the submission of the Mayor's Blue-Ribbon Task Force on Tenant Displacement April 23, 2019 meeting minutes

To: Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk From: Sumbul Siddiqui, City Councillor Date: May 9, 2019 Subject: Submission – Mayor’s Blue-Ribbon Task Force on Tenant Displacement April 23, 2019 Meeting Minutes Madame Clerk: Please place the attached notes from the fourth meeting of the Mayor’s Blue-Ribbon Task Force on Tenant Displacement on the City Council Agenda as “Communications and Reports from Other City Officials” for the May 13th meeting. A presentation prepared by Cambridge Community Development Department staff and presented to the Task Force at its April 23rd meeting is also attached. Thank you, Councillor Sumbul Siddiqui Cambridge City Council

Tenant Displacement Taskforce: Eviction Complaints in Cambridge April 23, 2019

Eviction Complaints Over Time January 2013 ‐ December 2018 0 100 200 300 400 500 [phone removed] 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Per Year Q1 26% Q2 23% Q3 27% Q4 24% Eviction Complaints per  Quarter (All years)

572 376 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 Eviction Complaints Defendant Households Note: “Defendant Households” includes both households that have had a single complaint filed against them and those  households with two or more complaints filed against them.  Annual Averages January 2013 ‐ December 2018

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 Eviction Complaints by Month January 2013 ‐ December 2018

0 100 200 300 400 500 [phone removed] 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Where Eviction Complaints are Filed January 2013 – December 2018 Housing Court District Court

6% 10% 7% 6% 71% Eviction Complaints by Building Size January 2013 – December 2018 1 ‐ 3 units 4 ‐ 12 units 13 ‐ 25 units 26 ‐ 50 units > 50 units

Note: A significant number of < $500 judgments likely represent only court fees and do not include an award of damages against  a tenant and to a landlord. This chart excludes filings where there was no monetary judgment listed, where the total was $0, or  where a judgement was against the landlord. 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 [phone removed] 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Eviction Complaint Monetary Judgment Trends January 2013 – December 2018 < $500 $500 ‐ $1,000 $1,001 ‐ $2,000 > $2,000 Total Monetary Judgments

73% 15% 6% 3% 1% 2% 1 2 3 4 5 6 or more complaints All Housing Market Rate Housing Only 85% 10% 4% 1% < 0% < 0% Number of Eviction Complaints per Household by Housing Type January 2013 – December 2018

Eviction Complaint Monetary Judgment Totals January 2013 – December 2018 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% < $500 $500 ‐ $1,000 $1,001 ‐ $2,000 > $2,000 All Housing Market Rate  Housing Only Note: A significant number of < $500 judgments likely represent only court fees and do not include an award of damages against  a tenant and to a landlord. This chart excludes filings where there was no monetary judgment listed, where the total was $0, or  where a judgement was against the landlord.

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 Eviction Complaints: Market Rate Housing Defendant Households: Market Rate Housing Eviction Complaints: Affordable Housing Defendant Housholds: Affordable Housing Note: “Defendant Households” includes both households that have had a single complaint filed against them and those  households with two or more complaints filed against them.  2013 2016 2014 2015 2017 2018 Comparing Eviction Complaints and Defendant Households January 2013 – December 2018

*Note: The Larger Market Rate Buildings category includes some eviction complaints filed against inclusionary housing units. 0 50 100 150 [phone removed] 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Market Rate Eviction Complaints by Building Type January 2013 ‐ December 2018 Small Market Rate Buildings (1 ‐ 12 Units) Larger Market Rate Buildings (> 12 Units)*

Eviction complaint less likely than Citywide  average Eviction complaint more likely than Citywide average Delving into the Data: Understanding Market Rate Eviction Complaints  January 2013 – December 2018 0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 1. East Cambridge 2. MIT / Area 2 3. Wellington‐Harrington 4. The Port 5. Cambridgeport 6. Mid‐Cambridge 7. Riverside 8. Agassiz 9. Neighborhood Nine 10. West Cambridge 11. North Cambridge 12. Cambridge Highlands 13. Strawberry Hill 1. Due to eviction filings related to  noise complaint policy. 2. Small neighborhood with  disproportionate effect from one  building. 1 2

