Been getting asked a lot about the 5,383 housing policies & terminology circulating the internets in the past few weeks due to #COVID19...Gonna try & quickly highlight what's been done/what's happening on nat'l, MA, local level + few highlights from other states as well. (1/many)
I’m sure I’ll miss things--been a lot-- so comment to add! Anyway: ICYMI nearly 10 MILLION PEOPLE filed unemployment in past 2 weeks. This is going to be very bad. We’ve all been calling out housing/displacement/eviction/homeless crisis for yrs bc it’s already been so dire…
w/lower-income residents facing rent burden, displacement, communities separated, & our leaders have continued to serve RE interests while doing minimum to protect our most vulnerable. Now take this + add pandemic w/ millions lost jobs/income, risk of serious illness, trauma, etc
SO on nat’l level: To try and avoid a disastrous situation w mass evictions, foreclosures, debt, housing activists & allies across US pushing protections for tenants & homeowners. Here is one set of demands from @PplsAction #HomesGuarantee team. Goes into more detail here: 
@BernieSanders has endorsed/called for several of these in multiple addresses past weeks. His orig. housing plan includes measures to end homelessness & build social housing which would make things much better all the time but esp during crisis like this.
https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/1245518423351853061?s=20
None of these demands have turned into legislation on federal level as of now. What HAS passed is moratorium on evictions & foreclosures, but only in HUD properties/for renters, homeowners receiving federal assistance. (This is in CARES act passed March 27)
And, our fed stimulus pkg $ is supposed to help us w housing/all life costs. But ofc we haven’t gotten that money yet, it won't cover all necessities for everyone, and some will not even get it. @PplsAction Homes Guarantee team is still organizing for their demands.
They just started doing weekly calls on Thurs evenings that anyone can join, so you should do it – they talk about the COVID crisis, the demands, and how to organize. You can see actual details of their demands + more here homesguarantee.com/housing-covid-…
Btw, terminology wise:
rent suspension/cancel rent/suspend rent/#rentzero: all referring to no rent being owed during crisis—and nothing back-owed after. Same w suspend/cancel mortgage.
rent suspension/cancel rent/suspend rent/#rentzero: all referring to no rent being owed during crisis—and nothing back-owed after. Same w suspend/cancel mortgage.
rent freeze: tech means no rent increases during specified time period. But being used a lot rn to mean rent suspension, forgiveness, & more. Basically need to read fine print/get clarification w every proposal!
rent assistance: apply for cash help-have to qualify; limits etc.
rent assistance: apply for cash help-have to qualify; limits etc.
rent strike: organizing tactic meant to be part of longer-term organizing toward a goal for tenants. Require good deal of organizing & solidarity -- likely to see these happening more if legislation is not passed to protect renters across country. E.g. rentstrike2020.org
moratorium: eviction/foreclosure moratorium means evictions/foreclosures temporarily not allowed. Til a date specified in legislation. E.g. til State of Emergency ends, or could be 30 days after State of Emergency ends, or 6 months after, etc.
Now for MA: we already have RAFT, which is rent assistance-- $ help to low-income homeless or at risk of becoming homeless who apply. Has criteria & limits; more here: mass.gov/service-detail…
@CityLife_Clvu + dozens of endorsers are calling for eviction/foreclosure moratorium, rent/mortgage cancellation + smart measures after crisis to keep people in homes. You can sign to support here: #mapoli housingguarantee.org
Re evictions/foreclosures in MA, so far eviction steps requiring judicial action are temporarily stopped + state banks have paused foreclosures…but not all evics/frcl r stopped. Renters Rising coalition points out ~400 new cases were filed in MA courts between March 16-March 23.
To halt all (except emergency) evictions/foreclosures, Rep Honan & @MikeConnollyMA filed a strong moratorium bill HD4935 ~3 weeks ago. Over 80 orgs (housing, labor, social justice, education, faith) signed onto a letter supporting bill.
On Tues the MA Senate Ways & Means cmte advanced a different, very weak moratorium bill (S2621). You can read more on all that here: dotnews.com/2020/emergency…
Then, yday, the MA House passed a strong new bill H1279, similar to Connolly/Honan’s; includes: moratorium on res + commercial evictions; moratorium on res foreclosures; no late fees/hurt credit if you notify landlord re lost income. Thru 30 days after State of Emergency lifted
But MA Senate may still advance the weaker bill Ways & Means advanced Tues…or they can advance the much-stronger House bill passed yday, or they could try to advance either one w/ amendments, or a combo/compromise…AFAIK. Others may know better 😊.
