December 16, 2021 On Wednesday, the Legal Aid Society of Northeast New York received a $2.4 million grant to help people stay home. We are excited to present Northeast Legal Aid`s 2019 Annual Report to our community. This report showcases our clients` stories and provides details on some of the cases we have been working on throughout 2019. To learn more about how Northeast Legal Aid and the Northeast Justice Center are helping low-income and seniors in northeast Massachusetts, click here to view the full report. People with serious legal problems who could not afford a private lawyer Given recent reports in the United States of an increasing number of racist and xenophobic incidents of harassment and violence against Asians, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Northeast Legal Aid wants all these communities in its service area to know that Northeast Legal Aid is here. to help and support them. Northeast Legal Aid will do everything in its power to combat such unfair behavior. Please contact Legal Aid North East if you believe you are being discriminated against or otherwise unfair. Private Lawyer Intervention Program (“IAP”) Each year, NLA receives thousands of calls from clients seeking legal assistance in civil cases. Most appellants do not have the means to consult a private lawyer, and the NLA does not have the resources to represent most of them. To meet these requests for services, many private lawyers have offered their assistance by joining the IAP program. For many who need help, our volunteer lawyers offer the only chance to have equal access to justice.
If you would like to volunteer your time, please check out our volunteer opportunities or call our office today! The Cummings Foundation awarded NLA a $100,000 grant to fund our medical-legal partnership. Read our latest news on current activities, events and developments and find out how we have changed the lives of people in the Northeast. Candice S. Miller, Mike Gregg and Jim Nash at the Northeast Wastewater Pumping Station in Detroit. (Photo courtesy of Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash) NLA (formerly Merrimack Valley – North Shore Legal Services and Neighborhood Legal Services) is a legal aid program that provides low-income and elderly residents of Essex County and parts of Middlesex County with free legal advice and representation in civil matters. Since 1974, the NLA has represented victims of domestic violence, prevented clients from becoming homeless through defense against eviction or mortgage foreclosure, assisted individuals in receiving health, welfare, and other benefits, and those denied unemployment benefits. The Massachusetts Court of Appeals found that the residents of the mobile park were operated by RHP properties and that RHP Properties violated the Attorney General`s regulations to protect mobile home owners. In this case, some park residents were unable to get heating in the winter because RHP Properties refused to upgrade their broken heating system.
A family with two little girls in the house suffered in winter from temperatures that fell into the 50 degrees. They couldn`t afford the cost of a new heating system that the park wanted to pay. Several residents sought legal help at the Northeast Justice Center, where they joined residents in a class action lawsuit. RHP Properties is the largest owner of mobile parking garages in the United States with a portfolio of over $4 billion. The lawsuit thwarted attempts by RHP Properties to require residents of the Chelmsford mobile home park to pay for the park`s rising operating costs. Recently, members of the Oakland-Macomb Interceptor Drain Board visited the Northeast Wastewater Pumping Station in Detroit to get a glimpse of improvements made last year. Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash and Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice S. Miller were joined by Board Chair Mike Gregg. Gregg represents the state and is the water resources program manager for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The pumping station supplies wastewater to approximately 830,000 residents of Oakland and Macomb counties. Upgrading this important regional facility will cost close to $100 million in project costs. These improvements are essential to protect local waterways while ensuring sewer reliability.
It`s one thing to hear about the facility`s recent upgrades and restores, but if you can visit the site firsthand, it really puts everything into perspective,” Nash said. The engineers and construction teams overseeing the project have worked hard to modernize this facility. I am very proud of their ability to rehabilitate this facility without disrupting the sewer system for the residents of Oakland and Macomb County. Joel Brown, one of Oakland County`s chief engineers, led the tour by peeking into an underground chamber about 90 feet below the surface. He explained that sewage enters the pumping station where sieves collect debris to avoid damaging the pumps. “We need to invest in our infrastructure to prevent disasters,” Miller said. “The station was in need of major repairs and upgrades, and this work will serve future generations. We are very proactive. The tour continued with a stop at the new bio-percolator filter system – special devices designed to control odors and protect the station`s sensitive electrical components from corrosion. Council members also visited a stormwater retention pond and an open field that could serve as a future site for solar panels to power the plant.
Gregg was particularly impressed with the tour: “The tour showed what a truly remarkable and indispensable project this is. The scale and complexity of this critical infrastructure is staggering. The fundamental reconstruction and modernization of all key components while maintaining the wastewater flow of more than 830,000 people is a credit to our great team. This pumping station is part of the Michigan Drain Code`s most extraordinary and important application,” he said. Among other things, the Drainage Code codifies legislation to establish and consolidate drainage districts used to improve stormwater and sewer infrastructure. Gregg added that the cooperation and determination of Commissioners Nash and Miller to bring this project to fruition is “a testament to the commitment to their constituents that will save taxpayers millions of dollars.” Finally, the group watched as five giant engines, each producing up to 2,000 horsepower, pumped and lifted six-story wastewater below the surface to a piping system that transported it to the Great Lake Water Authority`s water resource recovery facility in southwest Detroit. where they are processed. The boroughs of Oakland and Macomb merged with Walsh Construction Co, Metco Services, ASI Consulting Group, NTH Consultants Ltd. and FK Engineering. Seniors whose legal issues threaten their autonomy If so, a class action lawsuit has proposed a legal settlement that, if approved by the court, will affect your rights. Please read this notice carefully and submit an application form today! Marc Potvin, a lifelong dedicated anti-poverty activist, loving father and passionate partner for thirty-five years, passed away on July 9, 2021 after battling pancreatic cancer. He spent most of his career working for nonprofits that empowered low-income people in the communities of Peabody, Salem, Lynn and Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Marc led a purposeful life. For the past forty-five years, Marc has been a community activist and then a community lawyer. As a legal lawyer, Marc has been recognized as a leader in helping tenants, community organizations and local authorities develop affordable housing strategies for low-income families and the homeless. He was recently officially recognized by the Massachusetts Commonwealth District Court for his outstanding advocacy and commitment to justice for low-income people and his tireless efforts to ensure the right to safe and affordable housing for all Massachusetts residents. In addition, the Massachusetts Senate presented him with an official award for his legal work on behalf of low-income clients and passed a resolution congratulating him on his career and lifelong dedication to public service. Marc was a truly caring and dedicated staff member and lawyer. He has shown immense respect for everyone, from employees and secretaries to opposing lawyers and especially for his clients. His strong belief in kindness and compassion will be missed by all, including the many law students and young lawyers he mentored during his time at Legal Services. The Northeast Justice Center celebrated a victory for mobile home owners in September.
