Jacquelynne Bowman, Executive Director, Greater Boston Legal Services

In an interview with Invest:, Jacquelynne Bowman, executive director of Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS), highlighted the organization’s mission to provide free civil legal services to low-income residents of Boston. Over the past year, GBLS managed 13,000 legal matters, including a significant case ensuring the right to shelter for homeless families.

What is Greater Boston Legal Services’ mission and focus in the Boston area?

Greater Boston Legal Services started in 1900. We provide free civil legal services to people with very low incomes. For example, a family of four qualifies if they make no more than $39,000 a year. Our services range from helping victims and survivors of domestic violence to providing services for new arrivals who need documentation, usually involving asylum applications or TPS cases, issues affecting health access, elder law, income maintenance and access to benefits employment related matters, consumer law, and many housing cases, including eviction defense and preserving affordable housing.

What are some key highlights and significant milestones achieved over the past year?

In the last year, we handled 13,000 legal matters for just under 11,000 people. One significant case involved suing the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to ensure people have a right to shelter. Families with children were being forced to sleep in unsuitable places, suffering great harm. We reached an agreement with the Commonwealth to provide shelter to families with children who are homeless or who would otherwise be homeless, making it easier for them to prove eligibility for shelter placement. This settlement coincided with a significant number of unhoused people arriving in the Boston area. We continue to work with the Commonwealth to ensure the safety of those needing shelter.

Are there any key partnerships that benefit your advocacy efforts and the services GBLS provides to the community?

We work closely with the city of Boston, particularly around preserving and creating affordable housing. We also partner with several nonprofit organizations in the Boston area. One key partner is City Life/Vida Urbana, which provides grassroots community-based education while we offer legal support. We also collaborate with La Colaborativa in Chelsea on housing, employment, immigration matters, and domestic violence issues. We provide place-based services at Rosie’s Place, The Women’s Lunch Place, MetroWest Workers’ Center and various health care centers.

What services are in highest demand at the moment?

We provide services for victims and survivors of domestic violence. We work with domestic violence programs and shelters throughout our area. A statewide organization we collaborate with is Jane Doe Inc., where we advocate for the safety of individuals harmed by their partners, ensuring their children are safe. We represent victims and survivors in family law matters, securing adequate child support and other income, and ensuring their housing is secure. Most importantly, we focus on their safety, helping them stay away from violent situations.

What advocacy efforts is GBLS focusing on?

In addition to affordable housing, we advocate for low-wage workers, especially new arrivals and immigrants who may not understand their rights. Many are forced to work longer hours without proper pay, often receiving less than the minimum wage. We’ve worked closely with the Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Labor to ensure fair wages. Additionally, we collaborate with the Department of Unemployment Assistance to make it easier for people to file unemployment claims. During the pandemic, it was particularly challenging for non-English speakers to access necessary information. We continue to ensure people have the information and ability to apply for benefits.

Given the economic climate, what strategies are you adapting to maintain financial sustainability?

It’s always challenging for a nonprofit, as we’re constantly seeking funding sources. We advocate for increased state funding and receive some funds directly from the state legislature. Additionally, we make a case for funding legal services in the community, whether through law firms or corporations. It’s crucial to highlight the importance of civil legal aid to help our most vulnerable neighbors. If people don’t have a place to live or face food insecurity, how can they work or afford transportation? We seek funds, apply to different foundations, and demonstrate the impact of our services on creating a healthy community. Without workers and people able to afford to live in greater Boston, everything falls apart.

How do you choose which initiatives or individuals the organization supports?

Our funding is limited. About 350,000 people in Greater Boston are eligible for our services, but we have only 80 attorneys and 23 paralegals on our permanent staff. We can’t serve everyone, so we prioritize by looking at the biggest needs in the community and where we can make the most significant impact. We do impact advocacy, systemic advocacy, and individual cases. Our current priorities are housing, services for victims of domestic violence, immigration, benefits, health access, employment, and consumer rights. These areas significantly affect people’s quality of life, so we focus on them to help people meet their most basic needs.

One challenge is helping people understand why someone needs a lawyer. While it’s easy to see why a victim of domestic violence needs a safe shelter, it’s harder to grasp the necessity of legal aid. We see our role as the entity of last resort, ensuring the government provides the support people need to stabilize their lives. We advocate for people when the government falls short.

What are your top priorities for the next two to three years for GBLS?

We are in the midst of our strategic planning process. Our top priority is stabilizing families. What do children need to be successful by the time they finish high school? What about those transitioning from 18 to 24? We focus on legal issues impacting children aging out of foster care, quality education, and job training opportunities.

The biggest demand for our services is family law and housing advocacy. Recently, we settled a case involving people in nursing homes who could be discharged to the community with support. Many people are stuck in nursing homes who could live in the community with the right support. We work with the government to ensure they get the support they need.

One client mentioned he hadn’t seen the moon in four years because he didn’t have the freedom to come and go. This is where having a lawyer makes a difference. In this instance, it was a class action lawsuit, and now the Commonwealth is required to find community-based placements for over 2,000 people in the near future. We’ll monitor to ensure that happens.

People often describe our work as “God’s work,” but I believe it’s work the entire community needs to participate in. If we don’t lift up our vulnerable neighbors, our own quality of life diminishes. It’s important for all of us to support everyone so that all boats can rise.