Latest News

April 30 – Public Housing Day Prep Webinar

Wednesday, April 30, 2pm – 3pm Via Zoom

This online session will help tenants prepare for our Public Housing Day on May 7 . We’ll review our plan for the day, our state policy agenda, and talking points. This will ensure that together we can make our voices heard to support fair funding for public housing, Access to Counsel for tenants facing eviction, and protection for tenants undergoing redevelopment. Tenants who register for Public Housing Day will be sent the link for this session as well.

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.

We’re Hiring! Social Media & Operations Intern

Applications Due May 12, 2025

Start Date: June 2, 2025

Duration: June 2 – July 31, with possibility to extend into August

Hours: 12/week (two 6-hour days, flexible schedule)

Location: In-Person in Dorchester (near Ashmont Station)

Pay: $18/hr

 

Areas of focus: Civic engagement, archive management, housing advocacy

The Massachusetts Union of Public Housing Tenants is a nonprofit run by tenants for tenants. We are union of Local Tenant Organizations and our mission is to preserve and improve public housing across the state. Mass Union believes that those most impacted by a problem should play a leading role in solving it. We are led by tenants who live the problems of public housing 24/7. We provide training, technical assistance, and direct support for individual tenants and Local Tenant Organizations so that tenants have a seat and speak with one voice at decision-making tables.

POSITION SUMMARY

Mass Union is looking for an intern to support our operations, including event management, leadership development, social media, and record maintenance. The ideal candidate is one who is passionate about social justice and wants to work in a grassroots environment. The intern will have many opportunities to build relationships with tenants and other leaders in the housing justice field, learn about the formation of tenant unions, and get involved in important policy advocacy in Massachusetts.

We are seeking a team player with strong detail orientation and commitment to our mission. Experience with Microsoft OneDrive and Salesforce is preferred but not required. Candidates must be able to lift 20lbs.

DUTIES

  • Manage and expand social media presence
  • Support event planning, including the Convention, with registrations, outreach, and other efforts TBD
  • Help organize and improve the office space
  • Other operations duties as needed
  • Participate in trainings, committee meetings, and other activities to gain exposure to the field
  • Provide support with policy or organizing, as time allows, per the interest of the intern

Please email our Operations Manager Lilith Dyke at lilith@massunion.org with your resume and short cover letter attached.

Mass Union Signs Letter to Stop Elon Musk and DOGE from Gutting HUD

As we know, HUD is the federal agency dedicated to addressing our most pressing housing, community development and homelessness challenges and serves millions of renters, homeowners, and people experiencing homelessness.

Attempts by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to terminate at least half of all HUD employees, if successful, would be DISASTROUS for our communities.

Mass Union has signed a national letter to stop this. Read the full letter here, which will be finalized on March 11, 2025.

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.

 

Take Action Now! Trump Administration to Terminate Half of All HUD Staff in Attempt to Decimate Agency

From the National Low Income Housing Coalition:

The Trump Administration is expected to terminate half of all employees at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This will decimate the agency and must not happen.

Tenants should contact their federal senators and representatives RIGHT AWAY and demand they protect HUD staff and programs!

Background

According to reports, the Trump administration will terminate half of all HUD employees. This will make it significantly harder for states and communities to access key federal resources used to:

      • Provide rental assistance to help low-income households afford their homes.
      • Build and preserve affordable rental housing for low-income households.
      • Address and prevent homelessness, which has reached its highest level on record.
      • Operate and maintain public housing and other affordable housing for millions of seniors, people with disabilities, and families with young children.
      • Revitalize neighborhoods, promote economic development, and improve community facilities, including infrastructure and services in low-income communities.
      • Reform restrictive zoning and land use regulations that inflate housing costs.
      • Investigate and enforce fair housing and civil rights laws.
      • Rebuild housing and infrastructure after major disasters and mitigate future harm.

As a direct consequence, homeless shelters will close their doors, communities will stop construction on new projects to build housing and community centers, households receiving rental assistance will face immediate rent increases and evictions, and communities, families, and small businesses impacted by disasters will be unable to rebuild.

At a time when housing costs are far out of reach for renters and when homelessness has reached an all-time high, now is the time to strengthen federal investments in affordable housing and homelessness solutions.

In late January, the Trump administration directed all federal agencies, including HUD, to withhold all federal assistance investments – including essential HUD funds. After enormous pressure from advocates and congressional champions, the administration rescinded its directive after 48 hours. Now, President Trump is attempting to decimate HUD by terminating critically needed staff.

Take Action

Tenants must act urgently to protect HUD! Tell your members of Congress why HUD resources are critical to low-income families and communities and urge them to protect HUD programs and staff.