Latina-led non-profit CDC in Lawrence, MA offering HUD-certified housing counseling, financial coaching, and community development programs since 1996.
Editorially reviewed by Harvey Brooks
ACT Lawrence, Inc. (formerly Arlington Community Trabajando, Inc.) was founded in 1996 as a response to community crises—the Malden Mills fire and Spicket River floods—that devastated local housing and employment. The organization emerged from residents' determination to help their neighbors rebuild, establishing itself as a Latina-led, non-profit Community Development Corporation. By 2005, ACT expanded from the Arlington District to serve the entire City of Lawrence, Massachusetts, deepening its impact across multiple service areas.
ACT Lawrence operates through four distinct pillars: Housing Services, Financial Opportunity Center, Youth Center, and Community Engagement. The Housing Services team provides personalized support for navigating affordable housing, tenant resources, and homeownership preparation. The Financial Opportunity Center offers financial coaching, workforce development guidance, and wealth-building tools. They conduct regular workshops including first-time homebuyer classes (offered in Spanish), financial education sessions, mortgage foreclosure prevention counseling, and landlord education programs. All services are designed to serve low to moderate-income populations with culturally responsive, multilingual support (English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Portuguese).
ACT Lawrence distinguishes itself through its deep roots in the community it serves, having operated for nearly 30 years with resident-centered, grassroots leadership. The organization combines housing stability work with financial capability training and youth development—a holistic approach addressing multiple dimensions of economic mobility. Their HUD-certified counselors and personalized coaching model reflect evidence-based practices for sustainable financial improvement. The multilingual programming and explicit focus on Latina-led leadership in a Latino-majority community demonstrates cultural competency often absent from mainstream financial services.
As a legitimate non-profit, ACT Lawrence charges no fees for its core counseling and educational services, making it genuinely accessible to low-income residents. The main caveat is that they operate as a community-based organization serving Lawrence specifically, so their direct services are geographically limited. While they offer robust financial and housing education, they do not provide lending products, credit repair services, or debt settlement—only educational guidance and coaching.
Yes. Act Lawrence, Inc Formerly Arlington Community Trabajando, Inc is a registered company headquartered in Lawrence, MA. They hold a NR rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Counseling available within 1-2 weeks of contact.
CreditDoc Diagnosis
ACT Lawrence is best for low-to-moderate income Lawrence, Massachusetts residents seeking free, HUD-certified financial counseling, homebuyer education, or foreclosure prevention support. The primary caveat is geographic limitation—services are restricted to Lawrence—and the organization offers education and coaching only, not lending, credit repair, or debt settlement products.
Lawrence Community Works is a 40-year-old nonprofit community development organization in Lawrence, MA offering resident-led programs and affordable housing initiatives.
Best for: Lawrence, MA residents seeking affordable housing development or community revitalization initiatives, Community members interested in volunteer engagement or resident-led neighborhood improvement projects
NACA is a non-profit housing advocacy organization offering character-based mortgage lending and HUD-approved housing counseling to help underserved communities achieve homeownership.
Best for: Low-to-moderate income first-time homebuyers with limited savings and poor or no credit history, Communities of color experiencing racial wealth disparity seeking character-based rather than credit-score-based lending
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