Massachusetts Public Health Alliance
Massachusetts is experiencing a housing crisis decades in the making. Skyrocketing housing costs have put growing financial pressure on most middle- and low-income families. This crisis was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused widespread job loss for many with low-paying jobs, particularly in the hospitality, entertainment, and restaurant industries.
Access to affordable housing is a fundamental driver of positive health outcomes. Housing stability promotes well-being, fosters stable employment and contributes to long-term family and social connections. To address our housing crisis, MPHA is committed to promoting inclusive communities where all residents can find stable, affordable housing, and shifting decision-making power to residents who have been harmed by housing policies and practices shaped by structural racism. In solidarity with resident activists, we advocate for policies that:
- Lift the statewide ban on rent control to allow municipalities to enact local policy based on the needs of each community,
- Keep people housed by preserving existing affordable housing stock through tenant ownership and improving the quality of housing,
- Prevent displacement by expanding tenant and homeowner supports and increasing legal representation in eviction proceedings, and
- Increase access to housing through CORI and eviction record sealing, inclusionary land use practices, and development of new, affordable, low-threshold housing.
Organizing in Solidarity with Homes for All Massachusetts
Since the state moratorium on evictions and foreclosures expired in October 2020, upwards of 35,000 evictions and foreclosures have been filed, and nearly 90,000 Massachusetts households are behind on rent. Current housing protections are not enough to meet the scale of this crisis and prevent even more needless displacement. MPHA, in solidarity with Homes for All Massachusetts, a statewide coalition of grassroots housing justice organizations, is organizing to stabilize housing across the Commonwealth. A top priority is passing the Rent Control Enabling bill and the Foreclosure Prevention Program legislation, which would strengthen protections for tenants and homeowners at risk of losing their homes.
Promoting Community Partnerships
In 2020, MPHA partnered with Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N), a grassroots advocacy organization, to build a coalition of residents, community-based organizations, and local leaders in Worcester and Springfield. The goal of this collaboration was to advance campaigns that will empower low-income residents and residents of color to advocate for better transit, cleaner air, and stable housing.
However, in direct response to community needs and feedback during the COVID-19 pandemic, the scope of our joint initiative shifted from working on rider-led transportation justice to address the skyrocketing housing costs that have put growing financial pressure on most middle- and low-income families across the Commonwealth, particularly in Gateway Cities like Worcester and Springfield.
Our partnership continues to build a coalition of residents, community-based organizations, and local leaders across N2N chapter cities to advance housing justice campaigns that will empower low-income residents and residents of color to advocate for anti-displacement, tenant empowerment, and local rent control legislation at the city and state level.
2025 – 2026 Legislation Endorsed by MPHA
Rent Control Enabling Act (H.2328/S.1447) by Rep. Rogers, Rep. Montaño, and Sen. Jehlen
Massachusetts is now the fifth most expensive state to rent a home, with Boston now the second most expensive rental market in the country. Across the Commonwealth, rents are rising at sustainable rates, eviction filings are reaching pre-pandemic levels, and no-fault evictions have more than doubled. This forces too many families to live in overcrowded conditions, drains resources from local economies, and disrupts the social fabric of neighborhoods. This legislation offers an important piece of a comprehensive approach to the affordable housing crisis by enabling local rent stabilization and tenant protection. The Rent Control Enabling Act will lift the statewide ban on rent control and empower municipalities to enact local rent stabilization measures and just-cause eviction protections tailored to the needs of each community.
Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) (H.1544/S.998) by Rep. Livingstone, Rep. Consalvo, and Sen. Jehlen
This legislation will allow cities and towns the option of providing tenants in multi-family buildings the right to match a third-party offer when their homes are being sold. TOPA provides an important anti-displacement and tenant empowerment tool that can preserve affordable rental housing stock, provide a mechanism for tenant associations to collectively purchase their buildings, and stabilize low-income households.
