Dear MPHA Supporter,
Your help is needed this week to spur elected officials to action and avoid mass eviction in Massachusetts! The Legislature's Joint Committee on Housing will hold an online hearing on the COVID-19 Housing Equity bill (HB 1434/SB 891) on Thursday, August 12, from 1:00 - 3:00 PM. This critical legislation, sponsored by Reps. Frank Moran and Kevin Honan and Senator Pat Jehlen, would prevent evictions and foreclosures and promote housing equity during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and recovery. MPHA stands with grassroots housing justice leaders and our allies at Homes for All Massachusetts in calling for immediate action on this bill.
Please raise your voice to support this bill by:
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Joining MPHA and our partners in the Homes for All Coalition at a rally and press conference to support the bill on Thursday, August 12 at 10:00 AM in front of the State House in Boston. Please wear a mask!
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Calling and emailing your State Representative and Senator today in support of the bill. This easy tool includes a sample message and automatically gets you connected to the right offices.
As you may be aware, the national moratorium on evictions, put into place last year by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), expired last weekend and was then partially reinstated. The new moratorium provides protection from the final step of eviction (“execution” or forced removal) for some Massachusetts tenants. But the measure has enormous loopholes and is scheduled to end on October 3.
With mass eviction looming and the COVID-19 Delta variant spreading rapidly, it is imperative that the Legislature enact comprehensive statewide housing protections now!
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Ensure landlords cooperate with rental assistance programs before resorting to eviction,
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Require the state to simplify the application process for rent and mortgage assistance,
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Protect the most vulnerable tenants from forced removal for COVID-19 debts,
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Require lenders to offer sustainable forbearance plans to homeowners and to protect homeowners whose forbearance plans are ending, and
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Temporarily pause foreclosures and no-fault evictions during the COVID-19 recovery period.
The committee will be accepting sign-ups for oral testimony until Tuesday, August 10 at 5:00 PM, and will take written testimony until Friday, August 13 at 5:00 PM. Your voice will make a real difference in the fight for housing equity, so please take action today!
