Category: Press Release

  • Melrose Housing Authority awarded first-ever “Local Housing Authority of the Year”

    At our upcoming Fall Convention, Mass Union will present the first-ever Housing Authority of the Year award to the Melrose Housing Authority. This award was created to highlight the incredible work that Local Housing Authorities are able to accomplish when they center tenant voices and to provide examples of excellent stewardship of public housing assets. 

    “We are thrilled to present this honor for the first time,” said Dave Underhill, Mass Union’s Board Chair. “This award is going to a Housing Authority that provides sound management, encourages and values tenant participation, and respects all tenants at all times.” 

    On Friday, August 28, the Selection Committee, made up of Mass Union board members, affiliates, staff and partners, announced that the Melrose Housing Authority had won the award.

    The Steele House Community Tenant Association (SHCTA) nominated the Melrose Housing Authority, under the leadership of Executive Director Martin Corona, for this honor. SHCTA highlighted Martin’s leadership during a State-funded $2 million electrical upgrade project at Steele House. Residents raised serious concerns about issues related to the project, and Martin took those concerns seriously, acting as an ally to the tenants and a true steward of the property. 

    “Martin consistently puts residents first in everything he strives to accomplish,” shared the SHCTA Board. “He listens to resident  concerns, values our input, and works collaboratively to find solutions that improve the quality of life for everyone in our community. His leadership is built on respect, transparency, and a genuine commitment to serving the people who call public housing home.”

    “We are honored and ecstatic to be chosen as the inaugural winner of the LHA of the Year Award,” said Martin Corona, “Being the inaugural winner brings tears of joy to my staff and me. Melrose Housing Authority appreciates Steele LTO and Mass Union for your efforts in educating and empowering residents to become community leaders and having a seat at both the policy and decision-making table with MHA Commissioners and staff.”

    The Melrose Housing Authority will be presented with the award at Mass Union’s Fall Convention on October 3, when tenant leaders from across Massachusetts gather for two and a half days of programming, including keynotes, workshops, and officer elections.

  • Massachusetts Law Reform Institute to honor Sarah Byrnes with Gladys Vega Outstanding Community Leader Award at 2026 Catalyst for Change Event

    Massachusetts Law Reform Institute to honor Sarah Byrnes with Gladys Vega Outstanding Community Leader Award at 2026 Catalyst for Change Event

    MLRI Announcement

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    Media Contact:
    press@mlri.org

    BOSTON, MA (July 14, 2026) — The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) is pleased to honor Sarah Byrnes, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Union of Public Housing Tenants (Mass Union), with this year’s Gladys Vega Outstanding Community Leader Award on Tuesday, September 15, 2026. This distinguished award recognizes exceptional leaders who champion the rights and dignity of their communities across Massachusetts. Byrnes stepped into the role of Executive Director of Mass Union in 2023, and is at the helm during one of the most consequential moments for public housing residents in recent history. Across the country, federal actions by the Trump Administration have targeted vulnerable and marginalized communities in public housing – but the threat extends far beyond any one group, putting at risk the stability, rights, and futures of all public housing residents.

    At Mass Union – a statewide organization run by tenants for tenants – Byrnes is on the frontlines of this fight. Since joining Mass Union, she has expanded the organization’s reach and visibility, adding new programs, partnerships, and key events like an annual Public Housing Day at the State House. Byrnes considers herself first and foremost an organizer, and tenant leadership development is at the heart of Mass Union’s work.

    “Sarah brings both the leadership and perseverance that this moment demands,” says Georgia Katsoulomitis, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. “At a time when public housing funding is at risk and residents are under serious threat of losing
    housing, she is exactly the kind of leader we need. She has been in the trenches with residents, cultivating and fostering strong tenant leaders, and is relentless in fighting for the human right to housing and for the rights of families in public housing.”

    “This award belongs to every tenant leader who has contributed to their Local Tenant Organization, stood up for public housing at the State House, or refused to let their community be pushed aside,” said Byrnes. “Public housing residents are facing unprecedented threats right now, and I’m honored to be part of an organization built on the belief that the people most affected by these policies are also the ones best equipped to fight them.”

    This year’s Catalyst for Change event will be held on September 15, 2026 at the UMass Club in Boston. The evening brings together legal advocates, community leaders, private bar attorneys, and supporters committed to advancing economic and social justice across the
    Commonwealth.

    About the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute

    Founded in 1968, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) is a nonprofit poverty law and
    policy program that provides statewide advocacy and leadership in advancing laws,
    policies, and practices that secure economic, racial, and social justice for low-income
    people and communities. To learn more, visit MLRI.org.

  • 13,000+ Comments Oppose HUD Rule Targeting Mixed-Status Families

    April 22, 2026
    Contacts:
    Press@legal-aid.org
    Press@nhlp.org
    media@latinojustice.org
    press@massunion.org

    ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

    Tenant and immigrant rights groups condemn proposal that could force tens of thousands of families from their homes, urge government to immediately withdraw proposal

    (NEW YORK, NY) — Greater Boston Legal Services, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, The Legal Aid Society, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, the Massachusetts Union of Public Housing Tenants, and the National Housing Law Project issued the following statement marking the close of the comment period on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) proposed rule targeting mixed-status families, which puts tens of thousands of households at risk of losing their homes:

    “As the public comment period closes for HUD’s proposed rule targeting mixed-status families, we join thousands of advocates, tenants, and community members across the country in unequivocal opposition.

