As evictions spike in Boston and across Massachusetts, state legislators are under increasing pressure to extend key COVID-era protections for tenants that are slated to expire next week. Adam Reilly is joined by Andrea Park, the director of community driven advocacy at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, and state Representative Mike Connolly to discuss that push and the political challenges currently facing legislation that could mitigate housing insecurity.
Park says the protections that are about to sunset have already helped thousands of Massachusetts residents stay in their homes, and warns that lessons learned during COVID are at risk of being forgotten as we try to put the pandemic behind us. Connolly agrees that the protections should be extended into 2024, and also says rent control — also known as rent stabilization — remains “quite viable” on Beacon Hill despite a notably cool reception from House Speaker Ron Mariano.
Do you think state government is doing enough to protect tenants as Massachusetts emerges from COVID? And what other topics would you like to see on future episodes of Talking Politics? Send us a message at TalkingPolitics@wgbh.org, or fill out the form on the Talking Politics page.
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