Eviction scare sparking talks across state government
With Gov. Charlie Baker appearing poised to allow the state’s eviction moratorium to expire in two weeks, activists are ramping up pressure on the Legislature to pass a bill that would not only ban evictions, but freeze rents for a year past the end of the COVID-19 emergency.
The push to put in place long-term tenant protections comes as fears of a second surge of the coronavirus this fall and winter are growing, and housing advocates worry that tens of thousands of evictions in the pipeline could exacerbate the pandemic.
Community organizers said that short of legislation or another extension they were also making preparations to physically blockade evictions with their bodies, if it comes to that.
The expiration of the moratorium could lead to anywhere from 20,000 to 80,000 evictions, advocates said.
“Many of us can’t pay rent because we haven’t been called back to work ... ,” said Rosa Lidia Godoy, a Chelsea resident who, along with her husband, lost her job because of the pandemic. “We urge the governor to hear our voices.”
Godoy was one of more than a dozen people who rallied outside the Statehouse and joined a virtual press conference on Wednesday to press for passage of a bill known as the Act to Guarantee Housing Stability. Some warned of families living out of cars and parking in school parking lots so their children could connect to Wifi to continue their remote learning.
“It’s hard to be at a place where we even have to envision that,” said Andres Del Castillo, lead organizer for City Life Vida Urbana.
The bill being promoted was filed in the House by Housing Committee CoChairman Rep. Kevin Honan, of Brighton, and Rep. Mike Connolly, of Cambridge.
Honan told the News Service that the Housing Committee was voting on the bill Wednesday afternoon, and that legislative leaders were in active talks with the Baker administration and the judiciary about how to proceed.
“Obviously the public health emergency is still here and winter is coming...,” Honan said. “We continue to explore common ground with the stakeholders, understanding that everyone is impacted by the pandemic, so there is a lot of work that remains to be done on this.”
The bill, if it clears the Housing Committee, will move to House Ways and Means where it could get amended.
Honan said he didn’t know what would happen if a deal can’t be reached by Oct. 17.
“We’re having discussions. This is unprecedented, due to the nature of this crisis. We’re in communication and that’s a good thing,” he said.