Category: Uncategorized

What’s happening?

In late 2024, HUD changed the rules for public housing, RAD, and Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance tenants to provide more protection before eviction for nonpayment of rent. The 2024 rule:

1. 1. 1. Requires that tenants receive 30 days’ notice before an eviction can be filed for nonpayment.
      2. Requires that tenants are given an “opportunity to cure” (pay the money owed) before an eviction can be filed.
      3. Requires that the notice provide an itemized statement of charges, and information about how the tenant can lower their rent if they have lost income.
      4. Allows tenants to see the ledger which tracks their rent.

Now, the Trump administration is seeking to throw out these protections because of pressure from the real estate industry. The protections have provided tenants with critical time and information so that they can correct errors on their ledgers, recover from one-time emergencies, and access rental assistance to avoid eviction.

Without the protections, more HUD tenants will be evicted for balances they do not owe, or for temporary problems that can be solved.

What are we doing?

HUD accepted comments on its plan to get rid of the 2024 eviction protections until April 27, 2026. After reviewing the comments, HUD will publish a final rule. 

Read Mass Union and the Mass Law Reform Institute’s joint comment opposing the rule change. 

Read Mass Union’s joint comment with the Mass Law Reform Institute opposing this rule. (PDF)

What’s happening?

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposed new rules that would allow Public Housing Authorities to implement work requirements and time limits on tenants. Mass Union is strongly opposed to this proposal, which needlessly cuts benefits for tenants while creating bureaucratic hurdles, suffering, and homelessness.

These proposals would apply to public housing, as well as the Housing Choice Voucher Program, Project-Based Vouchers, and Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA). If enacted, Housing Authorities could choose whether to use them, and many might opt out. However, some states and municipalities could attempt to require Housing Authorities or other owners to implement them. 

The new policies would affect anyone living in HUD housing who is between ages 18 and 61 and is not pregnant, a primary caretaker for a child under 6 or a disabled person, enrolled in higher education, or federally-designated as disabled. HUD is providing no money to implement these policies and will not provide any new oversight.

Under this proposal, a work requirement could:

• • • Mandate up to 40 hours of work for any “work eligible adult”
    • Mandate frequent or burdensome reporting requirements
    • Allow for eviction for noncompliance 
    • Contain a hardship policy with only very limited exceptions
    • Provide the bare minimum “supportive services” such as a referral to a local job center and nothing else

Under this proposal, a time limit policy could:

• • • Allow termination once a household reaches a two year time limit
    • Contain a hardship policy with no exceptions other than being in the process of the “determination of disability status,” or a hardship policy which allows PHAs or Owners to “play favorites” and keep the tenants they like and terminate those they don’t after two years
    • Allow other Housing Authorities to bar anyone who previously reached a two-year time limit
    • Include all members of the family, including the children

These policies will lead to more families and children experiencing eviction and homelessness.

• • • The vast majority of people in HUD-assisted housing who can work do work. Those who don’t are attending school, caregiving, or ill. Rather than providing services to those who need support, work requirements and time limits simply punish people who cannot access childcare, stable employment, or official disability designations. 
    • Even full-time workers struggle to afford housing, especially in expensive areas like Massachusetts. In MA, a full-time worker must earn $45.90 an hour to afford the average fair market rent for a two-bedroom rental home. 
    • Instead of tackling the root causes of unaffordable housing and stagnant wages, HUD is falling back on tired, ineffective approaches that kick people off assistance and send them back into a hostile housing and job market with no support.

Read more about this proposal.

The proposal’s comment period ended on May 1. Mass Union and the Mass Law Reform Institute submitted a joint comment opposing the rule. State Senators and State Legislators also sent a joint letter opposing the rule.

Thursday April 30rd at 10 am

Stay tuned for upcoming registration!

Salary: $50,000 – $60,000, DOE
Part-time Hybrid Position, non-benefits eligible, based in Dorchester 

The Mass Union of Public Housing Tenants is a union for people who live in public housing. Our board is entirely made up of public housing tenants and our mission is to protect and improve public housing across the state. We are a membership organization, and our members are local tenant organizations across Massachusetts. We provide our member groups and all public housing tenants with support so they can build power in their own communities in order to fix the problems that plague our housing. The impact of our work is to provide greater safety, security and dignity for public housing tenants in Massachusetts. We are a small team with relatively new leadership in place building an organizational culture centered around our eight core values and work/life harmony for staff is a priority. We are looking for people who value both hard work and self-care.  

The Accounting & HR Manager is responsible for overall financial management and assists in HR Operations. The position reports to the Deputy Director. 

Job Duties: 

Finances and Accounting: 

Oversee the Accounting functions of the organization, and is responsible for the overall financial management in coordination with the Deputy Director: 

• • • Maintain financial reports, records, and general ledger accounts  

• • • Prepare journal entries, analysis, and account reconciliations and assist with monthly close processes  

• • • Manage the Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable processes, including billing and collections, vendor management and payments, review and payment of employee reimbursable expenses  

• • • Assist with audit, annual tax filings, and compliance matters  

• • • Perform monthly balance sheet reconciliations  

• • • Responsible for payroll and payroll entries  

• • • Deposits checks, creates, tracks and pays invoices  

• • • Prepare journal entries for revenue recognition  

• • • Ensure compliance with GAAP  

• • • Assist the Deputy Director and Executive Director with ad hoc accounting and reporting projects as requested 

• • • Potentially provide financial guidance to Local Tenant Organizations 

Human Resources and Payroll 

The position will assist in a number of areas, including but not limited to HR Operations, Compensation & Benefits, Employee Lifecycle and Talent Acquisition. This role features administrative work and coordination with Deputy Director and Executive Director. Requires accuracy, timeliness and a generalist mindset. 

