Boston tenants rally for affordable housing
|
by Tony Harris A large coalition of housing advocacy groups organized a rally for affordable housing in downtown Boston today. The speakers called for more units of affordable housing, stabilized rents, and a moratorium on profit-motivated evictions. A large procession of puppets and chanting housing advocates marched through downtown Boston on its way to Government Center and the State House today. Rally organizers, such as the Boston Tenant coalition, the Cambridge Eviction Free Zone, Homes for Families, and the Fenway CDC, brought together a diverse group of activists which protested rent gouging and profit-based evictions. Their demands at City Hall included 10,000 units of affordable housing. The Boston Tenant Coalition claims that nearly 700 thousand households in Massachusetts must forgo food or health care necessities in order to pay rents or mortgages. The median income earner in Boston cannot afford half of the advertised median rent. The Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance encourages Boston residents to attend a city-wide meeting on November 15th. (St. Mark's Church, 1725 Dorchester Ave, 7pm. 822-9100) Courtesy of HOMELESS PEOPLE'S NETWORK |