Foreclosure Prevention Program (H.942/S.653) by Reps. Barber and Sen. Gomez
Mortgage servicers increasingly rely on streamlined foreclosure prevention reviews that lack homeowner protections. Holding conferences to review options before a foreclosure will prevent unnecessary displacement and costly foreclosures. This legislation would establish a statewide Foreclosure Prevention Program to require servicers to participate in pre-foreclosure mediation with homeowners to explore alternatives to foreclosures.
Right to Counsel in Eviction Proceedings (H.1952/S.968) by Rep. Rogers, Rep. Day, and Sen. DiDomenico
This bill will provide legal representation for tenants facing eviction and owner-occupants of 1 to 3-family homes seeking possession of their only home, who receive public benefits or are at or below 80% of the area median income.
An Act Relative to Affordable Housing and Environmental Adaptation Dollars (AHEAD) (H.3194/S.1973) by Rep. Montaño and Sen. Eldridge
The AHEAD Act will secure that revenue while providing tax credits to low-income home sellers and those who sell to first-time homebuyers, ensuring a sustainable future with climate resilient, energy efficient housing that is affordable to working families, seniors, and others with low-to-moderate incomes.
Local Option for Housing Affordability (LOHA) (H.3056 / S.1937)) by Rep. Connolly, Rep. Gentile, and Sen. Comerford
Across Massachusetts, cities and towns are grappling with the adverse effects of rapidly escalating home prices on their communities’ economy, workforce, quality of life, and social identity. Longtime residents are being displaced while housing demand far outstrips supply in many Massachusetts communities. The local option real estate transfer fee legislation will equip municipalities with another tool to address the worsening housing crisis by enacting a small fee (between 0.5%-2.0%) on real estate transactions above $1,000,000 or the county median sale price for a single family home,
whichever is lower, to create and preserve local affordable housing.
Improving the Emergency Assistance (EA) Family Shelter and Services Program (H.216/S.136) by Rep. Decker, Sen. Gomez
This omnibus legislation would address access and administrative issues for families and children applying for or participating in the Emergency Assistance (EA) shelter program, temporary respite center program, and HomeBASE rehousing program. It would allow families who appear to be imminently at risk of homelessness to gain admission into EA shelter and prohibit the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) from turning families away due to lack of documentation. It would also mandate EOHLC to look in existing state benefits databases to obtain requested documentation instead of delaying applications by requiring families to provide such documentation directly. Lastly, the bill would require EOHLC to provide 90 days’ notice to the Legislature, program participants, and the public before altering program benefits or eligibility that would not benefit families.
Codifying and improving the RAFT homelessness prevention program (H.1488/S.961) by Rep. Decker and Sen. Crighton
This legislation would codify the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) homelessness prevention program into state statute and ensure that benefits are available to families and individuals earlier in a housing or utility crisis. The bill also seeks to streamline access, improve cross-agency collaboration, and allow households to receive up to twelve months of assistance, without arbitrary dollar caps. In addition, the bill would require the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) to publicly post reports on RAFT to increase transparency on how the program is operating and provide greater understanding of the families and individuals seeking RAFT assistance.
Codifying the Homebase Program (H.1469/S.1011) by Rep. Barber and Sen. Miranda
This bill would codify the HomeBASE program into state statute, direct EOHLC to provide renewals of HomeBASE rental assistance to families and children who otherwise would be facing a return to homelessness, allow families to access HomeBASE upstream to maintain existing housing if they otherwise would be eligible for the Emergency Assistance family shelter program, and increase the maximum benefit levels to $50,000 over the first 24 months of the program and up to $25,000 in subsequent years for families needing additional time in the program.
Codifying the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) (H.1547/S.1008) by Rep. Madaro, Sen. Lovely
MRVP is an effective public health tool to immediately help people who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness by deepening affordability through larger voucher payment shares. Studies have shown that households facing homelessness who secured a voucher experienced significantly better health outcomes than with other interventions. Families able to access vouchers were less likely to re-enter homelessness, more often remained intact, had fewer school interruptions for their children, and lower levels of chronic stress. This critical legislation will codify a program that has served as a stable foundation for thousands of households across our Commonwealth.
Testimony and Letters
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