General Resources

Enter the word(s) you are searching for; use quotes for exact phrase

Everything else!

Displaying 1 - 50 of 1374
View by Library Type
Sort by

Cash Assistance: TAFDC BBT Training

MLRI
Materials from the December 03, 2024 Cash Assistance training, presented as part of the MLRI/MCLE Basic Benefits Training Series: Training Presentation Materials Agenda  Faculty Bios  TAFDC Cash Assistance Program 2024 Training (pdf of slides) TAFDC Basic Rules…

DOJ fines mortgage lender Fairway for alleged racial discrimination

Reuters
 The U.S. Justice Department and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau penalized Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation for alleged redlining in Black neighborhoods in Birmingham, Alabama, the agencies said on Tuesday, which the company denies. The mortgage lender will pay a $1.9…

CORI Basics: Criminal Record Sealing, Expungement & Related Issues

GBLS, VLP/ERLI and DCJIS
Materials from the October 7, 2024 CORI training, presented as part of the MLRI/MCLE Basic Benefits Training (BBT) series. Training Presentations and Handouts Agenda (pdf) CORI Faculty Bios (pdf) CORI Sealing and Expungement (pdf of slides) Discrimination Claims - Unlawful Use of CORI…

Fall River Needs a Balanced Housing Strategy

MLRI
Fall River is riding a wave of exciting changes including the long awaited arrival of the South Coast Rail and a massive waterfront redevelopment. While working class and low income city residents welcome the city’s revitalization, they also need protections from rising rents, eviction and…

At-a-Glance SNAP Benefit Charts

MLRI
Below are links to MLRI's "at a glance" charts for advocates to get a quick "guestimate" on the amount of monthly SNAP benefits by typical households. (These charts are not a substitute for dong the SNAP math in individual cases). : Households with older adults or persons with…

MA SNAP Calculation Worksheet

MLRI
Use the attached worksheet for  manual SNAP calculations. This worksheet is accurate starting October 1, 2024.   

Massachusetts SNAP Calculators

MLRI
Three ways to do the SNAP math for MA residents! 1. Online SNAP calculator: Here is a link to an online SNAP calculator that you can use right from your browser or mobile device, without downloading anything!  2. SNAP Excel calculator: You can download our…

Online SNAP Calculator

MLRI
MLRI's revised and simplified online calculator gives you the monthly SNAP benefits amount a household typically receives based on their countable income and expenses.  Go to the  Massachusetts  Online SNAP Calculator  For a paper worksheet and an Excel calculator,…

Race Class Narrative: A Toolkit for Opportunity to Purchase Campaigns

PolicyLink
Effective communications and messaging are a key collective challenge in advancing Opportunity to Purchase campaigns. Faced with monied opposition in communities across the nation, advocates need more tools to combat disinformation about what some see as a complex policy solution while also…

SNAP Eligibility Rules/Rights for College Students

MLRI
College students continue to struggle with tuition costs and shrinking financial aid. Even with free community college in MA, which enables more low income students to enroll, many students are eligible for SNAP benefits but are not accessing them. This webpage gives you information on who is…

California just banned legacy preferences in college admissions. It's a growing trend.

Zachary Schermele
California’s Democratic governor approved a new state law on Monday that bars private, nonprofit colleges from using legacy or donor preferences in the admissions process.  Admissions officers at those schools will no longer be able to consider whether a student’s parents attended…

Infographic flier: The Added Benefits of SNAP Benefits - in Five Languages

MLRI
MLRI infographic fliers in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, and Portuguese that explain the additional benefits of SNAP for Massachusetts--including Summer EBT food benefits, utility discounts, MBTA reduced fares, museum discounts and more!  These fliers may be using…

States Reckon With Lapse of the Broadband Affordable Connectivity Program

Summer Boucher-Robinson & Jake Varn
  End of federal funding has range of effects on policymakers' plans to expand high-speed internet access.

Tenants' Rights in Massachusetts

MLRI, et. al.
Materials from the September 24, 2024 Tenants' Rights in Massachusetts training, presented as part of the MLRI/MCLE Basic Benefits Training Series: Agenda Faculty Bios Powerpoints: Introduction Evictions Part 1 Evictions Part 2 MADE, UpToCode, and Housing…

Latinx Awareness Has Doubled Among U.S. Hispanics Since 2019, but Only 4% Use It

Luis Noe-Bustamante , Gracie Martinez and Mark Hugo Lopez, The Pew Center
In the long-running debates about which terms to use to describe the U.S. population with roots in Latin America and Spain, “Latinx” has emerged as a gender-neutral alternative to Hispanic and Latino, the two most popular pan-ethnic terms used today. After years of public use…

Who is Hispanic?

Mark Hugo Lopez , Jens Manuel Krogstad and Jeffrey S. Passel, The Pew Center
So, who is considered Hispanic in the United States today? How exactly do the federal government and others count the Hispanic population? And what role does race play in deciding who counts as Hispanic?

