By SAM FERLAND
Staff Writer
BOSTON – Florence resident Envy Thomas found herself on the Grand Staircase of the State House Tuesday afternoon describing her precarious living situation to hundreds of others in advance of a public hearing on proposed rent control legislation.
Thomas told the crowd about her struggles as a single mother dealing with rent prices, “I can’t find affordable or safe housing for the two of us – it ain’t right. I have been forced to live with my mother because the cost of living is too damn high.”
Thomas and about 50 other residents from western Massachusetts hopped on a chartered bus and trekked to Beacon Hill to voice their support for the rent stabilization legislation, which if adopted would give local municipalities the option to cap rent increases in their communities. They were joined by hundreds of others from throughout the state at a rally before the hearing before the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government.
“Hey, hey. Ho, ho. Greedy landlords have got to go,” were among the chants echoing throughout the halls, with many in attendance hoisting signs demanding rent stabilization and the passing of bill S.1447, an act enabling cities and towns to stabilize rents and protect tenants.
Thomas is a member of Springfield No One Leaves (SNOL), a grassroots organization whose goal is to help provide resources and organize residents who are, “most directly impacted by the housing crisis and economic inequality.” Members of SNOL traveled to testify on Beacon Hill with Neighbor 2 Neighbor, an organization with locations in Springfield, Holyoke, Lynn and Worcester supporting multiple initiatives including affordable housing.
SNOL organized a rally in Easthampton earlier this month, reprimanding out-of-state landlords for steep rent increases.
“I am here to speak in support of S.1447,” said SNOL Director Rose Webster-Smith. “In my role as the director of Springfield No One Leaves, I hear the stories of thousands of western Mass. residents facing huge rent increases … Our communities are bleeding uncontrollably and rent control is the tourniquet our communities need.”
Two members of SNOL testified together, including Judy Holmes and Michael Wright of Springfield, joined by Easthampton resident Anne Stengle who spoke on behalf of residents of 17 Adams St. who recently received rent increases ranging from 30% to 50%.
“Just last month I got a letter from my landlord for a $400 rent increase come September,” Holmes said. “I have until August to make a decision about paying the increase. What happens if I don’t agree? I get evicted and then that’s that.”
Bill S.1447 would allow municipalities to adopt a local ordinance that would impose a limit on the size of annual rent increases to the rate of inflation with a cap of 5%, and require that evictions be based on defined just cause reasons for certain dwelling units within the municipality. The Easthampton City Council has already voiced its support of such legislation by passing a resolution in May.
Neighbor 2 Neighbor member Jeremy Pemberton testified in favor of the bill on Tuesday.
“I’m here today as a single father, a college student and someone who is on the brink of homelessness,” Pemberton said. “Not long ago, I had a stable place to live. But over time, the rent kept rising even though my wages didn’t.”
Bill S.1447 is in tandem with rent stabilization bill H.2328 that was initially sent to the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government, although it was redirected and awaits another hearing.
The bill incorporates exemptions for owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units, public and subsidized housing, college dorms, newly constructed buildings for five years, and facilities that provide residential elderly care.
SNOL is a part of Homes for All Massachusetts, a statewide organization that advocates for affordable housing.
“We’re here with tenants from across the state because we know that this is an issue with cities and towns across Massachusetts,” Carolyn Chou, executive director of Homes for All Massachusetts, told the Gazette. “It’s critical that we make that known. So often, the issue of rent control gets kind of sidelined as a problem in Somerville and Cambridge, but we know it’s also a Springfield, Holyoke, Easthampton and Worcester issue.”
Rep. Homar Gómez, D-Easthampton, attended the rally and the hearing as a cosponsor for the bill.
“For me it’s important to support this bill because our people are being displaced from our communities …” Gómez told the Gazette. “It’s about time that the state has to start doing something to protect our people and keep our people in our communities.”
The bill was proposed by Sen. Patricia D. Jehlen, D-Second Middlesex, who testified at the hearing, which welcomed over 150 testimonies.
