As you may recall, Mass Union has been working with the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) on a Public Housing Notice (PHN) to clarify the tenant participation regulations found in 760 CMR 6.09. We’re thrilled to say that the notice has been published! Click here to read it in full.
The PHN contains six pages of detailed guidance for Housing Authorities regarding their interactions with LTOs, as well as two Attachments. We recommend you discuss it with your LTO board or community, and also print a copy and share it with your LHA (after the holidays!).
Among other things, the PHN affirms the independence of LTOs. It states, “Once residents democratically elect officers to represent them on matters that impact them, the organization should be treated as independent of the LHA and autonomous, not an extension of the LHA.” The notice also affirms important practices regarding Tenant Participation Funds. Funds must be allocated based on the number of units the LTO represents, not on a reimbursement basis. In addition, at the end of the year “the LHA may not request that the LTO return unspent funds.” The notice also affirms that funds may be used to support quality of life, for example for community gardens, wellness classes, computer labs and more.
Huge thanks to Ben Stone, Chris Devore and Bill Halfpenny at EOHLC for their work on this PHN and for EOHLC’s commitment to tenant participation in general.
Additional thanks to Annette Duke and Megan Harding from MLRI, to the many tenants who provided input, and to Donald Hamilton, chair of the Policy Committee, for his steadfast leadership. We did it! Now on to 2025!