Big news! Thanks to Homes for All MA for the update:
A hearing on the COVID-19 Housing Equity bill has been scheduled for Thursday, August 12 at 1:00 pm. This will be a virtual hearing, in front of the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Housing.
- Please click here to sign up to testify via video call. You do not need to be an “expert” to testify! If you have members or clients impacted by housing issues, please use these guidelines to help people with relevant stories sign up and testify. It would also be helpful for ALL allied groups to state their support in written comments to luke.oroark@mahouse.gov (please send a BCC/copy to info@HomesForAllMass.org) Talking points for testimony are here. The deadline for written testimony is Friday, 8/13, 5 pm.
- Starting right now and through next week, call and email your State Representative and Senator in support of the bill. This easy tool includes a sample message and automatically gets you connected to the right offices.
- Sign on to the letter in support of the COVID-19 Housing Equity bill if you’re not there already!
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The Network is organizing a sign-on letter by our Western MA legislators to the Housing Committee Chairs to urge passage of this bill. Right now, there is NO eviction protection for Franklin and Hampshire County residents and the federal eviction moratorium that covers the rest of the state leaves critical gaps that put vulnerable tenants at risk. The COVID-19 Housing Equity bill provides the protection people need. Let’s make it happen.
Please join the list of Network partners signing on in support of this bill (sign on here). See the current list below and let’s keep it growing. Our united call for eviction protection will make a difference. Thank you for your partnership!
Western MA Organizations and Officials signed on to the Homes for All MA letter urging passage of the COVID-19 Housing Equity bill:
North Adams Mayor Tom Bernard
Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle
Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz
Greenfield Mayor Roxann Wedegartner
Springfield City Council (unanimous resolution in support)
Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman
Amherst Survival Center
Arise for Social Justice
Behavioral Health Network
Berkshire Community Action Council Berkshire Housing Development Services
Berkshire Immigrant Center
Community Action Pioneer Valley
Construct, Inc. (Great Barrington)
Craig’s Doors
DIAL/SELF Youth and Community Services
Eliot-CHS Homeless Services
Food Bank of Western Massachusetts
Gandara Center
Holyoke Community College
Louison House (North Adams)
MassHire Holyoke
Northampton Survival Center
Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts
Tapestry Health
Springfield No One Leaves
Springfield Partners for Community Action
Springfield Technical Community College
United Way of Franklin-Hampshire Region
Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness
