The COVID-19 Housing Equity Bill (H.1434/S.891) will be heard by the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Housing this Thursday 8/12 at 1:00 PM! This bill will prevent thousands of evictions and foreclosures and promote housing equity during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and recovery. Swift legislative action is essential, with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)’s temporary eviction moratorium slated to expire on October 3. MPHA stands with grassroots housing justice leaders and our allies at Homes for All Massachusetts in calling for passage of this bill! Click here to take action!

In a July 28 letter to MA DPH and Governor Charlie Baker, MPHA and our partners in the Vaccine Equity Now! Coalition urged the state to resume collection of demographic data on COVID-19 hospitalizations, including race, ethnicity and language. “In order to address inequities, we must be able to measure them,” said the letter, which was cosigned by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, State Senator Becca Rausch, State Rep. Mindy Domb, and Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone. The state ceased reporting hospitalization demographic data on July 1. For more information on the state’s history of failing to report COVID-19 equity data in a transparent manner, check out this Boston Globe article.

The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation held two hearings in July on bills related to transportation. MPHA organized advocates to testify in support of the RTA Advancement Bill (S.2277/H.3413), which would increase funding stability and predictability for the state’s 15 Regional Transit Authorities (RTAS). By operating bus routes and providing dial-a-ride services for people with disabilities, RTAs connect millions of people in more than 250 cities and towns to medical care, food, jobs, education and other necessities. You can help by submitting written testimony in support of the RTA Advancement Bill. Take action and raise your voice for public transportation!

The Baker administration has ignored a July 30 deadline established by the Legislature in the FY22 state budget, which requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish benchmarks for measuring equity within the COVID-19 vaccination program. This lapse comes on the heels of MA DPH’s recent decision to stop reporting hospitalization data related to race, ethnicity and language (see above). Combined with the Administration’s failure to implement the Equity Data Law passed last year, these actions create a troubling pattern of undermining efforts to ensure equity by hindering the transparent reporting of data.

MPHA is seeking a part-time Campaign Coordinator to support our work in Worcester and Springfield! If you have experience working in community, legislative, labor, or electoral campaigns and are familiar with neighborhood issues, politics, and community organizations in the Worcester and/or Springfield areas, click here to apply.

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