On Tuesday, the Judiciary Committee held its hearing on Right to Counsel bills. It was standing room only. There was strong testimony from tenants, housing advocates, municipal leaders, and legislators. Many others submitted written testimony.
See who was in the room: Broad Coalition Urges Judiciary Committee to Pass Right to Counsel
As tenants sit in court right now – unrepresented, fearing that when they walk out of court they will not have a home, some may be fortunate to have limited assistance from a lawyer for the day. But that is not enough. Some may have been too scared or hopeless to even go to court. We can change this.
- Thank your legislators for standing up for a continuum of housing stabilization and eviction prevention support and a right to counsel.
- Go on record with the Judiciary Committee, written testimony can still be submitted (sample letters).
- Urge organizations to join the Right to Counsel Coalition. Over 70 organizations have joined the RTC Coalition in a short period of time and we need to continue to build.
- Raise awareness with tenants and community groups in your city and town about how evictions are impacting people and urge local officials to pass a resolution calling for a right to counsel. See new resolution from Northampton.
Many across the state contributed to the success of Tuesday’s hearing. Thank you all for your work on this. Please let me know if you have any questions or need information. We will circle back with more later.
On Behalf of the RTC to Counsel Coalition
-Annette