Housing First Responders Need More Protections

HOUSING FIRST RESPONDERS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS DEMAND PROTECTIONS FROM EVICTION CRISIS 

Urgent Need To Pass COVID-19 Housing Stability Act (H.5018) and Extend Eviction Moratorium

Today, Lawyers for Civil Rights, the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, Rosie’s Place, Centro Presente, the Chelsea Collaborative, the Brazilian Worker Center, Family Nurturing Center, the Northeastern Community Business Clinic, and the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association joined forces to urge the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to provide greater protections and resources for tenants and landlords. 

In an open letter, the groups are urging Governor Charlie Baker and the leadership of the Massachusetts State House to take immediate action to guarantee emergency housing stability in light of the impending eviction crisis. The state’s eviction moratorium expires on October 17. 

The housing advocates argue that the recent infusion of $171 million dedicated to keep Massachusetts renters in their homes is not enough to address the scale and scope of the state’s housing crisis. Many of the groups have been providing emergency housing support to low-income tenants helping them to secure rental assistance through the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program. From this work directly on the ground, many of the organizations have seen firsthand how the housing crisis is devastating tenants and landlords. In the absence of more robust protections and resources, this crisis will become even more intensified along pronounced racial lines, particularly in low-income communities of color. 

The organizations are collectively urging the Commonwealth to enact the COVID-19 Housing Stability Act (H.5018/S.2831), and to extend the eviction moratorium, paired with additional rental assistance resources to provide direct support to tenants and landlords. 

The letter is available here:

Urgent-Need-to-Extend-Eviction-Moratorium-and-Pass-H.5018