Community Legal Services and Counseling Center (CLSACC), seeks an Executive Director to lead this dynamic nonprofit, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, whose mission is to provide free civil legal aid and affordable psychological counseling to low income people. CLSACC’s services combat the effects of poverty and violence by helping clients and their children meet basic human needs for safety, income, health and housing. By addressing both legal issues and mental health concerns, CLSACC helps to counter the crippling effects of poverty and violence on its clients in a unique interdisciplinary service model. A dedicated staff and team of over 100 volunteer lawyers and mental health professionals work together to holistically meet the needs of CLSACC’s clients.
High Priority Roles and Responsibilities for the New Executive Director:
Qualifications of the New Executive Director:
About CLSACC
Founded in 1970, CLSACC’s counseling work and legal programs in family law, housing, immigration, and disability benefits help clients and their children to meet their most basic needs for income, housing, health and safety. CLSACC has a stable budget of $1 million from diversified funding sources, including state and local government contracts, attorney fees, client fees, and a growing private fundraising effort. It has a staff of 15. The agency maximizes its capacity to serve clients by motivating private attorneys and mental health professionals to volunteer at CLSACC. Last year, 100 active volunteers contributed services valued at $600,000 – the equivalent of almost nine full-time staff.
CLSACC is the only legal services agency in New England providing interdisciplinary legal and mental health services under one roof.
CLSACC provides free civil legal services, including advice, referral, and representation in court proceedings and administrative hearings, to income-eligible clients in areas including:
domestic violence/family law; immigration/asylum; housing/homelessness prevention; and disability benefits.
CLSACC provides counseling services free or at very low cost for screening and assessment; individual counseling; group counseling and support groups; psychopharmacological referral; case management/ social work support services; and forensic psychological assessments critical to asylum and Violence Against Women Act cases.
CLSACC has provided comprehensive immigration services for over thirty years. It serves immigrants seeking asylum, immigrants who are victims of domestic violence in the U.S., and immigrant children and youth who have come unaccompanied to the U.S. due to family abuse and neglect in their home countries. CLSACC’s immigration work focuses holistically on its clients, and incorporates post-trauma therapy and social supports as an important component of legal representation.
CLSACC has extensive collaborative relationships in the community in order to serve its clients. Key partners include legal services programs throughout Boston and Massachusetts, immigration providers, health care providers, and community agencies.
For more information about CLSACC, visit www.clsacc.org.