News: Press Release

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.

Statement of Georgia D. Katsoulomitis,
Executive Director of Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI)
In Response to Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Against Haitian Community

The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit poverty law organization that does not endorse any political candidate.  At the same time, as an organization grounded in social, racial and economic justice, we do not and cannot turn a blind eye to injustice.

We cannot remain silent in the face of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance’s relentless, baseless and racist attacks upon all immigrants – and currently against the Haitian people, so many of whom are our cherished friends, neighbors and co-workers in Massachusetts.

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.”

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. 

The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute applauds the Massachusetts’ Legislature for approving legislation to protect survivors of domestic abuse.  An Act to Prevent Abuse and Exploitation expands the definition of domestic abuse to include coercive control, the foundation of all forms of abuse. Coercive control is a pattern of deliberate behavior used by an abuser to restrict their victim’s safety and autonomy. Massachusetts now becomes the seventh state in the nation to recognize coercive control as a harmful form of domestic abuse. The law also aligns Massachusetts with 48 other states who have already outlawed revenge porn, a form of coercive control. Prior law in Massachusetts limited the definition of domestic violence to physical and sexual assault or fear of imminent serious physical harm.

BOSTON, April 16, 2024 – Today, the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) proudly announced the official relaunch of MassLegalHelp.org, one of five websites it manages. 

MassLegalHelp.org offers free, practical legal information and resources to help members of the public learn about their legal rights in Massachusetts and take actionable steps to solve civil legal problems. The refreshed site features a modern, streamlined look that contains over 800 articles, e-books, and videos reviewed by substantive legal experts. MassLegalHelp.org is committed to enhancing access to justice for vulnerable people struggling with critical legal issues related to unemployment; housing; public benefits; family law; health care; domestic violence; money and debt; immigration; education; and more. 

La Colaborativa, the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and the Feeding Our Neighbors Coalition praise food assistance for families at a time of need

BOSTON, MA: Members of the Feeding Our Neighbors Coalition, formed in January 2023 to address the basic unmet needs of legally present low income immigrant families in Massachusetts, lauded the General Court and Governor for passing a Supplemental Budget on December 4th that provides $6 million in state funding to restore basic benefits to legal immigrants ineligible for federal benefits.

BOSTON, MA (October 10, 2023) – On Wednesday, the Lift Our Kids Coalition submitted a 73-page packet of written testimony to the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities from supporters of bills to Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty (H.144/S.75) on Wednesday.  The Committee heard oral testimony a month ago.  The packet includes testimony from 23 organizations and two individuals, sharing examples of how low cash assistance grant levels harm families and children in communities across Massachusetts and urging the Committee to act on the bills, which would set a floor for cash assistance at 50% of the federal poverty level (FPL) and commit to increases in grants to keep pace with inflation.