LYNN — Grassroots organizations Essex County Community Organization, Lynn United for Change, and Neighbor to Neighbor gathered a crowd at Zion Baptist Church to get answers regarding legislation focused on housing from state Sen. Brendan Crighton and state Reps. Peter Capano, Dan Cahill, and Jenny Armini.

“We’re here tonight because as we all know, we’re in the middle of a housing crisis, and our three organizations have come together because it’s past time for change and we want to collaborate and fight for that change together,” Lynn United for Change Director Isaac Simon Hodes said. “We know we don’t have time to waste because these harms done by displacement are irreversible. When we lose our diverse communities and networks, the traditions that make places like Lynn special, we don’t get that back.”

Hodes added that the housing crisis affects all other areas of living including education, the economy, familial connections, and labor.

The Housing Justice Legislative Action event was split into three sections that focused on different issues pertaining to housing. During the different sections, politicians had to acknowledge whether they were for or against the bills or amendments in question.

The first section revolved around the Affordable Homes Act. 

“What we hope is that the Affordable Homes Act the governor has proposed can be a starting point,” Hodes said. “It could be a starting point, or to be honest, it could end up being a false promise, which we’ve seen too much of over the years.”

Politicians were asked if they would “support the AHA and protect $1.6 billion for public housing improvements and $800 million for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund” and if they would “advocate for amendments to the AHA that make it relevant to the working class.” Three amendments were posed that would reduce income eligibility levels, lower the threshold to fix real estate transfer fees, and add a Division of Tenant Protection.

During each section, before the politicians provided their answers, community members with experience regarding the relevant issue spoke on their situations. In the first section, two people discussed the difficulty of getting into senior housing and what they described as unjust rules and restrictions placed on tenants by landlords.

Capano said he is in favor of increasing funding to improve public housing and believes it is long overdue. 

“I think there’s a real shortage in funding for affordable housing in general,” Capano said. “Public housing needs to be rehabilitated, and I think that’ll go a long way into helping the problem.”

Cahill was also in support of the AHA, and said $1.6 billion is probably not enough.

“We are 200,000 units short in the Commonwealth today,” Cahill said. “The immensity of that development is mind-boggling to think about, but we need to start somewhere.”

He added that he is committed to supporting amendments to the AHA that would help Lynn achieve affordable and quality housing.

“If the amendment, I feel, is going to be detrimental to the City of Lynn, then clearly you wouldn’t want me to support those types of amendments,” Cahill said.

Armini said she is in favor of the AHA and a co-sponsor of the real estate transfer amendment. She said she was not familiar enough with the language of the other amendments to support or oppose them.

“I’m not going to commit to an amendment that I’ve never read,” Armini said. “I think that is a bad way to legislate.”

Crighton agreed with Armini about not committing to legislation he is unfamiliar with, and said he also supports the AHA.

The next section was focused on preventing eviction and displacement to protect communities.

The politicians were asked if they would “advocate for the ‘right to counsel’ for tenants facing eviction and at least $3.5 million to fund the program,” if they would “advocate to add tenant opportunity to purchase to the AHA and to secure $25 million for small-property acquisition,” and if they would “advocate for local option rent control and co-sponsor ‘an act enabling cities and towns to stabilize rents and protect tenants.’”

Capano said he is a co-sponsor for all three bills that relate to the questions posed, and said he would advocate for them.

Cahill said he believes tenants should have the right to counsel, but raised concerns that if Lynn enacts rent control and nearby areas do not, the other communities would develop around Lynn.

“If it’s going to be something, it’s got to be statewide, and it has to be regulated by the state at some point because rent control in one community and not another is not going to solve our 200,000-unit deficit problem,” Cahill said.

Armini said she is a co-sponsor of the right to counsel bill.

Crighton said he is fully in favor of the right to counsel, and voiced concerns similar to Cahill’s regarding local rent control.

“I agree with the aim of all three. The last two, I need to have more conversations with you and make sure that I’m doing my due diligence preventing the unintended consequences,” Crighton said.

During the last section of Tuesday’s event, the politicians were asked if they would advocate for “more rental assistance for returning (previously incarcerated) residents,” meaning an additional $6 million for a total of $9 million, and if they would “co-sponsor and advocate for legislation to ensure all returning residents are guaranteed state IDs.”

All four politicians were in support of both.

The event ended with everyone in attendance joining together to sing the song “We Shall Not Be Moved.”