Looking back on 2022 with Ashley, Director of the Housing Advocacy Program
We sat down with Ashley Tienken, Director of the Housing Advocacy Program (HAP) here at CAAS, to talk about the process the Housing Advocacy Program team made in 2022 and what they hope to achieve in 2023. Housing is one of the most pressing issues facing our city, and the HAP team plays a vital role in helping to meet the needs of our community members. We’re looking forward to seeing what 2023 has in store!
What were some of the highlights from the Housing Advocacy Program in 2022?
The end of the year brings the time for reflection so as I look back at 2022, these are just a few of the highlights:
Awarded over $800,000 of rental assistance
100 households avoided eviction
Launched the PASS program (two year rental subsidy program as a bridge to self-sufficiency)
Added the Rental Assistance Specialist role to the staffing structure
Expanded the scope of work for the Benefits Specialist to offer case management
It is because of the incredible HAP staff (both past and present) that 2022 was possible. They believe in their work and fight everyday against housing injustice in Somerville.
Somerville had the longest eviction moratorium of any municipality in Boston. What impact did this have? Did the end of the moratorium affect the cases you were seeing each day?
The Somerville Board of Health voted unanimously late April that the moratorium would have a 60-day sunset period, officially ending June 30. It gave more time to residents to apply and receive financial assistance without the threat of being evicted or foreclosed upon during the most severe surges of contagious COVID-19 variants. It gave agencies like CAAS more time to organize and do outreach to people in need.
The end of the moratorium allowed judges to issue a court order of execution which allows the landlord to evict the tenant. Landlords will seek the help of a sheriff or constable to move the tenant and their belongings out with as little as 48-hours notice. Without the protection of the moratorium, tenants, disproportionately low-income renters, became at-risk for removal from their homes. The end of the moratorium raised anxiety levels, increased fear and worry among those unable to recover from the economical effects of COVID-19.
Since July, the number of eviction prevention cases for households with Summons & Complaints has increased. Housing Advocates worked with clients to ensure they understood their rights as tenants and were prepared for court proceedings and they often attended hearings with their clients. Weekly supervision available to direct staff by Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services, provided training and advice for these cases for the best possible outcome and the availability of rental assistance cured arrears that dismissed cases.
Your team works directly with clients every day who are facing truly difficult situations, like Manuel and Teresa, who were profiled last year in the Boston Globe. Can you talk about the importance of sharing these stories? What did it mean for your team to have clients who you’ve been working closely with share their experience?
Stories like Manuel and Teresa provide powerful and emotional insight into what our clients face daily. Often their stories are not given a platform and their voices are left unheard, suppressed and unable to fight back against the broken system. Their story captured by the Boston Globe gave a real life example of why the work done by HAP is important.
Unstable housing is connected to our broken immigration system, the lack of meaningful wage paying jobs, food insecurity as a result of rising costs and more. Their story, shared in their own words, showed how important it is for the fight against poverty to extend across all systems.
Maura Holt-Ling, who continues to provide case management services to the household, had this to say when asked what it meant for her to work so closely with clients who share their experience: “As an advocate, I feel empowered when I am able to coordinate my clients sharing their story on a larger platform. It is exciting to see clients have their concerns seen and heard in a more public way than before. They get to share their story the way they want to, not have it told by anyone else, and that feels really meaningful.”
There are many more stories like Manuel and Teresa in our community so our fight against housing injustice goes on– and will not stop until everyone has an affordable home.
What are you looking ahead towards in the coming year? Is there anything that the team will be doing differently in 2023?
With the ongoing housing crisis in Somerville, disproportionately affecting low-income households, CAAS/HAP needs to be ready to respond. I am thrilled to be able to announce for the coming year that the following will be happening:
2.5 million dollars of ARPA-flex, offering eligible households with financial assistance to address rent and utility arrears, provide up to 6-months of prospective rent and more
The Somerville Cares Fund as SCF 2.0 will return to CAAS/HAP to administer one million dollars of direct cash assistance to households struggling to provide basic household needs
With the partnership of the city of Somerville Transportation Department, HAP will administer 500 free MBTA passes to households not eligible for other discounted programs