THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2021 Page 5 DiDomenico urges passage of his ‘Right to Counsel’ legislation O n Oct. 6, State Senator Sal DiDomenico testified before the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Housing in support of legislation he has championed in the Massachusetts Senate for several sessions: An Act promoting housing stability and homelessness prevention in Massachusetts, which is also known as the Right to Counsel Bill. This bill (S.874) would make legal representation in eviction proceedings a right under Massachusetts state law. Currently, roughly 14 percent of renters in the Commonwealth are behind on their rent payments and hundreds more eviction cases are being filed each week. Unfortunately, eviction proceedings disproportionately impact tenants with the lowest income, especially immigrant families and the elderly, simply because they are unable to afford legal representation. This bill would provide legal representation for low-income tenants and owner-occupants landlords of two- and three-family homes in eviction proceedings. At the start of the COVID-19 Sal DiDomenico State Senator pandemic in 2020, DiDomenico filed similar emergency legislation to launch a Right To Council Pilot program to provide legal representation for tenants facing COVID-19-related evictions. Governor Charlie Baker incorporated key elements of DiDomenico’s Bill into the state’s Eviction Diversion Plan – now called the COVID Eviction Legal Help Project (CELHP). This emergency pilot program has had an overwhelmingly positive outcome. Since its implementation in January 2021, CELHP has assisted approximately 7,000 individuals (including 2,300 children) and positively resolved 90 percent of cases. Of those 90 percent of cases, 70 percent resulted in the preservation of the tenancy and 20 percent of cases were negotiated to afford the tenant(s) more time to find replacement housing. In just nine months, CELHP has proven the undeniable need and extraordinary benefit of granting a comprehensive right to counsel program in the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, the existing CELHP program is only temporary. During his testimony, DiDomenico highlighted the benefits of his permanent right to counsel bill. “Even where tenant cases are ultimately unsuccessful, the presence of counsel can assist when negotiating things like payment, extensions of time to vacate, finding alternative housing, or different lease terms that satisfy both landlords and tenants,” he said. Citing a 2020 Boston Bar Association report, DiDomenico pointed out that “the monetary benefits of representing DIDOMENICO | SEE PAGE 6
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