The following testimony is from Keith Bernard, Malden School Committee Member and co-chair of Mystic Valley Progressives.
Thank you, Chairs Rep Arciero and Senator Keenan and all the members of the joint committee on Housing. I’d also like to thank and appreciate my fellow elected officials activists and renters in Massachusetts that have testified already in favor of these bills.
My name is Keith Bernard, a member of the Malden School Committee and I am here to state my support for the following bills: H.1378/S.886, sponsored by Reps. Mike Connolly and Nika Elugardo and Sen. Adam Gomez, H.1440/S.889, sponsored by Rep. Dave Rogers and Sen. Patricia Jehlen.
Malden is the 5th most diverse community in the state and our high school is the most diverse in the state. We speak over 60 different languages in our school systems. Malden also has a large population that do not own their home but rent. Over 55% of housing in our city is rental properties, our rental rates have nearly doubled in the last ten years, and it is getting more difficult for our working families to stay in Malden.
I can think of nothing more disruptive to a child’s education than an unexpected move because of a large increase in rent. If a family is lucky, they may be able to find housing in our city, but that is unlikely. When a student leaves us, it means that the family needs to go through the stress of re-enrollment and the child acclimating to a new school system. If the child has an IEP or other necessary services, that family has the additional stress of getting those services in place. Finally the emotional impact that a child experiences being uprooted from their friends and neighborhood that not only affects that child, but the children and community around them.
On a personal note, I’ve been volunteering with many of the mutual aid community groups that arose during these last two years. There is nothing more heartbreaking than finding out a neighboring family that I had an opportunity to help had to move because of an unexpected rise of housing costs.
Most families are not looking for a hand out but a hand up. We are looking to you, the members of this committee, to allow municipalities to sculpt solutions that work for their community. What works for Boston may not work for Malden or Medford or Worcester or Pittsfield. Each community has its own officials and local representation that can “right-size” a solution for their town or city.
I ask that the committee please keep these thoughts in mind when considering implementing rent control. By stabilizing the cost of rentals, we stabilize those families, we keep our children safe and we protect our communities. And by implementing these bills we allow the people who know best, our local cities and towns the ability to implement the best solution for our individual towns & cities.
I strongly encourage the committee to support and endorse passage of H.1378/S.886, sponsored by Reps. Mike Connolly and Nika Elugardo and Sen. Adam Gomez, H.1440/S.889, sponsored by Rep. Dave Rogers and Sen. Patricia Jehlen.
Respectfully,
Keith Bernard
Malden School Committee, Ward 7
(Photo credit: Boston Globe)
