THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2020 Page 9 Remembering longtime Main Street business Imperial Grocery Gaetano Navarra, owner of Imperial Grocery on Main Street. A well-known proprietor, Navarra was in business from 1973 to 2010. (Courtesy Photos) City Life/Vida Urbana ready for “tsunami of evictions” By Christopher Roberson W ith Governor Charlie Baker refusing to reinstate the Eviction Moratorium, City Life/Vida Urbana has promised to do everything possible to keep residents in their homes. “We are expecting a tsunami of evictions,” said Gabrielle René, a City Life community organizer, during a virtual forum on November 20. She said that 25 percent of tenants who are behind on rent expect to be evicted within the next two months. René also said Baker’s Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program only covers 25 percent of rental expenses. “Whatever solution Governor Baker is offering through RAFT is not helping,” she said, adding that tenants usually wait up to eight weeks before they receive a decision from the state. However, the Baker-Polito Administration has added $100 million to RAFT, which makes tenants and property owners eligible for assistance up to $10,000. In addition, René said Housing Court is open five days a week with three eviction hearings happening every hour from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. “The system is trying to evict our families; they’re betting on you not knowing what’s going on,” she Katie McCann City Life/Vida Urbana said. “Those who come to City Life have been beaten down by the system. We believe that housing is a human right. Even though you don’t own the property, it is your home.” Therefore, René emphasized that City Life has a myriad of resources at its disposal, including partLike us on Facebook advocate newspaper Facebook.com/Advocate.news.ma nerships with Greater Boston Legal Services and the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau. “We have 47 years of experience fighting for families,” she said. “We are very visible.” Katie McCann, also a City Life community organizer, said tenants can apply for protection under the eviction moratorium from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She said that moratorium will Gabrielle René City Life/Vida Urbana remain in effect until December 31. To be shielded from eviction by the CDC, tenants must send a declaration form to the property owner, preferably before they receive a Notice to Quit. In addition, there are five criteria that tenants must meet in order to qualify. However, McCann urged tenants not to assume that they are ineligible for the CDC moratorium. “That’s something for a judge to determine,” she said. “Only a judge can evict you.” McCann also said City Life is pushing for housing stability legislation – H.5018, An Act to guarantee housing stability during the COVID-19 emergency and recovery. Should the bill be signed into law, it would put a ban on evictions and foreclosures for one year following the end of the State of Emergency.
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