On October 22, 2012, MAAPL Coordinator Grace Ross testified at the DHCD Hearing on Family Shelter Regulations and Guidance to advocate for changes in shelter access policy that would help reduce family homelessness. Her testimony at the hearing also addresses the impact of the foreclosure crisis on homelessness and on the Massachusetts economy as a whole. The combination of reduced numbers of homes available for rent following foreclosures and the rising costs of rentals in Massachusetts make it harder for families to find housing following foreclosure and eviction. Other conditions such as fewer jobs available in today’s economy, reduced wages for workers, and ruined credit ratings for former homeowners who were foreclosed on make it even harder for families and individuals to recover and find adequate housing following foreclosure and eviction.
You can read a transcription of Grace’s testimony here: Testimony of Grace C Ross of the Mass. Alliance Against Predatory Lending at the DHCD Hearing on Family Shelter Regulations and Guidance (PDF).
