North End Tenants Rally to Fund and Codify Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program

Special to the Regional Review

On Wednesday, February 11, tenants from North End’s Mercantile Wharf building, one of the last affordable housing developments in the North End, gathered at the State House to lobby for increased funding for and the codification of the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP).

The event they attended, Cookie Day, is an annual advocacy event where low-income tenants and community members unite to expand and deepen the impact of the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program. Advocates hand out house-shaped cookies to elected officials as a reminder to support MRVP.

North End’s own State Representative, Aaron Michlewitz, received the  “Big Cookie Award” for his continued work supporting MRVP as Chair of the Ways and Means Committee. He was presented the award by constituent Victor Brogna, an MRVP tenant whose father represented the same district as Rep. Michlewitz 100 years ago.

“We need to continue to stand up for Massachusetts and protect all of our residents, protect our most vulnerable, and make sure that housing is a critical component in our conversations,” Representative Michlewitz said upon receiving the award.

In 2020, 12 affordable units were saved at Mercantile Wharf thanks to MRVP.  On Cookie Day, tenants from across the state approached legislators to increase the budget of MRVP to $300 million, an increase of $22 million above Governor Healy’s budget request. They also requested that legislators support the codification of MRVP, as it currently exists as a budget line item that is voted on every year — and which in turn causes significant stress to MRVP recipients who are left unsure about the future of their homes.

MAHT tenant leader Carmen Allen, a previously homeless, disabled veteran, voiced her feelings about what happens when you don’t have guaranteed housing, like MRVP: “Having been homeless, you have that level of anxiety. Once you’ve been homeless one time, there’s always an anxiety, where you say, ‘Can I do this next month? Is something else going to happen that I can’t prevent?’”