Proposals for Legal Organizations and Law Departments to Improve the Well-Being of Lawyers from Underrepresented and Historically Excluded Populations

Working Group - SJC Committee on Well-Being
In response to a call for concrete actions, Working Groups were formed comprised of Massachusetts lawyers working in different types of legal organizations and settings, including members from the Affinity Bar Associations of Massachusetts and members of the Standing Committee. Over 50 lawyers…

Conservative opponents of DEI may not be as colorblind as they claim

Abigail Folberg, Laura Brooks Dueland, and Mikki Hebl
Symbolic racism accounted for the effect of conservatism on outcomes in the DEI condition. This suggests that conservative participants’ reactions to DEI aren’t independent from symbolic racism. Organizations will need to address criticisms of DEI programs. Successfully responding to these…

Latino is Not a Race: Understanding Lived Experiences Through Street Race

Cecilia Nuñez, Julia Silver, Misael Galdámez, Nancy López
This expert issues brief discusses the impact of recent changes to the race and ethnicity questions on the Census and federal surveys, and advocates for the addition of a new question on street race. Though the “Latino” identity remains essential to our shared political mobilization, we must…

Summer EBT: Help With PIN, Case Number

MLRI
For information about Summer EBT in Massachusetts, see this slide deck from MLRI. And, visit Mass.gov/SummerEBT DTA put Summer EBT on the SNAP DTA EBT card for families who were getting SNAP/DTA benefits when Summer EBT was issued. DTA mailed Summer EBT cards to families who were not getting…

BBT Training Materials

MLRI
Basic Benefits Training Schedule and Registration: 2024-2025 Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) and Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc. (MCLE) present a series of trainings every year for legal, social, health services, and community advocates who assist low- and moderate-income…

Helping Families Get The TAFDC Children's Clothing Allowance

MLRI
Good news for families participating in the Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) program! For the month of September, the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) increases the income eligibility limits and payment standards for the TAFDC program. This…

How Can Legal Assistance Providers Better Meet the Needs of Black Older Adults?

Denny Chan, Sarah Galvan, Vivianne Mbaku, & Archie Roundtree, Justice in Aging
This Issue Brief specifically addresses how legal assistance providers can best meet the legal needs of Black older adults, providing an overview of some of the most pressing legal issues, as well as some promising practices for reaching and serving this community. An important part of meeting the…

SNAP for Self-Employed and Gig Workers

MLRI
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can help you and your family buy food at supermarkets, grocery stores, and farmers markets. If you are a rideshare or delivery driver - or another type of “gig” worker or self-employed worker - and you need food benefits, here’s what you need to…

Statewide Referral List (Immigration providers)

MLRI
Intake criteria for immigration legal service providers in Massachusetts.

Paying reparations for slavery is possible – based on a study of federal compensation to farmers, fishermen, coal miners, radiation victims and 70 other groups

Linda J. Bilmes and Cornell William Brooks
Though America has yet to begin compensating Black Americans for past and ongoing racial harms, our new research published in the Russell Sage Foundation Journal in June 2024, refutes one of the key arguments against making reparation payments – that they would be too difficult and…

“Weathering” And The Effects Of Racism On Public Health

Devin Thompson
The emotional and psychological effects of discrimination are familiar to anyone who’s ever been treated differently because of who they are. The damage that stress can do to the human brain has been widely understood for decades. Research on how living in poverty has similar effects on the human…

Report notes segregation patterns in Massachusetts schools

Carrie Jung
According to a new report from a state education advisory board, 60% of public school students in Massachusetts attend a racially segregated school. And of the quarter of students who attend a segregated non-white school — or more than 225,000 students statewide — the majority are Black…

Breaking Bias: A Singular Chapter Solution For Racial Equity In Consumer Bankruptcy

Jerron Wheeler
This article explores the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, revealing a looming medical debt crisis among Black families, while examining the intersection of racial bias, attorney practices, and the existing two-chapter consumer bankruptcy system. Proposing a solution, the article advocates for…

SNAP Eligibility for Workers on Strike

MLRI
There are special SNAP rules for workers on strike. Many workers who are on strike may be eligible for SNAP. Strikers who were income eligible before going on strike, who care for children under 6, who are 60 or older, or who meet other rules are likely eligible.  See attached Know Your…

Adult Foster Care and SNAP

MLRI
Low-income persons who provide in-home care to disabled adults through the Adult Foster Care (AFC) program may be entitled to higher SNAP benefits. A household has the choice to include or exclude adult foster care members in the SNAP application.  The attached flyer gives additional…

SNAP Benefits: Resources for Massachusetts Immigrants

MLRI
Many low-income Massachusetts immigrants are eligible for federal SNAP food benefits. MLRI, Greater Boston Legal Services, and La Colaborativa have 2-page FAQs in English, Spanish, and Portuguese to share with your clients.    See the FeedingOurNeighborsMA.org resources page for…

Foster Care Families and SNAP

MLRI
Low income families who provide foster care may be entitled to higher SNAP benefits. If you are caring for a foster child, you have the choice to include or exclude your foster child in the SNAP application. This is true even though your family and foster child share all food together. Learn…

