Community Legal Aid

Every day, Community Legal Aid receives calls from clients facing civil legal problems that threaten their homes, families, health, and livelihoods. Make your 2024 gift to Community Legal Aid and ensure a family like Livia's has the access to legal representation that they deserve. communitylegal.org/donate --- Worcester resident Livia Gonzalez is the sole caretaker for her adult son Roberto, who was born with a progressive genetic condition called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. In 2022, the accessible apartment where Livia and Roberto had happily lived for many years was bought by a housing developer who sought to evict them. Overwhelmed and unsure what to do, Livia contacted CLA for help. With the collaboration of Roberto's medical team, who testified that moving Roberto would be a risk to his life, CLA Attorneys Michelin Cahill and Marina Abraham successfully helped Livia negotiate a settlement that preserved her and Roberto's tenancy. Livia is now a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, where she uses her voice to help advocate for increased funding for Community Legal Aid and other similar organizations. In January 2024, Livia told her story to a crowd of hundreds of people at the Massachusetts statehouse.

In addition to the thousands of individual cases we handle every year, Community Legal Aid is committed to working on cases that benefit a broad group of people who face common issues. Curious what we mean by that? Here are a few examples of how your support creates ripples of justice: 1. CLA represented a mother in addiction recovery who was denied an affordable housing voucher for herself and her infant son due to her criminal record. CLA got the client's voucher denial overturned, and afterwards worked collaboratively with the relevant housing authority to develop new policies around the use of criminal records in housing decisions. This paved the way for a more transparent process for future applicants. 2. In the case, Marrero et al. v. Jeffers, CLA represented five low-income workers who were affected by the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) mishandling of unemployment insurance benefits during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. CLA's successful advocacy on behalf of these five clients provided financial recourse to thousands of struggling workers throughout the state. 3. This spring, CLA’s Family Law Unit had two important appellate victories. Not only did CLA successfully obtain abuse prevention orders on behalf of our clients in these cases, but the rulings provided clarity on the burden of proof that should be imposed on all domestic abuse survivors requesting an extension of an abuse protection order in Massachusetts. Make your 2024 gift online today and send forth ripples of justice not just to the clients we serve, but throughout your community. communitylegal.org/donate Thank you in advance for supporting Access to Justice. We couldn't do this work without you!

2nd Street Second Chances Receives Mass Sheriffs Association Award BY Brittany Polito | iBerkshires.com PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Second Street Second Chances has garnered statewide recognition for its efforts to prevent recidivism. The Massachusetts Sheriffs Association honored it with the Program of the Year Award during its second annual law enforcement and corrections award ceremony on Tuesday. “I’m so proud of Second Street Second Chances for winning the Program of the Year award, which they truly deserve,” Berkshire County Sheriff Thomas Bowler said. “Under the guidance of Executive Director Lindsay Cornwell, 2nd Street has become a trusted and respected resource for formerly incarcerated persons in Berkshire County. 2nd Street’s dedication and genuine care have paved the way for their clients to reenter their communities with dignity and purpose.” Personnel from across the commonwealth gathered at the State House in Boston to applaud their colleagues. There were 10 categories of awards for individuals, departments, and programs. Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi, president of the MSA, led the ceremony which was live-streamed on social media. “Our correctional and law enforcement professionals are the unsung heroes of our justice system. Day in and day out, they commit themselves to challenging a vital mission and that mission is to make a difference, both in our communities and in the lives of the justice-involved individuals entrusted in our care,” Cocchi said. “These individuals who have faced their share of difficulties deserve our respect, compassion, and the opportunity for a successful re-entrance. It is the dedication and tireless efforts of our sheriff’s offices, their professionalism, that make this a reality. These devoted professionals play a pivotal role in ensuring that the individuals in our care have the chance to rebuild their lives to return home better, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, sons, and daughters.” Launched in 2022, “2nd Street” has assisted more than 1,000 individuals with medical and mental health, housing, job training, legal services, and more. In the last two years, data has shown an 11 percent recidivism rate for those participating in the program, compared to an overall rate of 36 percent for Berkshire County. Cornwell said the program has become a fixture in the community and the award is “truly humbling.” The program recently celebrated a larger and revitalized space at the former Berkshire County jail building. This was said to reflect the need for program services. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ef-4eYXn

All Community Legal Aid offices are closed Friday, December 13, 2024 for an organization-wide staff meeting. We’ll see you Monday!

Thank you United Way of the Franklin & Hampshire Region for supporting Community Legal Aid's Veteran's Medical Legal Partnership and Benefits project!

