Somerville’s Anti-Displacement Task Force held two public meetings in July to gather input from the Somerville community: one on July 20 for landlords, and one on July 27 for tenants.

By Maile Blume

Somerville’s Anti-Displacement Task Force is holding ongoing meetings to assess how sustainable housing models in other cities might be applied to Somerville, said Commissioner Rona Fischman, during the Fair Housing Commission monthly meeting.

The task force’s focus group on residential displacement read about sustainable housing models in Minnesota and California. Then, they looked into proposals that are taking place in Massachusetts around rent stabilization. Some of the questions that the group is exploring are whether new housing policies in the city should label tenants in terms of income level, and under what circumstances a landlord can raise the rent of a property.

The committee is considering, “What makes sense for Somerville?” said Rona Fischman. The task force will hold two public meetings in July to gather input from the Somerville community: one on July 20 for landlords, and one on July 27 for tenants. The biggest barrier to residents joining the task force is the time commitment, said Hanalei Steinhart, a program specialist who researched the subject.

The application materials should also be written at an eighth-grade level to make them more easily translated for people who speak other languages, said Commissioner Dennis Fischman. He added that ideally the task force would also offer participants a stipend to compensate them for their time.

As the task force is under way, the commission’s annual report is also being drafted, said Steinhart. The report will detail the complaints that the commission received from July 2021 to June 2022, as well as the outcomes of those complaints. The report will be published online shortly for the public, Steinhart said. Most of the complaints of discrimination had to do with source of income, involving landlords discriminating against potential tenants because those tenants receive Section 8 vouchers (federal housing assistance), said the commission.

In addition to the annual report, the commissioners reviewed the new ordinance passed by the city in March that protects residents from being discriminated against for their family structure or relationship status. This ordinance includes protection from discrimination when families are being considered for rental units or loans, and came out of discussions on the city council about expanding protections for polyamorous families.

As Somerville faces upcoming elections, the commission is also preparing a questionnaire for mayoral and city council candidates. The goal of the questionnaire is to help residents meet the candidates and to have candidates share their insights on housing, said Commissioner Patrice Faulkner.

Finally, the commission planned for a community discussion of The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein for this coming April. The event will come after the Somerville Public Library encourages residents to read the book of the year, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds, in October and November. Both texts discuss how the government has promoted racial discrimination in housing, and will contribute to discussions about racial justice in the city.

For more information and updates on upcoming Commission meetings, go to their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/SomervilleFairHousingCommission