Entries by agirouard

Does your unemployment end September 4? Help is available!

An estimated 314,097 Massachusetts workers will lose all of their unemployment benefits as of the week ending September 4, due to the end of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC). If your unemployment benefits are ending, you may be able to get other benefits such as SNAP and TAFDC.

Life-Changing Housing in North Point, Salem

A new kind of apartment building opened in the North Point neighborhood of Salem in April 2019. Designed for formerly homeless youth and youth aging out of foster care, Harbor Crossing has 16 subsidized studio apartments and has been home to 23 youth since its inception. 

Facing Eviction or Worried About Paying Rent? Help Is Available

There are unprecedented amounts of federal funds available to help with rent and mortgage payments, utility assistance, and moving expenses. Tenants should not move out and should apply immediately for assistance. There are also free legal services lawyers available to provide advice and representation, and community organizations to offer support and information.

Advocates Across the State are Pushing for Eviction Diversion Policies

The Center for Disease Control’s original eviction moratorium ended on July 31, 2021, leaving more tenants across Massachusetts at risk for eviction during an ongoing public health crisis. As we face new spikes in COVID cases, organizations and municipalities are working overtime to get people rental and mortgage assistance and to fend off evictions and […]

New Massachusetts Law Continues Essential Protections for Tenants

On June 15, 2021 – the very day that tenant protections in Chapter 257 were set to end – the state legislature voted to extend them. The following day, Governor Baker signed the legislation into law. The new law, Chapter 20 of the Acts of 2021, continues the Chapter 257 requirement that courts pause non-payment […]

New Presidential Order Aims to Expand Access to Legal Help

Last week, President Biden signed a Presidential Memorandum to expand access to legal representation and the courts. “Timely and affordable access to the legal system can make all the difference in a person’s life—including by keeping an individual out of poverty, keeping an individual in his or her home, helping an unaccompanied child seek asylum, […]

Struggling to afford the internet? Emergency benefit now available

Due to the move to Zoom court proceedings during the pandemic, lack of internet access or internet-connected devices has prevented access to justice for countless low-income people across the Commonwealth. Many people are unable to log into court hearings, struggle to present evidence to support their case, or are unable to participate at all in […]