Home Modification Loan Program (HMLP)
The HMLP provides excellent loans for home accessibility improvements to make it possible for individuals with disabilities and older adults to remain in their own homes and communities. Established by the Massachusetts Legislature in 1999, HMLP is a state funded loan program that provides financing to homeowners and small landlords for necessary home modifications such as: ramps and lifts, kitchen and bathroom adaptations, fencing, hand rails, brighter lighting, widening of doorways, flooring renovations, creation of additional living space, including accessory dwelling units or in-law apartments, etc.
Loans up to $50,000 for property owners and $30,000 for owners of manufactured or mobile homes HAS A 0% interest rate, No monthly payments required, Repayment is required when the property is sold or transferred, Landlords with fewer than 10 units may be eligible for a 3% interest rate loan for a tenant.
If you or someone you know could benefit from this loan program, please contact Catherine Tammany at 351-322-5512 or cTammany@commteam.org
Click here to download Eligible Modifications
Community Resource Guide
The Community Resource Guide is a free, general resource for older adults, people with disabilities, veterans, caregivers, and families published in collaboration with the Northeast Independent Living Program and AgeSpan (formerly Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley and North Shore). The agencies created the Aging and Disability Resource Consortium (ADRC) to ensure older adults and people with disabilities can get information about programs and services they need and help them make informed decisions about their own care.
Veterans Resource Guide of the Merrimack Valley
The Veteran Resource Guide was created in an effort to connect veterans, caregivers, and professionals with local, state, and federal community resources. The guide was created in collaboration between the Amesbury Council on Aging and Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley, Inc.
Feltin Community Care
Feltin Community Care is a nonprofit, primary care practice that provides medical, mental health, and other health care in the home for the disabled and elder communities. Their goal is to promote independence, dignity of choice, empowerment, and high-quality, individualized care.
Learn more about this innovative healthcare practice by visiting www.feltincommunitycare.org or by calling 866.FELTIN1. They are currently accepting referrals and scheduling appointments for meet-and-greet visits to begin the intake and onboarding process.
Free Legal Services: Eviction Diversion Initiative
Do you need help with eviction in Massachusetts? The COVID-19 Eviction Legal Help Project (CELHP) provides free legal help for low-income tenants facing eviction. Services can be used before the eviction process begins, as well as once a notice has been received, and can be used in coordination with community mediation services. Click here for more information.
Lawrence Residents, if you are behind on your rent or facing eviction, use this handout to protect yourself and get the help you need:
English Flyer, Spanish Flyer, Khmer Flyer, Haitian Creole Flyer, Portuguese Flyer, Vietnamese Flyer, and Simplified Chinese Flyer.
Drug & Alcohol Addiction Treatment Options & Rehab Centers in Massachusetts
Find drug and alcohol addiction treatment options and rehab centers in Massachusetts via Addictions.com, an informational resource and web guide for those impacted by substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders. Search treatment options in your area by going to https://www.addictions.com/rehabs/massachusetts/.
Other resources include:
Narcotics.com which helps people find local Narcotics Anonymous meetings and provides resources for various types of treatment including inpatient, outpatient and support groups.
Rehabs.org provides info for people at any stage of their recovery journey, including info on different types of therapy/recovery options, warning signs, how to talk to a family member, definitions of different types of treatment and a local treatment center directory.
freerehabcenters.org is about providing the most complete list of free, low-cost, sliding scale, and low-income assisted rehab lists on the Internet. We scoured thousands of non-profit organizations that provide alcohol, drug, another other assistance with substance abuse rehabilitation.
Detox.com is a network of addiction treatment facilities that provide drug and alcohol detox, support, and comprehensive substance abuse treatment services to the individuals and families struggling with addictions.
Wheels of Hope
The Merrimack Valley Project, a social justice organization in Lawrence, MA, has advocated for many years to make the Wheels of Hope possible. Wheels of Hope is a life-saving community resource for Merrimack Valley residents that provides free transportation to detox or residential treatment facilities anywhere in Massachusetts. Please share this important resource with others. For more information about the Wheels of Hope, visit their website here: https://helplinema.org/wheelsofhope.