“We can’t wait,” Jehlen said about rent stabilization. “People are being displaced right now from their homes and their jobs and their schools … We can’t afford to provide enough subsidies to keep up with rising rents and rising need.”
Jehlen discussed the housing crisis that refers to the Healey administration’s work to legislate affordable housing. In August of last year, Healey signed the Affordable Homes Act into law, authorizing $5.16 billion in spending to counter rising housing costs.
Mindy Perry, a small landlord from Boston, testified on a panel with the Small Property Owners Association, butting against Jehlen’s argument.
“Rent control is not going to solve the problem of housing, of rent price,” Perry testified. “It’s going to do the exact opposite. It’s going to devastate the housing supply and drive the rent price even higher. The only way to solve this is (to) increase the housing supply.”
Committee member Rep. Mike Connolly rebutted against the testimony defending the bill as a “commonsense proposal.” He referenced the history of rent control in the state dating back to the first rent control ordinance passed by the Massachusetts General Court in 1920. In 1994, a ballot referendum banned rent control in Massachusetts. Since then, this has been the longest stretch of time the state has gone without rent stabilization, according to Connolly.
“I view this as a moderate concrete step that we could take particularly in this moment where we know the federal government is cutting funding for HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) and is impacting our state finances,” said Connolly. “This is a commonsense proposal. When constituents call my office and they tell me ‘my rent is being doubled’ or ‘I’ve been a good tenant and I’m not being offered a chance to renew my lease and there’s no good reason why,’ many times they are shocked that there’s no policy thing that we can do.”
Approximately 441,000 low-income households across the state lack access to an affordable rental home, according to research released in April from Housing Navigator Massachusetts, Inc. and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.
Local landlords
Katherine Vanetta is a resident at Pleasant View Apartments in Easthampton who received a rent increase from $1,150 to $1,550, in November last year. While being a single mom and teacher in Amherst, Vanetta also owns a duplex in Easthampton.
“I have never really sought to make a lot of money off the place that I own …” said Vanetta. “I rent well under market value.”
Vanetta attended the rally in Easthampton earlier this month, voicing her support of the bill.
“It honestly has no effect on me because I am someone that has already chose to run my business this way,” Vanetta said about the rent control bill, since she claims to not unnecessarily raise rent.
Amherst resident James Cabral, a former owner of the 17 Adams St. property in Easthampton, made a living off being a landlord, before retiring a few years ago selling the property and others in 2021. However, he still owns properties in Northampton and Easthampton, and as a landlord, “tried to make a living, but never tried to make a killing.”
“I try to do it with dignity and respect, and treat my tenants the way I want to be treated or want my kids to be treated when they’re renting,” Cabral said about being a landlord. “I would never rent out an apartment that I wouldn’t live in … as a result I’ve had very good luck with my tenants and I’ve had a lot of loyalty.”
Cabral has a background working in hospitality services and as a handyman, allowing him to maintain connections with his tenants and also make repairs to his properties.
“It’s a different kind of relationship when it’s just a name somewhere out of state that you send your check to,” said Cabral.
Cabral explained the implications of making a living by being a landlord, with all income coming from collecting rent. As a result, he may need to raise rent when expenses are made for repairs and other costs. Cabral claims there are certain codes and pieces of legislature that are unnecessary, that he must make expenses for. Cabral hopes to see changes to these codes that increase unnecessary costs for landlords.
For example, Cabral needed to install an intercom system at 17 Adams St., since it houses more than eight units, which cost him approximately $7,000 to $8,000. As a result of expenses like this, money comes out of the tenant’s pockets since he pays for the expenses. Additionally, when lawsuits occur with tenants who receive a settlement, it makes it more difficult to keep rent prices at a minimum since the money comes out of Cabral’s pocket.
“I’m a landlord, I get my money through rent. If I have an unexpected expense or something like that and I want to keep my rent increases between 2 to 5 percent, well I might have to go to 6 percent,” said Cabral.
Information from the State House News Service was used in this article. Sam Ferland can be reached at sferland@gazettenet.com.
