Civil Legal Aid Yields Economic Benefits to Clients and to the Commonwealth FY12

By NLADA on January 28, 2020 • ( 0 )

By: Donna Southwell. Published by: Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC). Published in: June 2014

The Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC) conducted a study on the economic impact of legal aid in that state during FY 2012. They found that the provision of legal assistance led to a positive total economic impact of approximately $48 million.

MLAC worked with the Department of Transitional Assistance to streamline the online application process for SNAP benefits, making it easy for citizens of the state to access the help they need.

By successfully representing low income clients seeking child support payments, MLAC relieved some of the strain on TANF in the state, saving the state government money.

Overall revenue: $26,959,218 in new federal revenue coming into the Commonwealth over the course of one year (food, housing, tax credits, social security, etc) $20,584,531 in income and savings for clients (wage protection, housing relief, child support, etc.) $47,543,749 total economic impact of legal assistance in Massachusetts.

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Categories: General/Unspecified Clients, Legal Aid Attorneys, State-Specific