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Mass Union Board Member Nicole Beckles gave remarks at the release of the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s new Housing Bond Bill, called the Affordable Homes Act. Mass Union is encouraged by news about the bill and looks forward to reading it in full. See photos and statement below. Congratulations to Nicole and Mass Union!

Statement on the bill’s release: The Mass Union of Public Housing Tenants wishes to thank the Healey-Driscoll Administration and Secretary Augustus for the proposed bond bill’s significant investment in public housing. For decades, public housing has been drastically underfunded. Mass Union has members across the state live with deplorable, unsafe conditions, including leaks, mold, asbestos, and more. Many residents are losing hope that things will change. But today we are grateful to the Healey Administration for taking a huge first step with this investment, for listening to tenants, and for including important tenant protections in the bill.

See more photos and video on our Facebook group!

On September 27, members of the Mass Union board, staff and affiliates met with the Massachusetts Secretary of Housing, Ed Augustus. We spoke about seven of our policy priorities. The Secretary heard us out and we are excited to continue working together to address our concerns about capital repair needs (such as mold, asbestos, leaks, etc.) and to ensure that tenants have a voice in all the decisions that impact them. Please contact Mass Union’s Director of Organizing Ben Echevarria for more information or to get involved: ben@massunion.org.

Mass Union Vice-Chair Dave Underhill published a Letter to the Editor today in the Boston Globe. Dave said:

The chronically broken elevator at an apartment building in the South End isn’t an isolated story (“She needed a lift, but she was let down,” Metro, Sept. 25). We at the Massachusetts Union of Public Housing Tenants know stories like these because we experience these conditions every day. As the Globe’s Sept. 22 editorial pointed out, big problems plague our state’s public housing.

We tenants live these problems 24/7. In state housing, pests, leaks, broken infrastructure, unsafe fire systems, backed-up plumbing and sewage systems, and decades-old appliances are the norm. Fire alarms go off for days at a time. Mold is visible on walls. Asbestos goes unaddressed. The health and safety of the residents are being compromised, and too many units are close to unlivable. Stopgap measures are merely expensive bandages on a gushing wound.

Advocates estimate that we need 190,000 more units of affordable housing to address the housing crisis in Massachusetts. The last thing we need is to jeopardize the state’s existing 43,000 units of public housing by continuing to ignore the dangerous backlog of capital needs.

As the voice of public housing tenants in Massachusetts, we urge the administration to prioritize both the production and preservation of low-income housing, including public housing, to ensure that everyone in the state can live in a safe and affordable home.

See the letter here, along with a letter from our friends at the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO). Congratulations to Dave and Mass Union!

The state’s waitlist for public housing has climbed to an astonishing 184,000 people. The state manages 43,000 units of public housing but only about 3,000 units turn over per year. Massachusetts is also experiencing a shelter crisis and housing advocates have identified the need for 190,000 more affordable homes. In other words, housing is desperately needed.

Meanwhile, 2,300 public housing apartments are sitting vacant or offline, as reported in great detail by WBUR.

In a recent meeting with the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC; formerly DHCD), Mass Union and its members brought the issue of vacant units to the attention of key staff. Our partners have also been highlighting this issue and our attorney, Annette Duke, was interviewed on WBUR about this topic.

These efforts have resulted in new action by the state. On September 22, EOHLC announced a new initiative that will provide money and technical assistance to LHAs in order to get more units back online. EOHLC is making a 90-push to assist in reoccupying units.

Mass Union’s Executive Director, Sarah Byrnes said “Our members, who are public housing residents, are frustrated to see vacant unused apartments. They know that these these apartments are desperately needed and they were able to bring this issue to key decision-makers.”

“Mass Union would like to thank EOHLC for taking action to restore vacant units for occupancy,” added Byrnes. “We applaud this initiative and look forward to ensuring that the new funds and assistance effectively accomplish the goal of bringing units back online and housing people who need it.”

Media Coverage

Listen to Mass Union’s attorney Annette Duke on WBUR talk about the vacant unit crisis and how public housing can help.

Read WBUR’s full report on vacant units here and find out how many units are offline in your community with an interactive map: “Mass. has a huge waitlist for state-funded housing. So why are there 2,300 vacant units?”

 

 

Collaborating to enhance Resident Leadership

The Mel King Institute and Mass Union of Public Housing Tenants are excited to announce a training partnership designed to enhance residents’ leadership capacities. Since 2016, the Mel King Institute has been running the Public Housing Training Program (PHTP), providing training for tenants so that they can more meaningfully participate in the decision-making that impacts their lives. This very highly-regarded program has been a component of MKI’s larger work to provide education for professionals and community leaders in the Community Development field.

