Volunteer Opportunity: Housing Crisis

Lawyers for Civil Rights (“LCR”) is seeking volunteer attorneys, paralegals, and law students to help low-income families at risk of housing insecurity to apply for rental relief through the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (“RAFT”) program, a one-time grant administered by MetroHousing Boston that provides financial support to families experiencing housing crisis. The concurrent and overlapping public health and economic crises have devastated low-income communities of color and exacerbated housing instability. For many, RAFT is the only way to weather this storm and gain life-saving rental assistance. 

LCR is recruiting volunteers to work with families applying for RAFT assistance. Volunteering will provide opportunities to work one-on-one with clients, collecting and analyzing documentation, liaising with property owners, and completing RAFT application materials. In addition to a one-time 2 hour training, all volunteers will be asked to devote at least 15 hours to supporting RAFT applicants. This time can be committed in a 1 week period or across multiple weeks. RAFT is not adversarial, but we will provide information for conflict checks or due diligence to volunteers to help them make the appropriate determinations before accepting a particular case.

No background knowledge of housing issues or the RAFT program is required.

Volunteers proficient in Spanish are particularly encouraged to apply!

For inquiries, please contact jlebovic@lawyersforcivilrights.org.