This is Christian Kennedy, one of the co-chairs of Berkshires DSA. I am pleased to announce this afternoon that Berkshires DSA has formed a Berkshire Housing Working Group to address housing injustice and insecurity in Berkshire County.
Our first call to action centers around new pieces of legislation that were recently introduced in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, H.D. 5166 and Massachusetts Senate S.D. 2992 which has the backing of organizations making up the "Homes for All" coalition, including Northern Berkshire United Way, Springfield No One Leaves, Berkshire Interfaith Organizing, Western MA SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice), the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Berkshire United Way, Western MA Network to End Homelessness, and Berkshire Community Action Council. The bill, among other things, will:
Our first call to action centers around new pieces of legislation that were recently introduced in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, H.D. 5166 and Massachusetts Senate S.D. 2992 which has the backing of organizations making up the "Homes for All" coalition, including Northern Berkshire United Way, Springfield No One Leaves, Berkshire Interfaith Organizing, Western MA SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice), the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Berkshire United Way, Western MA Network to End Homelessness, and Berkshire Community Action Council. The bill, among other things, will:
-Freeze rents at pre-COVID levels for 12 months after the end of the state of emergency.
-Extend ban on evictions for those unable to pay as a result of COVID.
-Offer protection for tenants from unfair debt collection practices.
-Provide emergency "just cause" eviction protections and allow municipalities to permanently extend protections.
If this legislation passes, it could be a first step towards providing renters and homeowners, especially renters and homeowners of color, with real housing security in the ongoing tumult of the COVID-19 pandemic. City Life's Evictions in Boston report meticulously details the racial biases and injustices ingrained in our communities' approach to housing; Over 2/3 (70%) of market-rate eviction filings are in census tracts where the majority of residents are people of color (even though only about half of city’s rental housing is in these areas).
Please join us in our first action by phone banking state representatives and senators on Wednesday, July 8th from 4 PM-6:30PM.
The first meeting of the Berkshire Housing Working Group will be on Tuesday, July 14th at 5 PM (info below). Please feel free to attend with your ideas and goals for ensuring housing justice and security for all!
DSA Line 13 is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Berkshire Housing Working Group
Time: Jul 14, 2020 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://dsausa.zoom.us/j/6702244317
Meeting ID: 670 224 4317
Password: 447723
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Meeting ID: 670 224 4317
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-Extend ban on evictions for those unable to pay as a result of COVID.
-Offer protection for tenants from unfair debt collection practices.
-Provide emergency "just cause" eviction protections and allow municipalities to permanently extend protections.
If this legislation passes, it could be a first step towards providing renters and homeowners, especially renters and homeowners of color, with real housing security in the ongoing tumult of the COVID-19 pandemic. City Life's Evictions in Boston report meticulously details the racial biases and injustices ingrained in our communities' approach to housing; Over 2/3 (70%) of market-rate eviction filings are in census tracts where the majority of residents are people of color (even though only about half of city’s rental housing is in these areas).
Please join us in our first action by phone banking state representatives and senators on Wednesday, July 8th from 4 PM-6:30PM.
The first meeting of the Berkshire Housing Working Group will be on Tuesday, July 14th at 5 PM (info below). Please feel free to attend with your ideas and goals for ensuring housing justice and security for all!
DSA Line 13 is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Berkshire Housing Working Group
Time: Jul 14, 2020 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://dsausa.zoom.us/j/6702244317
Meeting ID: 670 224 4317
Password: 447723
One tap mobile
+13017158592,,6702244317# US (Germantown)
+13126266799,,6702244317# US (Chicago)
Dial by your location
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 670 224 4317
Find your local number: https://dsausa.zoom.us/u/aoPdSCWUi
