For more than 50 years, MLRI has been a nationally recognized poverty law and policy center. Working together with our advocacy and community partners, we’ve had hundreds of victories — large and small — and led groundbreaking initiatives that have benefitted low-income people in Massachusetts.
These include, for example:
- Legislation (Chapter 40B) mandating changes to local zoning regulations that has been directly responsible for the creation of more than 50,000 units of affordable housing in Massachusetts
- Reform of the state’s Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) system
- Legislation mandating interpreter services for limited English proficient and non-English speaking people in the courts and health care settings
- Legislation providing a waiver for court fees and costs for indigent litigants, the first of its kind in the nation
- Extensive litigation and legislative advocacy saving public benefits and health care programs from cutbacks
- Successful efforts to address hunger and food insecurity by expanding SNAP (food stamp) participation
- Utility service regulations & policies that are among the most favorable to residential customers in the U.S.
- Litigation safeguarding the right of political asylees and persecution victims to work and obtain permanent immigration status in the U.S.
- Laws improving the legal rights of tenants
- Laws protecting victims of domestic violence
- Numerous public assistance policies and procedures that protect people against unfair denials and terminations of their benefits
- Successful efforts to preserve and expand affordable housing
- Creation and statewide expansion of the Massachusetts Housing Court division which provides specialized expertise, services and supports to low income tenants and landlords.
Resources for legal help and information: