The North East Recovery Learning Community Resources

Inclusion of any agency or service provider on the NERLC Resource Page of our website does not imply endorsement of the organization’s purpose, method, or quality of service(s). Exclusion of a service provider does not signify disapproval. It is up to consumers and their loved ones to evaluate and choose which resources will be of benefit.

Housing:

• Housing Works - Massachusetts – Find many useful resources on this one page such as FIND HOUSING ADVOCATES IN MASSACHUSETTS! Another example, "Locate Past Landlord Information." Please note they will not take personal calls from individual applicants. Instead, this is loaded with useful information you can use to move forward on your own and even find possible advocates who may help you with not only housing but food pantries, thrift shops, heating, utilities, furniture, and more! Look here for the Home Basics database, the largest social service database in Massachusetts. Home Basics is free of charge, but its only available to Housing Advocates and Providers who register with Housing Works. Registration is free to providers: Call 617-599-0242 to request an ID and password. If you are a seeking individual please call:
  Housing Works
  P.O. Box 231104 Boston, MA 02123
  (617) 504-0577
• Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination -
  1 Ashburton Place
  Room 601 Boston, MA 02108
  (617) 727-3990 (phone)
  (617) 720-6053 (fax)
  OR, use this form to contact them!
• Department of Housing and Urban Development – Public Housing
• Housing Programs and Vouchers
• MassAccess - The Accessible Housing registry allows you to search fo affordable and accessible housing in Massachusetts.
• The Association of Massachusetts Community Action Agencies, otherwise known as MASSCAP - Find housing advocacy and other basics of living with their help in your area.
• National Fair Housing Advocate Online – Listing of fair housing agencies

Employment and Training

• Job Accommodation Network - The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues. Working toward practical solutions that benefit both employer and employee, JAN helps people with disabilities enhance their employability, and shows employers how to capitalize on the value and talent that people with disabilities add to the workplace.
• National Center On Workforce and Disability - Universal Design for the Workforce Development System is an innovative collection of tools and resources, designed to assist workforce development professionals in creating services to meet the diverse needs of all customers of the workforce development system.
• U.S. Department of Labor
• Office of Disability Employment Policy
• Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission Job Sites - This page (developed by the counselors of the MRC) includes listings of popular job hunting sites, hints on searching the Internet for job listings and information about posting your resume on the Internet.

Legal/Advocacy Organizations:

• Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law - A non-profit organization devoted to improving the lives of people labeled mentally ill through changes in policy and law.
• Disability Law Center - A non-profit, non-government agency responsible for providing protection and advocacy for the rights of Massachusetts residents with disabilities.
• Mass Legal Help - Massachusetts legal aid program’s website for finding practical information about legal rights.
• Mass Legal Services - Search for legal aid by town.
• Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee - MHLAC helps children and adults in Massachusetts with psychiatric and cognitive disabilities to protect their rights and obtain desired services.
• Merrimack Valley North Shore Legal Services - Legal aid services in the Merrimack Valley and the North Shore parts of Massachusetts.
• National Disability Rights Network - NDRN’s mission is to promote the integrity and capacity of the P&A/CAP national network and to advocate for the enactment and vigorous enforcement of laws protecting the civil and human rights of people with disabilities.
• National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy - NARPA’s mission is to promote policies and pursue strategies that result in individuals with psychiatric diagnoses making their own choices regarding treatment. We educate and mentor those individuals to enable them to exercise their legal and human rights with a goal of abolition of all forced treatment.
• National Resource Center on Psychiatric Advance Directives: NRC.PAD - Guide for preparing and use of Psychiatric Advance Directives.
• Psychiatric Advance Directives - Psychiatric Advance Directives are legal documents where consumers of mental health services express their preferences for treatment and services during psychiatric crises.