Domestic violence survivors and their children face substantial barriers when they must interact with the court system and state agencies, as fleeing abuse often leads to isolation from family and other supports, decreased access to financial resources, and loss of evidence of abuse.

During legal proceedings, survivors may be subject to coercive control (including controlling and abusive litigation) and threats of reports to state and federal agencies from their abusive partner.

As the lead advocate of the Domestic Violence Legal Assistance Program (DVLAP, a special project of the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation), MLRI coordinates statewide family law advocacy and provides expertise and support to legal aid programs and community collaborators throughout the state.

Our family law and domestic violence advocacy focuses on:

• leading and supporting legislative advocacy that protects domestic violence survivors and their children.
• organizing and participating in amicus briefs addressing family law issues and domestic violence concerns.
• working with the courts and state agencies with whom our clients and attorneys interact.
• increasing the knowledge and skills of legal aid and allied family law attorneys through training and provision of materials.
• providing forums, both in-person and on-line, that allow legal aid and allied family law attorneys to share and seek information.

Public assistance programs provide food security and income support to low-income individuals and families with children so they can meet their basic needs.

MLRI tackles systemic barriers to accessing benefits and provides technical training and assistance to legal aid and social service advocates that help low-income individuals obtain public benefits.

Our economic and food security advocacy focuses on:

• fighting for fair and​ adequately funded​ programs that help low-income people, both US citizens and immigrants, meet their basic needs.
• cutting red-tape and other access barriers that prevent low-income people from connecting to the programs they are eligible for.
• working to preserve and strengthen public assistance programs that are critical to the lowest-income families and individuals in Massachusetts.
• reforming unfair or discriminatory state policies and practices that wrongly deny or deter access to benefits for eligible people.
• collaborating on advocacy initiatives with food banks and food pantries, health care organizations, social service providers, advocates for older adults, policymakers, faith groups, and community based organizations through leadership of the  500+ member SNAP Coalition, the 50+ organizations in the Hunger Free Campus Coalition, the 160+ organizations in the Lift Our Kids Coalition, and the 80+ organizations in the Feeding Our Neighbors Coalition.
• ensuring people with lived expertise are part of the policy debates that affect their lives.

MLRI is a leading independent child welfare advocate and agency watchdog both in Massachusetts and nationally.

Our child welfare advocacy promotes policies and practices that protect low-income children and families, communities of color, individuals with disabilities and LGBTQ youth from harms caused by child welfare system involvement, enhance family well-being, and reduce or end unnecessary involvement with the child welfare system.

Our child welfare advocacy focuses on:

• Coordinating the Family Preservation Project which provides legal representation and advocacy in five legal services programs throughout the state to stabilize families and prevent foster system placements, 
• Serving in a leadership role in the Massachusetts Child Welfare Coalition, which brings together advocates from around the state who focus on seeking meaningful change to the child welfare system on behalf of children and families.
• Engaging in legislative advocacy and litigation to prevent harms to children and families that occur as a result of unwarranted DCF intervention, surveillance, and removal of children.
• Advancing policies and programs that provide low-income and other children and families at risk of child welfare system involvement access to community-based supports, financial support, and safety, without child welfare system involvement.