Greater Boston Legal Services Housing Unit staff are the leading legal specialists in the state of Massachusetts on homelessness-related legal issues, as well as national leaders on the legal problems of the homeless in gaining access to subsidized housing. The unit's expertise on legal strategies to protect the rights of homeless families to emergency shelter under the state and federally-funded Emergency Assistance (EA) program is an essential component of broader strategies to preserve and expand this program, as well as to transform it into a more effective bridge to permanent housing for homeless families. Similarly, the knowledge and legal skills of unit staff concerning the broad range of federal and state laws that can continue to be brought to bear to sustain subsidized housing opportunities for homeless families and individuals, despite sweeping changes in federal law, are a critical element of broad-based strategies to preserve access to affordable housing. In addition to representing the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless (MCH) and classes of shelter applicants and recipients in litigation and in legislative and administrative advocacy, the unit has represented hundreds of individual families each year concerning EA shelter and housing rights. Unit staff are also a key resource to the agencies working with homeless families and individuals concerning shelter and housing rights.