Search Results | New Search

Your Options:

Mission and Programs

Mission

Community Legal Services And Counseling Center provides free civil legal aid and affordable psychological counseling to low-income people. Our services combat the effects of poverty and violence by helping clients and their children meet basic human needs for safety, income, health and housing. CLSACC draws on the expertise of dedicated volunteer professionals to provide direct services to our community's most vulnerable members.

All services are provided by the Center's paid staff and a dedicated corp of volunteer attorneys and mental health professionals. Volunteers are at the heart of CLSACC's service mission.

Programs

Legal Program: CLSACC handles cases in the areas of family law and domestic violence, housing and homelessness prevention, disability and other government benefits, and immigrant and refugee rights. The Center provides services ranging from advice to representation in complex litigation.

Counseling Program: CLSACC serves people dealing with the affects of violence, sexual abuse and incest, battering, loss of work, poverty, chronic shame and incest, battering, loss of work, poverty, depression, anxiety. The Center's approach is collaborative, seeking to build upon and maximize client strengths.

Program / Activities (NTEE Code)

Legal Services
Community Mental Health Center
Spouse Abuse, Prevention of

Accomplishments for Fiscal Year Ending 06/30/2007

1. CLSACC's Legal Program, including three staff attorneys, a part-time intake paralegal and 40 dedicated volunteer lawyers handled 610 cases. Together, the volunteer lawyers and 24 volunteer law students, paralegals, and interpreters donated over more than 6,100 hours of service to assist clients.
2. 43 devoted volunteer counselors, supervisors, and students and the Center's Counseling Program staff provided services to 393 people. There were 2,320 visits to the Center this past year. Counseling volunteers donated 5,800 hours of service to CLSACC clients.

1. Continue to provide the highest possible legal and mental health services to clients in need of assistance.
2. Continue to recruit and train talented men and women to volunteer at CLSACC.
3. Continue to strengthen organizational infrastructure and community connections in order to maintain our reputation as a an innovative and effective service provider in the face of economic uncertainity and ongoing cuts in services available to those in great distress.

CLSACC evaluates its effectiveness through client feedback, volunteer feedback, and results of cases. In addition, CLSACC is monitored by Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation and the United Way of Massachusetts Bay. CLSACC has consistently received high marks for its work with clients and the high quality of services the agency provides.

Chief Executive Profile

Barbara Mitchell is an attorney with decades of experience advocating on behalf of low-income families and individuals. She was previously the Managing Attorney of the Family Law Unit at Greater Boston Legal Services, where she worked for more than twenty years. She has also worked internationally in the arena of women's legal rights. Barbara is currently a mentor for attorneys on the Women's Bar Foundation Pro Bono Family Law Project for Battered Women and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI).

Additional Comments

The Center uses a unique interdisciplinary approach to address client needs by integrating the legal and mental health programs. For example, mental health consultation is available to attorneys in identifying and managing the intense emotional factors present in some cases. CLSACC's Board of Directors recently approved an aggressive Strategic Plan that calls for the expansion of this Interdisciplinary Model.

Financial Data
From the organization's FORM 990

Revenue and Expenses: Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2008

Revenue			Expenses
Contributions $749,208 Government Grants $40,000 Program Services $27,366 Investments $33,708 Special Events $2,935 Sales $0 Other $1,133			Program Services $754,882 Administration $43,900 Other $34,154 Total Expenditures $832,936
Total Revenue	$854,350		NET GAIN/LOSS	$21,414

Balance Sheet: Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2008

Notes
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot long survive, but the types of assets and liabilities also must be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.

Assets	Jul 1, 2007	Jun 30, 2008	Change
Cash & Equivalent	$289,685	$272,021	$(17,664)
Accounts Receivable	$3,727	$9,660	$5,933
Pledges & Grants Receivable	$60,267	$43,922	$(16,345)
Receivables/Other	$0	$0	$0
Inventories for Sale or Use	$0	$0	$0
Investments/Securities	$0	$0	$0
Investments/Other	$302,480	$297,274	$(5,206)
Fixed Assets	$4,300	$10,497	$6,197
Other	$23,173	$21,319	$(1,854)
Total Assets	$683,632	$654,693	$(28,939)
Liabilities	Jul 1, 2007	Jun 30, 2008	Change
Accounts Payable	$78,807	$59,510	$(19,297)
Grants Payable	$0	$0	$0
Deferred Revenue	$0	$0	$0
Loans and Notes	$0	$0	$0
Tax-Exempt Bond Liabilities	$0	$0	$0
Other	$0	$0	$0
Total Liabilities	$78,807	$59,510	$(19,297)
FUND BALANCE	$604,825	$595,183	$(9,642)

Comments from the organization
CLSACC is a rapidly growing organization. Financial statements posted online may not reflect the current size and scope of our agency. Please contact us if you would like more information.

Nonprofits: Find out how to add to and update your information.

Copyright 2006, Philanthropic Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Policies | Standards for Internet Philanthropy

GuideStar is the registered trademark and operating name of Philanthropic Research, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Any other use, including resale of the information or use for commercial gain, is prohibited, except in accordance with a GuideStar licensing agreement.