The Public Housing Training Program (PHTP) has always operated in close collaboration with its partner organizations: the Mass Union of Public Housing Tenants, MassNAHRO, DHCD (now EOHLC), Mass Law Reform, and the Mass Housing Partnership. In March of 2023 Sarah Byrnes, previously the Director of the PHTP at Mel King, transitioned to become the Executive Director at the Mass Union of Public Housing Tenants. Mass Union provides a full array of support for tenants and tenant organizations. Training is an integral part of this mission, making a stronger collaboration between Mel King and Mass Union a natural next step in the evolution of the program.

Over the next six months our two organizations will partner to produce trainings for Resident Leaders and Resident Board Members, including webinars, our online training series, and in-person events. This partnership will make use of Mass Union’s 50+ years of history supporting tenants, as well as MKI’s renowned commitment to providing excellent training. We are jointly committed to ensuring continuity in the design and delivery of the trainings in order to maximize tenants’ leadership development so that they can accomplish their goals for their communities. Please keep an eye on our websites for additional details. Thank you!

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Contact us with questions.

Organizing is like spaghetti. One strand alone is easy to break with one hand. But bring a whole bunch of strands together – they become unbreakable.
– Arlene Carr, Resident Leader

Above, see Mass Union members from our affiliate in Belchertown, Rosa Marchese and Christina Fisk. Rosa and Chris were among dozens of Mass Union members who attended the Housing Justice Rally in Brookline on June 26. The rally was organized by our allies at the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization. Speakers included Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, new Secretary of Housing Ed Augustus, and Mass Union member Kenneth Mcpherson (see below).

The rally focused on the need for more capital funds for public housing. We don’t have to tell you how important that is! Please continue to contact Governor Maura Healey about providing $8.5 Billion in the bond bill to address the backlog of capital needs in public housing. We know we need it, and it’s time to make the ask. Read more here. And thank you for your efforts!

Mass Union member Kenneth Mcpherson and Chelmsford Housing Authority ED David Hedison at the rally

Photo provided by a public housing resident

Mass Union and our partners are preparing for the Governor to release the Housing Bond Bill.

Why does this matter? Because the Housing Bond Bill provides funds for capital repairs for state public housing. We don’t have to tell you how important this is.

Please email the Governor’s Office at this link. Here’s what to say:

• I live in public housing and I am emailing about the 5-year housing bond bill that the Healey/Driscoll administration will introduce in the coming weeks.
• We ask that the Healey/Driscoll administration use the Housing Bond Bill to fund the $8.5 billion need for capital repairs in state-aided public housing.
• Deferred maintenance in our state-aided public housing means that many of us are enduring deplorable conditions such as mold and lead.
• The longer this goes unaddressed, the more people suffer, and the worse the crisis gets.
• If we do not address the deferred maintenance now, we will begin to lose many of the 43,000 state-aided public housing units.

ADD PERSONAL COMMENTS AS WELL! Why do you believe state housing needs money for capital repairs?

Here is the link to email the governor. Click the link and scroll to the bottom of the page. Copy and paste the bullets above, and add your own comments.

As a resident of public housing, YOUR VOICE IS ESSENTIAL. Thank you for taking the time to contact our governor about this important issue!

Photo provided by public housing resident Janet Wilkins

Due to decades of deferred maintenance, public housing is in tough shape. Mass Union is fighting for more funds for capital improvements and operations through the state legislature.

To address decades of backlogged capital needs, redevelopment of public housing is happening and it is happening in different ways. In some cases, ownership moves to a new entity.

• Mass Union urges policymakers to put forth an ambitious plan to preserve and expand public housing for low-income people.
• We encourage decision-makers to incorporate the principles in our Redevelopment Bill of Rights in programs, legislation, budgets, and specific redevelopment projects.
• We support S. 857/ H. 1340, An Act ensuring continued rights for public housing residents. Read more below, including how YOU can help!

Action Alert

Contact your State Senator and Representative and ask them to co-sponsor S. 857/ H. 1340, An Act ensuring continued rights for public housing residents.

Find Your Legislators Here

Use the talking points below and contact us with any questions! Email: info@massunion.org, phone: 617.825.9750. Let us know how your conversation goes! Read tips for talking to legislators and their staff in our Power of One booklet.

Read More

• Public Housing Redevelopment Bill of Rights (2023 Version!)
• Mass Union’s Testimony on H.1340/S.857
• A section-by-section analysis of the bill (provided by Mass Law Reform)
• Fact Sheet (pictured above)