Today, most Massachusetts residents will be experiencing subzero temperatures due to wind chill.
And too many working-class people will have to decide whether they can afford sufficient heating (or sufficient winter clothing) and still afford next month’s rent, a decision no one should have to make.
At the same time, we’re in the midst of a pandemic that has made clear that quarantining at home is impossible if you don’t have a home to go back to, and that too many workers are faced with the dire choice of going into work while sick or not having enough money to pay rent.
What both show is that we need to be doing far more for housing stability in our state amidst escalating rents and the displacement that results.
This morning, the MA Legislature will hear testimony on the Tenant Protection Act (S.886/H.1378), a bill from Sen. Adam Gomez and Reps. Mike Connolly and Nika Elugardo that would lift the statewide ban on rent control and enable municipalities to take action to support housing stability in line with the needs and conditions of each community.
No one policy is a silver bullet, but local leaders need to have every tool in the toolbox to address our housing crisis.
Here are ways that you can show support for the bill:
- Submit written testimony: Send in your comments and ask others to do the same. You can use the form here.
- Watch & amplify the hearing: Follow @HomesForAllMass, @CityLife_CLVU, and other allies on Twitter for live coverage of the State House hearing on rent control. Help amplify the message with retweets and your own posts (helpful talking points here). Watch the hearing livestream on the State House website.
- Learn more. For updated info including links to materials about why rent control is an important solution, see www.HomesForAllMass.org/rentcontrol
(Photo credit: Boston Globe)
