December 16, 2020

Sen. Eric Lesser hosts livestream on housing issues

BY Carolyn NoelThe Reminder

SPRINGFIELD –  On Dec. 4, state Sen. Eric Lesser hosted a virtual livestream as part of his “Lunchtime Livestream” series. The forum spoke on housing in Western Massachusetts and the eviction moratorium. The panel consisted of Jane Edmonstone, Keith Fairey, Denise Jordan, Bill Miller and Pamela Schwartz.

This Lunchtime Livestream series began at the start of COVID-19 when Lesser wanted to connect leaders and experts in the community with viewers to share resources available during the pandemic. Throughout the months of Lesser’s livestreams, forums have developed into a panel format instead of just one-on-one discussions.

One main focus on the Dec. 4 forum was how issues with housing finance and affordability have increased during COVID-19. President and CEO of Way Finders, Keith Fairey spoke on how there has been a jump in applications for the RAFT program, which offers financial assistance for those struggling to pay rent or mortgage during the pandemic.

Pre-pandemic, one in four renters were paying 50 percent or more of their income for their housing costs in the region, according to Fairey. This makes it extremely difficult for these renters to have enough money left for food, transportation, healthcare costs and other necessities to support their family. This statistic has only increased, with Springfield now seeing record unemployment.

“We really need to think about how we sustain families during this period of recovery,” said Fairey. “A lot of what we built on existing programs aren’t designed for this economy, or for this pandemic.”

Senior Supervising Attorney of the Housing Unit at Community Legal Aid Jane Edmonstone also spoke of RAFT and trying to help families facing eviction. According to Edmonstone, RAFT’s original intention was to help people in tough financial situations on the brink of facing eviction during COVID-19. RAFT is now being used to try and stabilize people who are in long term chronic housing eviction situations due to the longevity and intensity of the virus. This situation has been amplified by the ending of the eviction moratorium back in October.

“Right since the moratorium lifted, folks are facing physical removal. They’re facing kind of the final step of an eviction action, so we have been jumping in and answering calls and running to court to try to make sure that folks have every chance that they can get to stay housed and resolve their situation,” said Edmonstone.

Some aid has been given to those in need through the federal CDC moratorium, but that ends on Dec. 31.

“We’re very nervous about what’s going to happen come January,” said Edmonstone.

With many more Western Massachusetts residents facing unemployment and eviction, the rate of homelessness is going up.

Bill Miller, vice president of homeless services for Clinical and Support Options, spoke on how they are trying to get through the winter. According to Miller, right now the primary focus is to not “literally lose people outdoors” during the cold months.

The struggle of helping the homeless is even harder due to COVID-19 procedures. Housing people in a congregate setting while also trying to keep them socially distanced and healthy has proven difficult. Lesser emphasized the fact that homeless shelters are bunk beds, communal foods and close proximity, which are some of the most dangerous things during a pandemic.

“We don’t want people to go hungry or freeze and that’s a very basic need, but we’re up against COVID so it’s a huge challenge,” said Miller.

The quantity of affordable housing and housing services available in Western Massachusetts was also a big topic of discussion.

Denise Jordan, executive director of Springfield Housing Authority, spoke on this. Based on their name alone, the Springfield Housing Authority is looked at as the place to go when people need housing, according to Jordan. Right now, they are at capacity for public housing with the wait time running between 2.5 years to 4 years. Section 8 vouchers are also at a wait time of 10 to 12 years.

“People come to us oftentimes needing housing like yesterday and it’s very disheartening that we can’t accommodate them,” said Jordan.

Lesser spoke on the housing shortage in the region and said that this problem stems from the very restrictive zoning in Massachusetts, which limits the ability to build more units. Lesser is working to change this and hopefully bring more affordable housing to communities in need.

To end the livestream, panelists spoke on working to get benefits to people as quickly as possible.

“We know there’s a problem. We’re putting too many burdens on people to prove that they’re in trouble when we really know it,” said Edmonstone.

With COVID-19 case numbers and employment rates rising, people need help.

“Really really simply, let’s get aid to people we know who need it,” she said.

All forum members pushed to let Lesser know that they appreciate his involvement and support and to continue working on supporting individuals in need.

“While we’re talking about the rise in evictions and that these budget provisions are a step in the right direction, it’s not going to be nearly enough to stave off the extraordinary impact of COVID-19 on tenants,” stated Pamela Schwartz, director of Western Mass Network to End Homelessness. “We are so at risk of ballooning this crisis so much more and spreading this virus.”

Those interested in viewing the livestream are encouraged to visit Lesser’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/watch/EricLesserMA/.