TODAY ONLY, local store Provisions Wine has generously pledged to donate 10% of the proceeds from all sales made in-store, to Community Legal Aid's Hampshire County Access to Justice Campaign. Stock up on beer, wine, spirits, and snacks at Provisions' Northampton and Amherst locations TODAY, Wednesday, December 11, 2024, and know that you'll be supporting Access to Justice for your most vulnerable neighbors. Happy shopping! Browse provisions: provisionswine.com Learn more about the Hampshire County Access to Justice Campaign: p2p.onecause.com/hampshire or communitylegal.org #hamshirecounty #northampton #amherst #accesstojustice

On November 21, it was announced that the Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court had appointed CLA Managing Attorney Inês Kenney as one of four new members of the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission. The Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission was created by order of the Supreme Judicial Court in 2005 to provide leadership, vision and coordination for the many organizations dedicated to improving access to justice for all persons in the Commonwealth who are unable to afford counsel for their essential civil legal needs. About Attorney Inês Kenney: Before taking on her current position as Managing Attorney of CLA's Fitchburg Office, Attorney Kenney served as an education law staff attorney at CLA, representing students with special needs and those facing suspension or expulsion; as an attorney at the Victim Rights Law Center representing survivors of rape, sexual assault, and stalking in related matters such as Title IX, eviction defense, and abuse/harassment prevention orders; and as an AmeriCorps member with Northeast Legal Aid’s Housing Unit. She is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School and the University of Massachusetts (Amherst). CLA would also like to congratulate, former staff member Judge Dana Doyle on her appointment to the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission! Read more: https://lnkd.in/eyjjd_Dd

This is what lending discrimination looks like. These applicants have the same credit score, income, and other qualifications – so why didn't they all get a similar interest rate? An analysis of nearly seven million mortgages found that Black and Latino borrowers were charged higher interest rates and fees than similarly qualified white borrowers, costing them collectively an additional $765 million a year. If you believe you've experienced lending discrimination because of race or national origin, contact U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or your local fair housing center. To file a complaint visit: hud.gov/fairhousing or call 1-800-669-9777 Federal Relay Service 1-800-877-8339 Or contact Community Legal Aid, your local legal services organization: Online at https://lnkd.in/gxZ-fRQ Or by phone at (855) 252-5342

GREENFIELD — After decades working out of a satellite office on Federal Street, Community Legal Aid has found a new home in downtown Greenfield. Community Legal Aid, which provides free civil legal services to low-income and elderly residents in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester counties, officially welcomed the public to its new home at 14 Hope St., Suite 104, on Nov. 19. The same building also houses the Greenfield Recorder offices. Following renovations to the building, Community Legal Aid finally has a full office in Franklin County. It had operated out of a satellite office on Federal Street for about 30 years, working on 387 cases with more than 1,000 residents just last year, according to Managing Attorney Jennifer Dieringer. The new digs on Hope Street, she said, will serve as an opportunity for Community Legal Aid to expand its offerings to Franklin County residents. “This is the first time in about three decades that we have a fully staffed and fully opened office. We’ve always served Franklin County, but now we are really able to expand our services and have a full-time presence here, which is really exciting,” Dieringer said in an interview in her new office. “Historically, folks working out of our Northampton offices served Hampshire and Franklin counties, so what we’re doing now is building out the office here so we’ll basically double our resources for Franklin County.” READ THE FULL STORY: communitylegal.org

GREENFIELD — After decades working out of a satellite office on Federal Street, Community Legal Aid has found a new home in downtown Greenfield. Community Legal Aid, which provides free civil legal services to low-income and elderly residents in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester counties, officially welcomed the public to its new home at 14 Hope St., Suite 104, on Nov. 19. The same building also houses The Greenfield Recorder offices. Following renovations to the building, Community Legal Aid finally has a full office in Franklin County. It had operated out of a satellite office on Federal Street for about 30 years, working on 387 cases with more than 1,000 residents just last year, according to Managing Attorney Jennifer Dieringer. The new digs on Hope Street, she said, will serve as an opportunity for Community Legal Aid to expand its offerings to Franklin County residents. “This is the first time in about three decades that we have a fully staffed and fully opened office. We’ve always served Franklin County, but now we are really able to expand our services and have a full-time presence here, which is really exciting,” Dieringer said in an interview in her new office. “Historically, folks working out of our Northampton offices served Hampshire and Franklin counties, so what we’re doing now is building out the office here so we’ll basically double our resources for Franklin County.” READ THE FULL STORY: https://lnkd.in/eB69CVr5