John,

Everyday the reality is more clear — Massachusetts is in the middle of an affordable housing crisis. For far too long, our housing courts have operated as eviction mills, with the disparity in power and resources between landlords and tenants on full display with disastrous consequences.

But here’s the thing: housing is a human right. No one, whether renter or homeowner, should be forced out of their home in the richest country in the world.

If you agree that housing is a human right, will you chip in now so I can get into office to protect tenants’ rights and address the housing crisis?

The office of Attorney General is the office of the people’s lawyer, not the landlord’s lawyer, and here’s why that matters. Our housing crisis isn’t an individual issue: it’s not just about bad landlords or the responsibility of individual tenants.

It’s about a system that consistently gives more power to landlords, allowing no-fault evictions leading to rampant discrimination and an imbalance of power where landlords have counsel in 78 percent of eviction cases, while tenants are represented in just 9 percent.

These resource disparities and systemic issues are a huge part of what has been fueling displacement and worsening our already-bad affordable housing crisis.

After representing low-wage workers and marginalized communities in the courts for decades, I know how crucial it is to have good legal representation and that it must be paired with advocacy and a push for bold legislative change.

That’s why I plan to establish Massachusetts’ first Office of the Tenant Advocate to marshall needed resources to tenants and ensure the Attorney General’s office plays a more active role in advancing housing justice.

It’s why I am committed to investigating housing discrimination and closing the loopholes created by no-fault eviction laws.

I will work to improve the current housing situations for residents by upgrading and enforcing deleading laws and protecting manufactured housing communities from corporations that try to force out residents.

John, there is so much the Attorney General’s office can do to advance housing justice in Massachusetts. With your help and support, we can make sure that our rights to housing are protected in the Commonwealth.

In solidarity,

Shannon Liss-Riordan

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