SNAP Replacement Benefits due to Natural Disaster, Power Loss, Flooding or other Misfortune

MLRI
Federal and state SNAP rules provide for replacement of food lost by individual SNAP recipients due to "household misfortune." Household misfortune includes fire, flood, loss of electricity (for 4 hours or more), equipment (refrigerator/freezer) failure or other disaster. To…

Pillars, Policies, And Plausible Pathways Linking Digital Inclusion And Health Equity

Amy R. Sheon and Elaine C. Khoong
Digital inclusion and health equity are connected through direct and indirect pathways. Strengthening both pathways will require broad policy and structural reforms to eliminate geographically based sociodemographic segregation and create conditions for people to use the internet to thrive.

Decades of Disinvestment: Historic Redlining and Mortgage Lending Since 1981

National Community Reinvestment Coalition
A link to a report that uncovers evidence on the impact of redlining.  Redlining was one of several practices and policies which were instrumental in the creation of existing patterns of residential segregation.  

Elder Benefits Programs -- BBT Training

CLA, DLC, GBLS, MLRI, GSSSI
Materials from the April 30, 2024 Elder Benefits training, presented as part of the MLRI/MCLE Basic Benefits Training Series: Agenda Presentations Elder Basic Benefits Training: Additional resources for older adults (pdf of slides) Elder Basic Benefits Training: Medicare part D and…

Massachusetts State Supplement Payment Levels

Disability Law Center
Massachusetts State Supplement Payment Levels for 2024

Medicare Amounts

Medicare Advocacy Project
The attached chart shows information on Medicare costs for 2024, including deductibles, premiums, co-insurance, and amount in controversy thresholds. Older chart(s) also included.

Medicare Savings Programs: QMB, SLMB, and QI

Medicare Advocacy Project
The Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB), Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) and Qualifying Individual (QI) programs are federal Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs) which help low income elders and younger Medicare beneficiaries access Medicare benefits. This brochure is an overview of…

Medicare Part D Cost Sharing

Medicare Advocacy Project
Listed please find information on Medicare Part D costs for 2024.   Prior years also included.

House Ways and Means FY 2025 Budget Proposal: MLRI's Preliminary Analysis of Selected Issues

MLRI
On April 10, 2024, the House Committee on Ways and Means released its budget proposal for fiscal year 2025 (FY 25), which is referred to as House 4600.  MLRI offers this preliminary analysis of selected budget topics affecting low-income residents of the Commonwealth.   Download…

The new census racial categories ‘erase’ Afro Latinos

Tanya Kateri Hernandez
The new OMB standard now combines both inquiries into a single question of “What is your race and/ or ethnicity?” and collapses Latino/Hispanic ethnic identity into the list of ethno-racial categories with Black, White, Asian, American Indian, Middle Eastern, Native Hawaiian. While the OMB…

Immigrants and Public Benefits -- BBT Training and Resource Materials

MLRI
The following are materials are for the March 27, 2024 Immigrants and Public Benefits training. These are the core materials presented as part of the annual Mass Law Reform Institute and Mass Continuing Legal Education Basic Benefits Training (BBT) Series.  We've also added some…

FCC rule against broadband digital discrimination goes into effect

Linda Hardesty
The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law required the FCC to adopt rules to prevent and eliminate digital discrimination in regard to access to broadband, and those rules went into effect on March 22. According to the FCC, the rules will “help to ameliorate a digital divide that has…

Health Benefits for All Massachusetts Residents Regardless of Citizenship

MLRI
A list of health programs available to all Massachusetts residents regardless of US citizenship or immigration status with a short description of each program and information on how to apply; in English, Spanish & Portuguese. Revised in March 2024 with updated COVID-19 information. 

Narrative Toolkits

The FrameWorks Institute
With sample language and user notes, FrameWorks’ issue-based toolkits offer practical framing strategies that communicators can put to immediate use.

2024 Upper Income Limits for MassHealth and other Coverage Programs

MLRI
Attached is MLRI's March 1, 2024 Table upper income limits in MassHealth, MSP, Health Safety Net, CMSP and ConnectorCare, along with the Nov 1 2024 Table showing the undated income limits for ConnectorCare coverage in 2025; open enrollment for 2025 begins on Nov 1, 2024. MassHealth's Desk Guide…

Work Requirements Are Rooted in the History of Slavery

Ife Finch Floyd and Suzanne Wikle
Work requirements—or requiring people to find employment in order to access public benefits—force people to prove that they deserve a social safety net. But where did they come from, and why are they still a central part of economic policy today? 

Health Care Access Programs -- BBT Training

HLA, BPHC, HCFA, GBLS, MLRI
Materials from the February 29, 2024 Health Care Access Programs training, presented as part of the MLRI/MCLE Basic Benefits Training Series: Handout Materials Agenda (pdf) How to Apply for Public Health Insurance Benefits in Massachusetts (pdf of slides) ConnectorCare:…