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La Colaborativa and Massachusetts Law Reform Institute to Host Launch Event for the Feeding Our Neighbors Campaign

The event will take place at La Colaborativa’s Food Pantry in Chelsea on Wednesday, Feb. 15th at 3:30 pm.

For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Christine Dunn, Seven Letter
christine@sevenletter.com
617.646.1044

Chelsea, MA (February 13, 2023) – La Colaborativa and The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute announced that they will be hosting an event to launch their Feeding Our Neighbors campaign on Wednesday, February 15th at 3:30pm. The campaign’s purpose is twofold: to raise awareness to the plight of the immigrant community who lack access to basic needs and benefits, and to highlight the need for both legislation and funding to restore basic food and cash assistance benefits for legally present immigrants.

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MLRI Applauds Governor Healey’s Investment in Low-Income Families, Asks Legislature to Quickly Pass Supplemental Budget

Boston MA (January 31, 2023) – The supplemental budget for fiscal year 2023 filed yesterday by Governor Healey takes three major steps towards reducing hunger for Massachusetts families.

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ADVISORY: State Legislators, Advocates to Hold Press Conference in Support of Legislation Expanding Non-English Language State Resources

For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Alex Psilakis
apsilakis@melwoodglobal.com
(508) 641-9761

BOSTON, MA – A coalition of policymakers, immigrant rights advocates, and directly-impacted individuals will host a press conference next Wednesday to advocate for the expansion of non-English language resources in the state’s public-facing state agencies: a move that would empower hundreds of thousands of limited English proficient speakers in Massachusetts.

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Bills Filed to Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty By 2024 – Campaign Launch Event January 26

For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Christine Dunn, Seven Letter
christine@sevenletter.com
617.646.1044

BOSTON, MA (January 18, 2023) – The Lift Our Kids Coalition today announced that Representative Marjorie Decker (D-Cambridge) and Senator Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett) have accelerated the timetable for lifting kids out of Deep Poverty with the filing of House and Senate bills (HD 507, SD 501) at the start of the 2023-2024 legislative session. A launch event will be held Thursday, January 26, 2023 at 2:00 PM in the State House, Room 428.

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MLRI Applauds Congressional Action to Replace Stolen SNAP Benefits and Improve EBT Protections for Low-Income Households

Boston MA (December 21, 2022) – Thousands of low-income households across the nation have had their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as food stamps) benefits stolen by criminals who use a “skimming” device to capture the households’ account information. Most states, including Massachusetts, have refused to replace the stolen benefits because the federal government would not cover the cost of replacement. In November 2022, MLRI filed a class action lawsuit challenging the state’s refusal to replace benefits stolen through no fault of the household.

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Massachusetts Law Reform Institute Class Action Lawsuit Seeks Restoration of Stolen SNAP Food Benefits

Thousands of Low-Income Massachusetts SNAP Families Victimized by Theft Seek Justice

BOSTON, MA (November 4, 2022)– The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute filed a class action lawsuit today on behalf of thousands of low-income families whose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits were stolen from their accounts. The Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), which administers SNAP in Massachusetts, has refused to restore the stolen benefits on the ground that the federal U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which usually pays for SNAP benefits, will not cover the cost.

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Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, and Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association, Along with 160+ Organizations, Urge the Baker Administration to Change Harmful RAFT Requirement

For Immediate Release: October 18, 2022
Contact: Christine Dunn
christine@sevenletter.com | 617.646.1044

New rules in rental assistance program will increase evictions, loss of housing and homelessness

Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, and Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association, together with over 160 organizations and elected officials across the state, sent a letter to Massachusetts legislative leaders, legislators, and the Baker Administration, requesting the removal of a new, harmful requirement in the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program. The requirement, effective August 1, 2022, is preventing qualified households from accessing needed benefits which is prompting preventable evictions, forcing households to fall further behind in rent, and putting them at greater risk of homelessness.

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Advocacy Groups Praise the Biden Administration for Protecting Access to Services for Immigrants

Media Contact:
Laura Giordano
Cell: 774-214-6410
lgiordano@melwoodglobal.com

BOSTON – Representatives from the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI), Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), Health Care For All (HCFA) and Health Law Advocates (HLA) have come together to support the Biden Administration’s move to update the federal Public Charge rule, which will ensure that immigrants seeking green cards can access public benefits they are entitled to without fear of immigration consequences.

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