Direct Client Services
CASLS helps clients in our service area gain access to or prevent loss of some of the most basic necessities of life. This includes:
- affordable housing
- emergency assistance shelter for homeless families
- state public benefits (TAFDC, EAEDC, SNAP)
- federal public disability benefits (SSI, SSDI)
- MassHealth
Direct Client Services Priorities
- Eviction Defense: Provide legal advice and representation in evictions in housing and district courts for tenants living in private, public, and subsidized housing.
- Other Types of Displacement: Provide legal advice and/or representation where landlords are unjustly seeking the displacement of tenants through speedy injunctions, without any court process (“lock out”), condemnation and failure to remedy serious health code violations, or the like.
- Gaining Access And Preserving Access To Affordable Public And Subsidized Housing: Provide legal advice and representation to individual tenants faced with termination of Section 8 or other rental subsidy or denial of public housing, Section 8, or other subsidized housing. Provide legal representation to groups seeking to preserve or improve various types of affordable housing.
- Eviction Record Sealing: Provide legal advice, representation and training on sealing public eviction records particularly where they may be a barrier to finding other housing
- Federal Disability Benefits: Provide legal advice and representation, primarily at the Administrative Law Judge level, for those who were unjustly denied federal SSI and SSDI disability benefits.
- State Benefits: Provide legal advice and representation (at administrative hearings or in court) on the termination, denial, reduction, and/or incorrect amounts of:
- State cash benefits (TAFDC, EAEDC)
- SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps)
- MassHealth
- Emergency Assistance shelter for homeless families
For a description of the types of legal work done on behalf of Somerville and Cambridge senior citizens, as well as adults and children with mental health and other disabilities throughout CASLS' service area, see the information under GBLS' Elder, Health, and Disability Unit. This work is physically based at CASLS' office, though administratively merged with GBLS' Elder, Health, and Disability Unit.