Break the Bias

The National Homes Guarantee Coalition along with People Ready held a meeting with the Sandra Thompson, the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency on potentially getting rent regulations and tenant protections on single, double and multi family homes purchased with federally backed loans such as Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. During our meeting 8 different Tenants from 8 different properties that were purchased with a federally backed loan like Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac from across the nation each spoke to the Director and told them their own individual testimony and story, as our meeting progressed we expressed how it is important to listen to the needs of the tenants and how the housing market is far too inflated due to substantial and extreme market changes that have occurred in the past couple of years, that have created unfair market advantages for landlords, private investor properties and other kinds of property owners. The National Homes Guarantee Coalition were able to have the Director agree to come and visit three different properties that were purchased with federally backed loans in hopes that Sandra Thompson understands this isn’t a centralized issue but rather a National problem and that what we ask for is not radical but powerful and progressive as having tenant protections and rent regulations on property purchased with a federally backed loan can change millions of Americans lives, in the end we felt optimistic about the outcome and felt like we really connected with Sandra Thompson on various important issues, The National Homes guarantee coalition plans to continue’s to push for tenant protections and rent regulations for single, double and multi family homes purchased with federally backed loans such as F***y Mae and Freddie Mac and to continue organizing until Tenants are safely housed and protected with rent regulations and tenant protections!

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno has boasted his 10+ years as the city’s leader as “the people’s mayor” but is the Mayor really as for the people as he claims? Campaign director for former mayoral candidate Linda O’Connell, who suspended her campaign on July 28 due to an illness, thinks Sarno has failed to represent marginalized communities of color in the city. “Unfortunately, he hasn’t really been meeting with the community as far as I know,” Smith said. “You are finding a lot of people of color who are generally disenchanted and disconnected with Springfield politics because it’s just basically the mayor in his office calling the shots and causing gridlock within the City Council and just basically being unable to use basic problem solving skills to even attempt to improve the lives of Springfield residents.” Tanisha Arena, director of Arise for Social Justice, said she does believe Sarno is a present figure in the city, but not when it comes to low income communities. “Is he present in all the communities? No. Are you present for folks who are homeless and addressing what their needs are? Are you present for our immigrant population? You’re not really for everyone in the city because if you were for everyone in the city, then the needs of poor and low income people would matter because they’re also your constituents,” she said. Some activists also pointed to issues such as affordable housing and rent control, as well as a lack of economic development for marginalized communities such as the North and South ends and Mason Square compared to the boom of investments the downtown area that have gone unaddressed during Sarno’s tenure as mayor.
Following a Sept. 10 primary, the mayoral ballot will be whittled down to two candidates for the Nov. 5 election. Tara Parrish, director and lead organizer for the Pioneer Valley Project, said although Sarno has been re-elected several times but only a fraction of the city’s residents turn up to vote for him to serve as Springfield’s political leader.