globe.

State report: As Fall River punishes homelessness, city lags behind in affordable housing (Fall River Herald)

Below is an excerpt of an article published by the Fall River Herald on October 16. The article discusses local housing advocates urging the city of Fall River to focus on increasing affordable and market-rate housing amidst a City Council decision banning unauthorized camping on public property. Massachusetts Law Reform Insitute is mentioned.

A Boston housing advocacy group is urging Fall River to prioritize market-rate and affordable housing as debate continues over a City Council vote last month to ban unauthorized camping on public property.

The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute cited data from Housing Navigator Massachusetts to quantify the shortage of housing available to lower income residents in a report. It found that Fall River has only 20 affordable rental units per 100 low-income renter households, lagging behind the statewide ratio by 44%.

The report, published earlier this week, comes as the 6-1 City Council vote in favor of the ordinance has stirred questions about balancing public safety and the rights of homeless people, while trying to address the growing presence of encampments in parks, sidewalks and other public areas.

The ordinance prohibits camping or sleeping on public property without authorization and introduces the possibility of fines for violations. However, it offers exemptions for homeless individuals if no shelter beds are available, provided they agree to relocate to a shelter when space opens. Despite these provisions, many fear the ordinance may criminalize homelessness and overlook its root causes.

Read more at the Fall River Herald.

Haitian community members in Boston rally in solidarity with Springfield, Ohio (Worcester Telegram)

Below is an excerpt from an article published by the Worcester Telegram discussing the hundreds of residents, primarily of Haitian descent, who gathered in Boston to rally against misinformation spread by presidential nominees. Massachusetts Law Reform Institute’s Heather Yountz is quoted.

BOSTON ― The general consensus at the Boston gathering Tuesday of hundreds of Massachusetts residents, many of Haitian descent, is that the Republican nominees for president and vice president have messed with the wrong people.

“We will make sure he is not elected,” said Jean-Claude Sanon, a Mattapan resident and one of the masters of ceremonies participating in the rally of support for the Massachusetts Haitian community. “We are deeply concerned with the effects of this fearmongering. It must stop.”

Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, who is of Haitian descent, said 300,000 Haitian American citizens are registered to vote in Florida along with thousands of others registered in other states including Georgia, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey.

Read more at the Worcester Telegram.

Shelter panel presents challenge for Driscoll (Greenfield Recorder)

Below is an excerpt from an article published on September 17 by the Greenfield Recorder about a commission created to address the state’s emergency family shelter system amid rising homelessness, is struggling to reach consensus ahead of its December 1 deadline for recommendations. Activists who attended a recent meeting criticized the lack of direct input from families affected by homelessness. Andrea Park of Massachusetts Law Reform is quoted.

BOSTON — A commission tasked with considering the structure and sustainability of the state’s beleaguered emergency family shelter system is up against a quickly approaching deadline, with still broad disagreement amongst its members about what exactly is at the core of the state’s right-to-shelter law.

The commission was established in a supplemental budget passed in April that also injected $251 million more into the shelter system and established new time limits on how long families can stay in the state-supported housing.

The members have to turn in a report by Dec. 1 with their recommendations to improve the sustainability and effectiveness of the Emergency Assistance (EA) program, review safety practices at overflow sites and create a region-based response to support families in need of shelter.

“We are short on time. I want to be clear. This commission’s report is due in December, and I don’t think we’re going to have this completely figured out and solve it, but we’re hoping to really be running down a lane that folks can kind of get behind as we work on the current implementation challenges and opportunities that we have,” commission Chair Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said at a Monday meeting.

Special commissions are often created by the Legislature when lawmakers are unable to agree on a policy shifts. Oftentimes, the panels themselves disband without coming to an agreement themselves.

Read more at the Greenfield Recorder.