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The Somerville Renters’ Committee and the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) will hold three virtual forums in August to discuss housing issues in the City of Somerville, MA. Events will start with the Somerville Mayoral Candidates on Housing, on Sunday, August 8, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, which will be open to the public. The Mayoral forum will be streamed on Zoom with simultaneous translation from English into Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole.

On Wednesday, August 11, the “Ward Council Candidates Forum” will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., and on Friday, August 16, the “At-Large Council Candidates Forum” will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The City Council candidate forums will be closed to the public but open to interested media. All forums will be recorded on Zoom and then posted online for public viewing, along with the housing questionnaires submitted by the public.

The goal of the forums is to understand candidates’ proposals for housing issues in the City of Somerville. Attendees will have the opportunity to see candidates address the housing challenges, concerns, and aspirations facing working class, low-income, and immigrant renters.

The forums are taking place at a very opportune time, as this year Somerville will have a municipal election to elect a new mayor for the first time in nearly two decades, along with new councilors for the City Council. In this election there are four candidates for Mayor, and 21 candidates running for Ward Council and At-Large Council seats.

Somerville is also at the center of the affordable housing crisis facing this region. Development has made the city wealthier, but it has caused massive displacement of lower income households. Renters make up 64% of Somerville’s population, so the Somerville Renters Committee wishes to hear how candidates will fight for their needs and help them remain in the city that they love.

“The Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) is very proud to partner with the Somerville Renters Committee for the candidates forum on housing,” said Nicole Eigbrett, CAAS director of community organizing. “We are organizing for a municipal government that fights for the needs and aspirations of our vulnerable residents. We want Somerville to truly be a city for everyone, and that means ensuring that quality, affordable, and dignified housing is a human right.”

Andrew Livolsi, a resident of Somerville and a member of the Somerville Renters Committee, also affirms the importance of the forum for the discussion of housing. “The goal is to ensure that everyone in Somerville who is disabled or veterans knows their rights and that everyone has the right to a safe place to live, even low-income people,” he says.

Yolanda Montiel, a mother and immigrant from El Salvador who is also a member of the Somerville Renters Committee, speaking through an interpreter added: “Come and meet the Mayor and Council candidates of our city. As residents of Somerville, we want to be part of this forum. It is very important for our community and our families, and we want you to know that [the Somerville Renters Committee and CAAS] is a group of people interested in the well-being of our community.”

SCHEDULE

Somerville Mayoral Candidates Forum on Housing
Sunday, August 8, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. (On zoom, open to the public)
This event will have simultaneous translation into Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole.

Somerville Ward Council Candidates Forum
Wednesday, August 11, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. (Recorded and available soon)
This event will have simultaneous translation into Spanish for Somerville Renters Committee members.

At-Large Council Candidate Forum
Friday, August 16, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. (Recorded and available soon)
This event will have simultaneous translation into Spanish for Somerville Renters Committee members.

ABOUT CAAS
The Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) is a federally designated anti-poverty agency that has served Somerville, Massachusetts, since 1981. The mission of CAAS is to help local families and individuals achieve financial security while working to eliminate the root causes of economic injustice.

Contact us: 617-623-7370 – www.caasomerville.org