• • • Assure Mass Union follows labor laws 

• • • Manage and update Employee handbook as needed 

• • • Coordinate onboarding and offboarding 

• • • Support recruitment and hiring process 

• • • Advise on personnel policy changes, Mass Union staff structure and staff’s salaries 

• • • Oversee staff’s performance evaluations process 

• • • Manage organization’s benefit package with outside vendors 

• • • Support staff on navigating benefits 

Payroll 

• • • Set and manage system to track hours work by staff 

• • • Set and manage system to track PTO for staff 

• • • Set and manage system to process recurrent payroll, deductions and non-recurrent payments 

• • • Support staff on questions about payroll related issues 

Desired Experience & Qualifications 

• • • Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance required  

• • • 3-5 years accounting experience in a non-profit organization  

• • • Experience in Payroll, Accounts Payable, and Accounts Receivable and Human Resources  

• • • Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal  

• • • Solid problem-solving and time management skills  

• • • Solid organizational skills, attention to detail and adeptness at prioritizing tasks  

• • • Ability to multi-task and manage multiple deadlines and complex scheduling  

• • • Tech savvy with high-level knowledge of MS Office suite, especially Excel 

How to Apply: Please email njones@insourceservices.com with your resume and cover letter. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. 

Platinum Sponsor

Gold Sponsor

Silver Sponsors

 

 

Bronze Sponsors

Acton Housing Authority

Haverhill Housing Authority

 

 

 

Topsfield Housing Authority

 

On February 23, 2026, the Mass Union Board voted to open up a nomination period to fill current vacant seat(s) on the board. Vacancies will be permanently filled at our convention in Fall 2026, as per our bylaws.

Members of our affiliates may be nominated. You do not need to be an LTO board member to run. Any tenant in an LTO that is a member of Mass Union may run. Nominations are due on April 9, 2026, at 5pm.

How to Run

You may nominate yourself or another eligible member of one of our affiliates. If you nominate someone else, we will confirm that they would like to be considered before the board considers their nomination. Please submit the nominee’s name, contact information, and the name of her/his/their affiliate (LTO) to info@massunion.org by 5pm on April 9, 2025. Please also send a brief statement (not to exceed one half page) about the candidate. The board will then fill the vacancy a duly constituted meeting, as per the process in our bylaws.

Thank you for considering this opportunity! If you have any questions please send them to info@massunion.org.

February 20, 2026  

Contacts:  

Press@legal-aid.org
Press@nhlp.org
media@latinojustice.org 
press@mlri.org

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

Tenant and Immigrant Rights Groups Condemn Proposed HUD Rule Change Targeting Immigrant Families 

(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 together issued the following statement condemning the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) new proposal that targets families with mixed immigration status and will put tens of thousands of households at risk of losing their homes: 

“No matter where we come from, how long we’ve lived here, or what language we speak, our country has the resources to ensure everyone has a safe place to call home. But HUD’s cruel and unlawful proposal is a direct attack on immigrants, families, and people who rely on housing assistance.  

“For decades, federal law has allowed families with mixed immigration statuses to remain housed together, with aid prorated for eligible members — especially U.S. citizen children. This new proposal abandons that long-standing approach and instead forces families into an impossible choice: separation or homelessness. 

“HUD’s own data acknowledges the rule will displace tens of thousands of families – including nearly 37,000 children, the majority of whom are U.S. citizens – while costing hundreds of millions of dollars and doing nothing to address the nation’s housing crisis. Instead, it punishes children, destabilizes communities, and guarantees less affordable housing for everyone because of its anticipated costs. 

“This proposal raises serious legal and constitutional concerns and threatens to cause irreparable harm to families who have lawfully relied on existing housing protections for years. We are closely reviewing the policy and exploring all available legal avenues to keep families whole, together, and housed. 

“No family should lose their home because of a member’s immigration status. We stand with the families, tenants, and communities who will be harmed by this unjust proposal and remain committed to fighting for safe, stable housing for all.” 

### 

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 

   

 

 

 

 

Support Tenants. Strengthen Communities. Partner with Mass Union.

Mass Union is ramping up for a big 2026! We hope you consider supporting public housing tenants as we hold our two signature statewide events. For a limited time, sponsors can support both Public Housing Day and our Fall Convention at a discounted rate and receive all associated benefits.

Public Housing Day
Thursday, April 16, 2026 at the Massachusetts State House

Fall Convention
October 2 – 4, 2026, at the Marlborough Best Western

Click here to make your Dual Sponsorship Donation

Click here to make your Public Housing Day Sponsorship Donation

Sponsor Packet (PDF) | Sponsor Packet for LHAs (PDF)

For Local Housing Authorities:

Full Sponsor Packet for LHAs (PDF) | Tier Details

For Other Sponsors:

Full Sponsor Packet (PDF) | Tier Details

 

Mass Union is deeply saddened by ICE attacks on people everywhere, including in public housing. We are horrified that ICE has entered some public housing developments. Here are some resources and ideas for tenants who wish to protect each other.

1. 1. 1. Know Your Rights Factsheet: https://miracoalition.org/news/know-your-rights/
      2. Know Your Rights Webinar Recordings: https://miracoalition.org/know-your-rights-recorded-presentations-and-slides/
      3. Contact your local Legal Aid office to see if an attorney can give a Know Your Rights presentation at your development
      4. Request free “Red Cards,” which people can use if ICE knocks on the door, and distribute them to your community https://www.ilrc.org/redcards
      5. Learn more from MIRA, the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition https://miracoalition.org/ 

Please click here!