    “With more than 13,000 comments submitted, the overwhelming response underscores just how harmful and out of step this proposal is. It would force tens of thousands of families into an impossible choice — separate from loved ones or lose their homes — while doing nothing to address the nation’s ongoing housing crisis.

    “HUD’s own analysis of the proposed rule admits it would reduce the number of households receiving assistance and force housing authorities to cut essential services — like maintenance, security, management, and tenant programs — impacting even U.S. citizen households.

    “This proposal is not only legally and morally indefensible, it is a direct attack on the stability, health, and unity of our communities. Public housing exists to provide safe, affordable homes for those who need them most — not to divide families or scapegoat immigrants.

    “We stand with public housing tenants and immigrant families nationwide in urging HUD to immediately withdraw this proposal. Housing policy must strengthen communities, not tear them apart.”

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    Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS), founded in 1900, assists survivors of domestic violence, unhoused families, elders, people with disabilities, households facing illegal evictions, low-wage workers, families with no source of income, and immigrants facing persecution. Annually, GBLS provides assistance to 12,000 families and individuals who would otherwise not be able to afford legal help. GBLS also provides legal counsel to dozens of community-based groups and organizations and conducts strategic impact advocacy to bring about positive systematic change throughout the region and state. For more information, please visit www.gbls.org.

    The Legal Aid Society is a nonprofit law firm that exists for one simple yet powerful reason: to ensure that New Yorkers are not denied their right to equal justice because of poverty. For 150 years, we have protected, defended, and advocated for those who have struggled in silence for far too long. Every day, in every borough, The Legal Aid Society changes the lives of the people we serve and helps improve our communities. www.legalaidnyc.org

    The National Housing Law Project’s mission is to advance housing justice for poor people and communities. We achieve this by strengthening and enforcing the rights of tenants and low-income homeowners, increasing housing opportunities for underserved communities, and preserving and expanding the nation’s supply of safe and affordable homes.

    Founded in 1968, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) is a nonprofit poverty law and policy program that provides statewide advocacy and leadership in advancing laws, policies, and practices that secure economic, racial, and social justice for low-income people and communities. MLRI furthers its mission through impact litigation, policy advocacy, coalition building, community lawyering, and public information. In addition, MLRI serves as the poverty law support center for the Massachusetts civil legal aid delivery system and advocacy community. For more information, visit www.mlri.org.

    The Massachusetts Union of Public Housing Tenants is a nonprofit run by tenants for tenants. Our mission is to build power and voice for tenants so that we may effectively improve public housing in Massachusetts. Founded by public housing residents in 1967 and incorporated in 1971, Mass Union is the oldest statewide public housing tenants’ organization in the nation. https://massunion.org

    About LatinoJustice
    LatinoJustice PRLDEF works to create a more just society by using and challenging the rule of law to secure transformative, equitable and accessible justice, by empowering our community and by fostering leadership through advocacy and education. For over 50 years, LatinoJustice PRLDEF has acted as an advocate against injustice throughout the country. To learn more about LatinoJustice, visit www.LatinoJustice.org

  • Massachusetts Public Housing Tenants Speak Out: HUD Must Drop Proposal Attacking Immigrant Families

    ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

    April 13, 2026
    Contact: press@massunion.org

    (BOSTON, MA) – HUD issued a proposal on February 20, 2026 that would upend their long-standing policy of allowing families with mixed immigration statuses to live together in HUD housing. If enacted, this proposal will force mixed status families to face an impossible choice: separate or lose their housing. 

    The Massachusetts Union of Public Housing Tenants sees the new HUD proposal for what it is: an attempt to divide our communities and displace our neighbors by scapegoating immigrants for the housing crisis. This proposal raises serious legal and moral concerns and will put tens of thousands of households at risk of losing their homes nationally. 

    HUD is accepting comments on the proposal through April 21. Public housing tenants across Massachusetts are joining the chorus of voices telling HUD that this proposal is unacceptable. Twelve of Mass Union’s local tenant organizations are submitting comments on behalf of their members, representing thousands of tenants in Boston, Brockton, Cambridge, Chicopee, Fall River, Lowell, Somerville, Springfield, and Quincy.

    “This is not about ending poverty. This is about breaking communities – just like ICE is doing. People are already afraid to come together to support each other. It’s just going to get worse,” a Somerville public housing tenant told Mass Union. 

    “When you live in a housing community like I do, it’s diverse. There are so many good people in public housing that are here just because that’s the only place they can be. This ruling is going to hurt people’s health, hurt their morale,” said Dave Underhill, Fall River public housing tenant and Chair of the Board of the Massachusetts Union of Public Housing Tenants. 

    HUD’s mixed status rule is one of three proposals that aim to dismantle and undermine public housing, which provides permanent, deeply affordable housing for some of the most vulnerable people in society. The other proposals would rescind eviction protections and allow housing authorities to implement work requirements and time limits on tenancies. 

    Public housing tenants from across Massachusetts will speak out against these attacks on April 16, when they will unite at the State House for Public Housing Day 2026. In addition to telling their stories and urging state legislators to protect public housing from federal attacks, tenants will be advocating for increased funding and staffing for their public housing communities, Access to Counsel for tenants facing eviction, and protection for tenants in communities undergoing redevelopment. 

    Press can inquire about attending Public Housing Day and speaking with public housing tenants by contacting press@massunion.org.

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    The Massachusetts Union of Public Housing Tenants is a nonprofit run by tenants for tenants. Our mission is to build power and voice for tenants so that we may effectively improve public housing in Massachusetts. Founded by public housing residents in 1967 and incorporated in 1971, Mass Union is the oldest statewide public housing tenants’ organization in the nation. massunion.org