September 11, 2020

CARES Act Funding Awarded to Community Legal Aid to Assist Elders

Contact:  Laura Hancock Barry, Development Manager
Phone: (508) 425-2798
Email: lhbarry@cla-ma.org

Community Legal Aid wishes to thank Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging, Elder Services of Berkshire County, Greater Springfield Senior Services, Highland Valley Elder Services, LifePath, Inc. and WestMass Elder Care, for awarding a total of over $100,000 of supplemental funds to support its work with elders. The funding was made possible by the federal government’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and intended to support the health, safety, and independence of senior citizens during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The additional CARES Act funding will support Community Legal Aid’s efforts to ensure that seniors and elder service providers know about the additional benefits, protections, and entitlements available to elders during the pandemic. The funding will also enable Community Legal Aid to respond to new or unique legal issues arising from the pandemic. In one example of its advocacy, Community Legal Aid helped get an assisted living resident re-admitted to her apartment after her COVID-related hospitalization.

Jan Stiefel, Senior Supervising Attorney of the Elder and Benefits Units said “Many individuals age 60 and over – who therefore meet the definition of “elder” for purposes of getting free legal assistance– must work to make ends meet.  Community Legal Aid is grateful for the additional funding to be able to respond to the surge in unemployment related requests for legal assistance as the pandemic crisis has hit these elderly workers very hard.”

Community Legal Aid also anticipates helping many senior citizens facing homelessness as the state’s eviction moratorium ends, and assisting with unemployment claims as the pandemic continues. The enhanced funding will support our work protecting these seniors, and Community Legal Aid is grateful to all six organizations for their support.

About Community Legal Aid:

Community Legal Aid provides free civil legal services to the low-income and elderly residents of the five counties of Western and Central Massachusetts (Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester), and maintains full-time offices in Worcester, Fitchburg, Springfield, Northampton, and Pittsfield. Community Legal Aid works to assure fairness for all in the justice system, protecting homes, livelihoods, health and families. For more information, please visit www.communitylegal.org.