Community Legal Aid

At the WORCESTER COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION INC's (WCBA's) Annual Dinner on June 5th, outgoing WCBA President Leonardo Angiulo presented CLA's Worcester Managing Attorney Lyonel Jean-Pierre with the WCBA's President's Award in recognition of his "outstanding service and dedication" to the WCBA.

Everyone thrives in a vibrant community. PSA from National Fair Housing Alliance : "We all want access to opportunities in our neighborhoods, such as quality schools, healthcare, housing, food, jobs and transportation. However, in many communities these resources are very limited. Be a part of the movement to ensure everyone lives in safe housing and has access to opportunities that help us all succeed. A public service message from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in partnership with the National Fair Housing Alliance. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status or disability. For more information, visit www.hud.gov/fairhousing. FAIR HOUSING. SHARED OPPORTUNITY IN EVERY COMMUNITY." --- If you believe you have experienced housing discrimination in Central or Western Massachusetts, Community Legal Aid’s Fair Housing Project is your local resource. To report housing discrimination, call us at (855) 252-5342 or apply online at https://lnkd.in/gxZ-fRQ #fairhousing #fairhousingact #housingdiscrimination #endhousingdiscrimination #fightdiscrimination #westernmass #centralmass #franklincounty #hampshirecounty #hampdencounty #berkshirecounty #worcestercounty #pioneervalley #legalaid #legalsevices #knowyourrights

"An accident turned this homeowner into a tenant; he's got one last change to keep his house" By Namu Sampath, MassLive.com SPRINGFIELD — On a hot summer day in June, Jocephus Grant sat on the porch of a house on Jasper Street. It’s the place he raised two daughters and has called home for 15 years. But for eight of those years, Grant has been fighting to stay. An injury he suffered while working as a long-distance trucker resulted in a foreclosure. An investor purchased his home at auction. Today, Grant is fighting his family’s eviction. He is anxiously awaiting a decision on an appeal he filed with the Massachusetts Appellate Court. The decision will likely be the final word on Grant’s case — and determine whether Grant and his two daughters, now both adults, will be able to continue living on Jasper Street. “I have nowhere else to go,” Grant said. “If I can’t keep up with my bills, we might end up homeless.” Grant’s plight isn’t unusual. A 2008 Boston University study in four U.S. states found that about half of all foreclosures were caused in part by a medical problem. Some who answered the survey said their foreclosure followed an illness or an injury, unmanageable medical bills, lost work due to a medical problem, or being a caretaker for an sick family member. This is a growing problem in the U.S.: 100 million Americans face some form of medical care debt and about 1 in 5 said those debts forced them to change their living situation, according to a 2022 poll from KFF, a national health policy research organization. A proposal from the Biden-Harris administration could reverse the damage that unpaid medical bills have on credit scores. In the past, medical debt has blocked people from being able to take out a mortgage or rent an apartment. On June 11, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said a rule change would prevent almost any medical debt from appearing on credit reports. After losing a trial two years ago, Grant now clings to his house as a tenant, paying monthly fees to its new owners. His experience moved him to become an advocate for others going through the same struggle. Read more on our website: https://bit.ly/3zHhTOM

We're #hiring a new Legal Aid Attorney: Community Lawyering in Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Area. Apply today or share this post with your network.

"Carlos Vega Fund awards 13 grants to non-profits serving Holyoke area" By The Republican Business Desk, MassLive.com The Carlos Vega Fund for Social Justice has awarded 13 grants in its 13th year of funding organizations in the Holyoke area. Since 2012, the fund has awarded $66,570 to 52 organizations in the Holyoke area who are fighting for justice and building community. The 2024 awardees are: Holyoke Health Center, $500 for the Banned Graphic Novel project. The Gray House, $2,000 for after school technology support. Indian Orchard Citizens Council, $500 for community gathering events. Nueva Esperanza, $1,000 for cultural art project for Noche De San Juan event. Common Wealth Murals, $1,900 for community paint events for community mural. Scarlet Sock, $400 to support upgrade technology. The Performance Project, $500 for Family and Community celebration event. Community Legal Aid, $2,000 for the Family Preservation Project. Generational Seeds, $600 for garden and kitchen supplies for programming. Resilient Community Arts, $1,000 for an art project for Holyoke Pride Festival. Pa’lante, transformative Justice, $1,558 for youth led mural project. Alianza DV Services, $1,040 for a support group for undocumented domestic violence survivors. African American Female Professor Award Association, $500 toward yearly recognition event. Carlos Vega was an activist for civil rights, community-building, education, health care and social justice in Holyoke. The donor-designated fund, which is managed by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, was started in 2010 to honor Vega on his 60th birthday and to continue his 40-year legacy by awarding small grants to nonprofit organizations through an annual competitive process. Read more on our website: https://lnkd.in/eGwYvm3E

Community Legal Aid offices are closed Thursday, July 4, 2024 in honor of July Fourth.

Pride month may be officially over but CLA is proud to stand with our LGBTQIA+ neighbors ALL year round! Whatever your gender identity, whoever you love, Community Legal Aid is here to help you advocate for your legal rights. If you believe you have faced discrimination in housing, education, or employment due to your gender identity or sexual orientation you can reach out to CLA for help. https://lnkd.in/gGuPQpN Pictured in slide #1: CLA tables at #Holyoke Pride

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Massachusetts Attorney General (Massachusetts Attorney General's Office), Andrea Joy Campbell recently co-sponsored a multistate letter sent by a bipartisan coalition of Attorneys General calling on leaders of the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committees to allocate maximum funding for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) in the FY2025 budget. An independent nonprofit corporation established by Congress in 1974, LSC promotes equal access to justice and administers grants to organizations that provide civil legal assistance to low-income Americans. CLA is one of five LSC-funded organizations in Massachusetts. A May 7th press release from the Office of AG Campbell included a quote from CLA Executive Director Jonathan Mannina, saying: LSC provides much-needed support for our work assisting tenants facing evictions; domestic violence survivors seeking safety; children in need of school-based services to accommodate their special needs; and elders facing abuse and exploitation. We are grateful for the support of both the Commonwealth and the Legal Services Corporation. Read more on our website: https://lnkd.in/eFTSUCiR

Thank you to Greater Springfield Senior Services, Inc. for supporting Community Legal Aid's work on behalf of our elderly neighbors in Hampden County! Community Legal Aid is also funded in part by a Title III/Older Americans Act grant with support from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs, and the Federal Association for Community Living.