Meanwhile, @MikeConnollyMA has also drafted rent freeze legislation – where he is using “freeze” to mean tenants can’t be evicted for nonpayment of rent due to lost income during crisis, even after crisis ends. Also provides just cause measures for 12 months after emergency.
He's taking comments, ideas and asking for sign ons at rentfreeze.org. @AyannaPressley & many other electeds have also voiced support for rent freeze/cancel rent/morgage
And still...we have >20k homeless persons in MA!! Gov has power to take any building to make it available for homeless. And that # doesn’t include those doubling up. Public schools identified nearly *25k students* as homeless in 2018-2019...
...Homeless persons need shelter w/ social distancing, individual bathrooms, safety, dignity...also need to house decarcerated persons. Btw university dorms & hotel rooms, we have more than enough units to safely house people the proper way. @MassGovernor
In BOSTON, @marty_walsh recently announced Suffolk U will provide 172 beds in one of their dorms for homeless persons. Separately, 70 beds for homeless at former hospital in Brighton.
It looks like the Suffolk dorm being is Nathan Miller Hall --- hopefully ppl getting their own rooms/bathrooms and are safe, rather than multiple beds in close proximity in spaces provided: suffolk.edu/student-life/h…
-Yday Walsh announced Hynes Convention Center will also be used to house infected homeless persons. I would defer to @MAAPMass & other homeless advocacy groups for more commentary & info here
Rent assistance: On Mon MJW announced BHA & BPS will give rent assistance vouchers to up to 1,000 families, w outreach to apply beginning immediately. 500 to homeless families, 500 to families w high risk of displacement. Thousands of BPS students are w/o homes...
I believe MJW originially announced this initiative back at State of City address. More here: boston.gov/news/subsidize…
On Mon @LydiaMEdwards proposed using $2 million from CPA housing funds to assist renters. Would be trade-off w CPA funds for 1st-time homebuyers program & program to help smaller investors buy affordable rental properties
Then yday @MartyWalsh announced plans for an emergency $3 million fund for assistance w/ the moneys coming from the general city fund.
This past wk @RicardoNArroyo put forward resolution to @BOSCityCouncil to support eviction + foreclosure moratorium, rent + mortgage freeze/suspension/cancellation; all councilors besides Baker voted yes on Wed...
Would've been best to have @BOSCityCouncil as unified voice to advocate for this at State + fed level but all except 1 is also great. Hopefully all these councilors continue to voice their own support! Ricardo has a petition to sign in support here:
https://twitter.com/RicardoNArroyo/status/1245789126592528400?s=20
In Somerville, City Council voted unanimously for resolution supporting/calling on State & Fed for “nationwide moratorium on evictions, mortgage and rent payments, utility payments, and safe shelter for all people” for duration of crisis
https://twitter.com/SomervilleCity/status/1244627836847210497?s=20
Cambridge passed order to get brokers, landlords to stop showing apts during the damn pandemic. @BenForWard3 & others are advocating for this in Somerville. I saw @Liz4AB pushing for it in Bos too but I haven't checked 4 updates.
https://twitter.com/BenForWard3/status/1242574318426624002?s=20
And that's all I got 4 now. While there are some good small measures passed, I think there is a general underestimation of how bad this will be if we don't pass strong eviction/foreclosure moratorium & suspend rent/mortgage, & provide safe spaces for all homeless/in need of home
The mental/physical weight of this stress can’t be understated… and much of this will fall on people who have ALREADY been struggling to keep their homes:
https://twitter.com/yuhline/status/1245422237496283136?s=20
This is going to have impact for years…we'll need more protections going forward to keep people in homes during a recession/more like depression – we should be PROACTIVE & PREVENT EVICTIONS, FORECLOSURES, HOMELESSNESS, DEBT CAUSED BY INABILITY TO PAY RENT/MORTGAGE/UTILITIES.
What you can do rn:
-Sign @CityLife_Clvu petition housingguarantee.org
-Sign @MikeConnollyMA petition rentfreeze.org
-Sign @RicardoNArroyo petition change.org/p/charlie-bake…
-Tell your legislators you want strong eviction/foreclosure moratorium; rent/mortgage suspension
-Sign @CityLife_Clvu petition housingguarantee.org
-Sign @MikeConnollyMA petition rentfreeze.org
-Sign @RicardoNArroyo petition change.org/p/charlie-bake…
-Tell your legislators you want strong eviction/foreclosure moratorium; rent/mortgage suspension
-Donate @MAAPMass
-Follow @PplsAction @taraghuveer for more on national demands and organizing calls
-Have a good day thx
-Follow @PplsAction @taraghuveer for more on national demands and organizing calls
-Have a good day thx
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
