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MLRI Applauds Congress For Extending Replacement of Stolen SNAP Benefits

On Thursday, September 26, 2024, President Biden signed a continuing resolution to keep the government open until late December. We applaud the resolution’s continuation of federal replacement for SNAP benefits stolen through December 20, 2024. We are grateful to our Massachusetts delegation, particularly Congressman Jim McGovern, for their leadership in Congress and focus on this critical issue.

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Massachusetts long-term care bill signed into law with provisions limiting MassHealth estate recovery

On September 6, 2024, Governor Healey signed into law an Act to Improve Quality and Oversight of Long-Term Care — Chapter 197 of the Acts of 2024.  The 66-page Act includes many important provisions affecting long term care and related topics including significant changes to MassHealth policies regarding estate recovery.

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A letter from MLRI’s Executive Director, Georgia Katsoulomitis: $20m in federal funds — a small, welcome contribution to a huge challenge

In this Boston Globe Letter to the Editor, MLRI Executive Director Georgia Katsoulomitis calls attention to the $20 million in federal funds secured by Governor Healey to help keep families in Massachusetts in emergency shelter, while still reminding us that this fight is not over.

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FY25 Budget Signed by the Governor Provides Funds for Access to Counsel (ATC)

BOSTON , MA (July 29, 2024) – Today, the Governor signed the FY25 budget and included the House and Senate’s recommendation for $2.5 million to launch an Access to Counsel pilot program to provide lawyers for low-income tenants facing eviction, an investment proven to decrease housing instability and homelessness.

“This is a significant step forward for housing justice and equity. A significant number of households facing eviction are Black or Brown, and very often are families headed by a single mother,” said Georgia Katsoulomitis, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI). “Gov. Healey, Attorney General Campbell and more than 240 legal, housing, healthcare and faith organizations support Access to Counsel as a way to provide tenants a level playing field, keep families housed, and build safe, healthy communities.”

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Massachusetts FY25 Budget Includes 10% Cash Assistance Increase Starting April 2025

BOSTON, MA (July 29, 2024) – The Massachusetts FY 25 budget includes a 10 percent increase in cash assistance benefits for both TAFDC and EAEDC programs starting April 2025, marking another historic step forward for families in Deep Poverty. 

This increase means that the maximum TAFDC grant for a family of three will go from $783/month to $861/month, and the EAEDC grant for an older adult or a person with disabilities will increase from $401/month to $441/month.  Even with these increases, grants are still well below half of the federal poverty level – known as the Deep Poverty level – which is $1,076 a month for a family of three in 2024. 

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MLRI Joins Over 1,400 Organizations in Urging Congress to Protect and Strengthen SNAP

The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and 95 other Massachusetts organizations joined with over 1,400 state and national organizations calling on Congress to protect and strengthen the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the upcoming Farm Bill deliberations. 

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