Affordable housing is good climate mitigation policy because being able to live near where you work, go to school or church means less driving.
Affordable housing is good climate resiliency policy because when you can stay with your long time neighbors and church and community- you can more easily weather the storm.
Background on Rent Control
25 years ago, big real estate and their friends in the State House destroyed rent control in Massachusetts - now in 2020, our rents are WAY TOO DAMN HIGH! That's why we need all hands on deck and feet in the street on Tuesday, January 14th to LIFT THE BAN ON RENT CONTROL in our state. It's time to allow MA cities and towns the right to choose the protections from eviction and displacement that make sense for their residents.
Residents of the communities most impacted by high rent are often also overburdened by the effects of climate change and are working hard to reduce those impacts. Satellite data shows temperatures in the hottest parts of Chelsea, Everett, Somerville and Boston are 10, 20, sometimes 40 degrees higher than in the tree-lined, spacious neighborhoods of Melrose, Arlington, Newton and Brookline. Further, the average annual temperature in Massachusetts has been steadily increasing over the last 25 years. From 1993 through 2016, Massachusetts' average annual temperatures have all been above the 20th century mean.
IMPORTANT: JOIN US for a landmark State House hearing on a bill to repeal the rent control ban called "An Act enabling local options for tenant protections," (H. 3924) sponsored by State Representative Mike Connolly and State Representative Nika Elugardo. You can read the bill here: malegislature.gov/Bills/191/HD1100. YOUR PRESENCE will help demonstrate the groundswell of support!
At 1pm, we'll hold a *major rally for rent control* in front of the State House steps. Please join us for the hearing and the rally if you can, and help us make history for housing justice in Boston and all of Massachusetts! If you're not able to join us tomorrow, please ask your friends and family to sign the pledge by sharing it on social media. Thank you! - All of us at Right to The City Boston
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On January 28th, MCAN is hosting the third of a four-part webinar series, co-sponsored with LISC and the Smart Growth Alliance. This webinar discussion will provide in-depth answers to the questions you have about Net Zero affordable housing, and give you the chance to hear from local climate leaders that have partnered with affordable housing advocates to create real change in their communities.
What: Affordable Housing as a Climate Solution Webinar (Part 3)
When: Tuesday, January 28th from 7:00-8:00 pm
Where: RSVP here to join us: https://www.massclimateaction.org/1_28_affordable_housing_as_a_climate_solution_3
See here for recordings of the previous webinars: https://www.massclimateaction.org/past_webinars
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