Category: Past Events

April 16: LTO Business Banking Workshop in Brockton

Wednesday, April 16, 10am – 3pm – Please arrive by 9:30 at the latest
Caffrey Towers, Brockton, MA
Breakfast and Lunch Provided
Spanish Interpretation Provided

Is your Local Tenant Organization (LTO) ready to open up a bank account, secure an EIN, and get up to date on budgeting practices that ensure compliance?  If so, we invite you to join us on Wednesday, April 16th for an in-person workshop at Caffery Towers in Brockton, Ma. In collaboration with our new community partner, JPMorgan Chase, the workshop will provide information on general business banking products and basic budgeting practices. We look forward to hosting you and supporting your LTO.

April 30: MKI Training: Sustainable Strategies for Language Access

9:30am

Duration:

6 hours

 Online

Description

Language Access is a fundamental component of equitable community engagement. To meet the needs of underserved communities, our projects and outreach strategies must be multilingual and culturally welcoming. Language access allows people’s voices to be heard and affirms that their voice does matter. We live in a globalizing and increasingly multilingual world. Our public processes need to be multilingual, too.

Join this interactive webinar series to:

  • Work through sustainable strategies for language access.
  • Talk about bridging from providing access to meaningful multilingual participation.
  • Address the intersection of language and disability justice and examine how communication access benefits everyone and strengthens your public process overall.
  • Strategize on public participation design that is not only linguistically accessible but culturally inclusive.

Session 1: April 30 | 9:30AM-12:30PM

Session 2: May 14 | 9:30AM-12:30PM

Registration deadline

April 16: MKI Webinar: LHA Board Stewardship and Fundamentals of Non-Profit Governance

April 16 (Wednesday)
5 pm – 7 pm
This training will focus on effective Local Housing Authority Boards and Commissions stewardship strategies, meant for and free for all members. Topics will include fundamentals of non-profit governance, building capacity, resilience, and diversity, the roles and responsibilities of board members, and conflict of interest avoidance.

March 27 MKI & EOHLC Webinar: RSC and Supportive Housing Programs

March 27 (Thursday)
10 am – 11:30 am
The Resident Service Coordinator program and the state Self-Sufficiency Program are two grants administered by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) to support residents living in state-aided public housing. Speaker Ann-Elizabeth Young, Livable Public Housing Communities Specialist, will discuss each program’s scope, purpose, and impact in this presentation.

March 28 – Reasonable Accommodations Webinar

Date: March 28th
Time: 11:00am- 12:15pm

Zoom: Register below for link!

The Tenant Advocacy Project—also known as TAP—is a student practice group at Harvard Law School that represents current and prospective public housing tenants and Section 8 voucher recipients in administrative hearings and other disputes with their housing authority.

On March 28th, we will be joined by law students, Sarah Berton and AJ Williamson to learn what a Reasonable Accommodation is, how to request one, and what to expect after submitting a request. We will also spend time answering general questions about the process. The hope is that you leave the webinar confident and knowledgeable about approaching your housing authority to request any Reasonable Accommodation you might need.

March 2025 – Local Tenant Organization (LTO) Life Cycle Training

When: March 17, 24, and 31 at 11am

Where: Zoom– Register below by Wednesday, March 12 at 5pm!

Are you working to start a new LTO? Or maybe your existing LTO needs to be revived? In either case, join us for the LTO Life Cycle training!
This three-part training series is catered to seasoned resident leaders. Working alongside other resident leaders and Mass Union staff, you will learn all the steps necessary to launch or revive a strong and diverse LTO.  We’ll focus on LTO recognition requirements, officer roles and responsibilities, relationship-building, and setting cultural values that promote diverse and functional LTOs.
Mass Union Network Leaders and staff will remain in touch with you after the training to offer ongoing support.

 

Feb 26 – Webinar: New EOHLC Guidelines on Tenant Participation

February 26, 1pm
Via Zoom –

Over the past year, Mass Union worked closely with the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) to write guidelines for Housing Authorities about tenant participation. We wanted the guidelines to address areas of concern that you, tenants and LTOs, had identified. We’re thrilled that EOHLC released the new guidelines on December 16, 2024. Read them here!

Join Mass Union and our longstanding attorney Annette Duke on February 26 at 1pm to review the new guidelines (known as a Public Housing Notice, or PHN). The PHN contains six pages of detailed guidance for Housing Authorities regarding their interactions with LTOs, as well as two Attachments. The PHN affirms the independence of LTOs and important practices regarding Tenant Participation Funds. For example, it makes clear that funds may be used to support quality of life initiatives, such as community gardens, wellness classes, computer labs and more. Join us to learn more about the contents of the PHN and to think about how you can use it to build power and voice for tenants at your development, so that together, you can improve the quality of life for residents.

Have you used the new PHN in your community? For example, have you discussed it with tenants or the Housing Authority, or used it to advocate for improvements? If so, please let us know – we may want to share your story on the webinar. Email info@massunion.org or call 617.825.9750. Thank you!

May 7: Public Housing Day at the State House

THANK YOU to everyone who joined us at the State House!

If you would like to check our 2025 policy priorities we worked on during Public Housing Day, click here.
Join us for a day of Workshops, Meetings, Civic Engagement and Education

Featuring Keynote Remarks from Secretary Ed Augustus, Senator Adam Gomez, Representative Carole Fiola, Tenant Leaders, and More!

 

 

 

Civic Engagement Workshop with Commonwealth Seminar

Meetings with Policy-Makers

Make your voice heard to support fair funding for public housing, Access to Counsel for tenants facing eviction, protection for tenants undergoing redevelopment, and more. Join public housing tenants and their allies from across the state at Public Housing Day at the Massachusetts State House!

Parking information below.

CLICK HERE TO PAY ONLINE FOR YOUR REGISTRATION

$100 per tenant is requested to cover the costs of Breakfast, Lunch, T-shirts and Interpretation
$125 per non-tenant

Buses will be provided from certain locations for an additional fee. Parking and travel information below!THANK YOU TO OUR PUBLIC HOUSING DAY SPONSORS!

Jan 27 – Capital Planning Webinar with EOHLC

11am-12pm Via Zoom

Join this webinar with Mass Union and EOHLC (Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities) to learn more about funding and supporting capital improvements at your Local Housing Authority.
Due to the successful passage of the Affordable Homes Act, $2.2 billion has been earmarked to address the dangerous backlog of capital needs in public housing. Join us to get an overview of the capital improvement planning process at your Local Housing Authority. Tenants have the right to weigh in, and your voice is critical.
 
This webinar is open to all residents of Local Housing Authorities. Please register below. We will send you the Zoom link after you register. If you encounter difficulties, contact Lilith Dyke at lilith@massunion.org. 

 

Nov 14: Changes to Rent Determination – Webinar with EOHLC

11am-12pm Via Zoom

Join Mass Union and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) for a webinar about changes to the rent determination process.

On June 7, 2024, the state updated 760 CMR 6.00, the regulations that cover rent in public housing. Read about the changes here. Join us for this webinar for a presentation and Q&A with officials from EOHLC about these updates.