WellConnected.Net
WellConnected.net is a free community resource available to anyone looking for free or reduced cost social services in their area, or to providers who would like to list the services they have available at their organizations. The goal of WellConnected.net is to bring dignity and ease to the process of navigating for services.
To get started, go to WellConnected.net and type in your zip code. A list of programs and services in your area will show up. Select which category of services you need help with such as medical care, food, housing, job training etc.
If you’re a provider, some of your programs and services may already be listed on the site. You’ll need to claim your organization if you’d like to make changes to your listing or add programs and services. Organizations can also choose to accept and manage referrals through the site. For more information, check out this article.
Age-Friendly Lawrence Initiative
The City of Lawrence is working on a major initiative to help Lawrence become an “Age-Friendly Community” – a place where housing, transportation, green spaces, health care and social services help residents of all ages lead healthier lives.
This initiative is a direct response to Mayor Rivera’s Age-Friendly City Proclamation that designated Lawrence’s Council on Aging and the Mayor’s Health Task Force to lead a multi-stakeholder group in planning, assessing and developing strategies to support active aging and aging in place.
To accurately reflect the community’s needs, all Lawrence residents are encouraged to participate in a community-wide survey. All surveys are anonymous. Results will help with the creation and implementation of an age-friendly action plan that benefits every one.
You can take the survey online. Click here for the Spanish survey and click here for the English survey.
If you have additional questions about this initiative or the surveys, please contact Danetza Yachachin at dyachachin@cityoflawrence.com.
REquipment DME Reuse Program
The REquipment DME (Durable Medical Equipment) Reuse program is funded by the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) and MassMatch. This program provides free refurbished wheelchairs, scooters, shower chairs and more to adults, children and elders recycled in Massachusetts. For more information, please visit: https://dmerequipment.org
Massachusetts Wheelchair Lemon Law
The Massachusetts Customized Wheelchair Lemon Law ensures that owners of customized wheelchairs may apply for arbitration should their wheelchair be defective. The Customized Wheelchair Arbitration program provides consumers who have paid some or all of the costs out of pocket for their purchase or lease of a new, but defective, customized wheelchair with the ability to settle disputes with the manufacturer. For more information, please visit https://www.mass.gov/customized-wheelchair-lemon-law or view the video here.
MassOptions
MassOptions is a free public resource that helps you avoid the frustration of calling different agencies. Call MassOptions toll free at 1-844-422-6277 or visit www.MassOptions.org to learn more.
The Access For Opportunity Housing Plan
There is a significant shortage of affordable accessible housing in Massachusetts. We will address that need head-on by constructing several large apartment buildings throughout the state. Each apartment building will have 60 units.
We will go above and beyond offering this much-needed housing and address three other key issues.
We will offer our residents:
√ Access to state-of-the-art affordable wheelchair accessible housing
√ Access to career training, job coaching, office space and employment opportunities
√ Access to wheelchair accessible transportation
√ The chance to live in a safe, warm, supportive, healthy and friendly atmosphere
It will be an opportunity that can be found nowhere else.
If you are having trouble finding affordable wheelchair accessible housing, or had trouble in the past – or if you’re a success story, Access For Opportunity wants to hear your stories. The good, the bad, the ugly. Please contact AFO at AFO@access4opp.org or call (978) 388-6982. Thanks!
Massachusetts Statewide Independent Living Council (MASILC) is Looking for Qualified Individuals to Serve on the Council
MASILC members play an active role in establishing Independent Living Policy in Massachusetts through participation in the development and implementation of the three year State Plan for Independent Living.
MASILC is looking for qualified individuals to Serve on the Council who:
- provide statewide representation.
- represent a broad range of individuals with disabilities from diverse backgrounds;
- are knowledgeable about centers for independent living and independent living services; and are not employed by any state agency or center for independent living.
If you are interested in learning more about becoming a member of the Statewide Independent Living Council please go to www.masilc.org or contact the SILC Office for more information. info@MASILC.org or 978-620-7452.