For @Shelterforce, I wrote about what's been happening in Massachusetts since Charlie Baker allowed the eviction moratorium to expire.

The short answer is that the situation is not good, but here's a longer thread about the housing crisis in Mass

#mapoli https://shelterforce.org/2020/12/23/making-eviction-diversion-meaningful/

The eviction diversion program that Baker put in place is basically a stopgap between the eviction moratorium's end, and the arrival of more housing support from Congress. Unlike the state's moratorium, the diversion wasn't shaped by input from housing justice organizers. #mapoli

One group that was included in the conversations that led to the eviction diversion was Massachusetts community development corporations (CDCs.) The diversion features a lot of stuff that CDCs were advocating for before the pandemic. Ex. more funding for rental assistance #mapoli

Massachusetts CDCs and housing planning groups have circulated an Eviction Diversion Pledge wherein signatories promise to work with tenants who qualify for rental support money from RAFT. A substantial number of homes are covered BUT...they mostly belong to CDCs thus far #mapoli

RAFT is the crucial program that the Massachusetts eviction diversion hinges upon. Traditionally an arrearage program, RAFT is now being asked to provide both retroactive and ongoing rental support to tenants. This is a big ask, even with $100 million of new RAFT funding. #mapoli

Since the eviction diversion was passed, the regional housing agencies that process RAFT applications have scaled up and grown their staff significantly. The RAFT application process has also been tweaked to make it less difficult for applicants. But...there are problems. #mapoli

Much has been made about the new $10,000 annual RAFT payment that tenants can apply for (the pre-pandemic limit was only $4,000.) There are hurdles to receiving approval for the $10,000 however. The big one? A landlord must agree to keep the qualified tenant for 6 months. #mapoli

With so many tenants out of work, their tenancies are not sustainable enough to qualify for the $10,000 RAFT maximum. Remember, many tenants are drowning under mountains of back rent debt. That $10K must be put toward both that arrearage *and* 6 additional months of rent. #mapoli

The bigger problem with RAFT and the eviction diversion program, however, is that property owners still get the final say over whether a tenant loses their home in the middle of a pandemic winter. A lot of landlords could refuse to work with a tenant applying for RAFT. #mapoli

What grassroots housing organizations like @CityLife_Clvu have advocated for is a longer and more nuanced eviction moratorium with financial support for small landlords. This was codified in the Housing Stability Act, which the Mass. legislature could still take up. #mapoli

The Mass. legislature might throw some other lifelines to tenants in January, such as not allowing tenants with pending RAFT applications to be evicted. These additional provisions have been included in state budget plans. They would help some tenants in the short term. #mapoli

What could become a very big problem, between now and more help from the Mass. legislature and/or the federal government, is informal evictions. This is when people receive a Notice To Quit and vacate their home, instead of going through the trauma of eviction proceedings #mapoli

In short, there are a lot of housing players in Mass. that are trying to make the eviction diversion viable for these next few months...but so many tenants are still not getting the support they need.

This could have been avoided by not allowing evictions to resume now.

#mapoli