8:00 AM – 9:45 AM – Continental Breakfast (Ballroom Foyer)
8:00 AM – 1:00 PM – Convention Registration (Lobby)
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Morning Plenary (Salon DE)
- Special Speaker: Ed Augustus, Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC)
- Reports from the Personnel, Finance, Membership and Policy Committees
- Mass Union Policy Agenda Priority Setting Exercise
12:00 PM – 1:15 PM – LUNCH (Courtyard)
1:30 PM – 2:45 PM – WORKSHOP OPTIONS
Using Your Grievance Process
Princess
Spanish translation available | Traducción al español disponible
A grievance procedure is a process to resolve disputes between residents in public housing and a Housing Authority. It is a way to work out problems without having to go to court. As a tenant, you have a right to use the grievance procedure to oppose some action that a Housing Authority wants to take against you, or to hold your Housing Authority accountable for the way they have acted or not acted. Many residents are unaware of this right! Join us to review your grievance rights, the process for filing grievances, and how to troubleshoot barriers you may encounter in the process.
Presenters: Annette Duke, Staff Attorney, Mass Law Reform Institute; Lori Manzo, President, Revere City-Wide Tenant Council; Mac McCreight, Attorney, Greater Boston Legal Services
Tenant Perspectives on LHA Management Agreements
Duchess
More and more, Housing Authorities are choosing to enter into management agreements with nearby LHAs in lieu of hiring their own Executive Directors. However, there is no provision for resident participation in the negotiation of such agreements, despite the fact that tenants are impacted by them. Mass Union believes this should change. Tenants have had both positive and negative experiences with management agreements. Join us to hear about both types of experiences, and to share your own perspective on this topic.
Moderator: Ben Echevarria, Mass Union Director of Organizing; Presenters: Judy O’Kulsky, President, Town Wide Belchertown Tenant Organization and Mass Union Network Leader; Maryanne Potrzuski, President, Winthrop Terrace Tenant Organization and Mass Union Board Member
“Ask the Attorneys”
Salon DE
Spanish translation available | Traducción al español disponible
Modeled on the popular session offered at each MassNAHRO Convention, this session will be a chance to ask Legal Aid attorneys your questions. Submit your questions in advance to info@massunion.org, or in writing at the Convention (we will provide index cards). Please submit general questions that the whole group may learn from.
Moderator: Sarah Byrnes, Executive Director, Mass Union; Presenters: Laura Camara, Directing Attorney of Housing Advocacy, South Coastal Counties Legal Services; Susan Hegel, Attorney, Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services; Chhaya Kotwani, Staff Attorney, Housing Unit, Greater Boston Legal Services; Mary Lu Mendonca, Staff Attorney, Housing Unit, Greater Boston Legal Services
2:45 PM – BREAK
3:00 PM – 4:15 PM – WORKSHOP OPTIONS
Local Tenant Organizations and Resident Participation
Princess
According to EOHLC, resident participation in decision-making at the Housing Authority is beneficial and should be encouraged. Join us for a review of your participation rights as well as tips for running a strong, impactful Local Tenant Organization (LTO). We’ll include tips for using the “Dot Exercise” to prioritize issues in a way that strengthens the LTO’s group cohesion.
Presenters: Ben Echevarria, Director of Organizing, Mass Union; Sue Kirby, President, Morency Tenants Organization and Mass Union Network Leader
Race, Class and Belonging
Duchess
Spanish translation available | Traducción al español disponible
Public housing is beautifully diverse. Join this session to reflect and learn about the role race and class play in public housing and Local Tenant Organizations. We’ll focus on how to ensure that your tenant group is “radically inclusive” so that everyone feels like they belong, regardless of their race, language, religion, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, (dis)ability, or any other factor.
Moderator: Danielle Connolly, Vice President, Stoneham Housing Resident Union and Mass Union Board Member; Presenters: Maria Fernandes-Dominique, Trainer and Facilitator; Sonia Andujar, Trainer and Facilitator and Mass Union Treasurer; Tiana Lawrence, Trainer and Facilitator
Redevelopment of Public Housing
Salon DE
Spanish translation available | Traducción al español disponible
Due to decades of deferred maintenance, public housing is in tough shape. While Mass Union continues to fight for adequate public investment in housing, “redevelopment” of public housing is also happening – sometimes in partnership with private, for-profit developers. In some cases, ownership moves to a new entity. Join this session with attorneys and residents to learn about Mass Union’s “Bill of Rights for Redevelopment,” which outlines how residents must have a voice in the whole redevelopment process and how they can retain all their rights post-development.
Moderator: Sarah Byrnes, Executive Director, Mass Union; Presenters: Shannon Bailey, President, Lee Fort Terrace LTO; Annette Duke, Staff Attorney, Mass Law Reform Institute; Susan Hegel, Attorney, Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services; Chhaya Kotwani, Staff Attorney, Housing Unit, Greater Boston Legal Services; Mary Lu Mendonca, Staff Attorney, Housing Unit, Greater Boston Legal Services
4:15 – 5:00 PM – Closing Plenary and Raffles (Salon DE)