1 Tenant Displacement Task Force Meeting Minutes: April 23, 2019 Mayor’s Blue-Ribbon Task Force on Tenant Displacement Monthly Meeting Tuesday, April 23, 2019, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Sullivan Chamber, City Hall 795 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge MA 02139 MEETING MINUTES The Mayor’s Blue-Ribbon Task Force on Tenant Displacement convened for a regular meeting on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, in the Sullivan Chamber at City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Councillor Sumbul Siddiqui, Chair of the Task Force, called the meeting to order at 5:42 pm with seven members present at the meeting’s start. In attendance as presenters were Chris Cotter and Cliff Cook. Present as members of the public were Ellen Semonoff, Maria Melo, and Bailey Werner. Task Force Members in Attendance: Councillor Sumbul Siddiqui, Chair Task Force Members Absent: City of Cambridge Staff in Attendance: City of Cambridge Staff Absent: Sonia Andujar Jessica Drew Betsy Eichel Iram Farooq Larry Field Beth Huang Alexandra Markiewicz Maura Pensak (arrived before 6:00 pm) Patrick Barrett Teresa Cardosi Sean Hope Kuong Lee Maura Pensak Cheryl-Ann Pizza-Zeoli Sarah Stillman Wilford Durbin ITEM DISCUSSION ACTION RESPONSIBLE Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 5:42 pm by Sumbul Siddiqui, Chair. Procedural Sumbul Siddiqui Overview of Meeting Agenda An overview of the agenda for the meeting was given by Sumbul Siddiqui, Chair. Informational Sumbul Siddiqui

2 Tenant Displacement Task Force Meeting Minutes: April 23, 2019 Presentation by Cliff Cook, Planning Information Manager, CDD, and Chris Cotter, Housing Director, CDD Chair Siddiqui introduced Mr. Cliff Cook, Planning Information Manager, and Mr. Chris Cotter, Housing Director, both members of the City’s Community Development Department (CDD) staff, who presented the CDD’s data analysis of eviction complaints in Cambridge. [See attached slide presentation.] • Half the complaints are filed against people who have been through the process at least once already, sometimes multiple times. February and April are lowest months for complaints, a striking difference. • Noted drop off in 2015-17 when the great recession hit home in 2011, but by 2013 economy was getting better. • Housing court comes in to play in 2018 - small number of filings in housing court vs district (which court you file in may depend on what your desired outcome is) • Judgements under 500 dollars are generally only for court costs. • East Cambridge has high number of market rate evictions (noted example of particular building with a particular policy) • Black Box: this is as far as CDD can get with the data gathered, not knowing as much about eviction complaints as we do with foreclosures. We have more info than we’ve ever had on eviction complaints in Cambridge, but the challenge is knowing if what we’ve gathered is accurate with the case files (just because a complaint is filed does not mean someone is evicted); where are the points of action? • Intern will fact check and dig deeper into the data we’re gathering; look at sample of case files from beginning to end in the two courts to survey what actions and outcomes we have in the city. • CDD is hoping to put all of this in to an annual report and update this periodically. The data may not show the full picture; having an eviction filing on your record will impede your ability to move forward with housing etc. The Task Force members asked questions regarding the data presented, and a discussion followed, including input from Ms. Ellen Semonoff and Ms. Maria Melo of the City’s Department of Human Services. Chair Siddiqui thanked the presenters for providing this update and for the data presented. Informational Chris Cotter; Cliff Cook ALL Updates & Announcements Chair Siddiqui provided an update on the status of the hiring process for City’s Housing Liaison position: • After a sizable first round of applicants, unfortunately the City has not yet completed its search and the job has now been reposted. Ideally looking for someone with CAE management experience and solid understanding of the issues, Informational Sumbul Siddiqui

3 Tenant Displacement Task Force Meeting Minutes: April 23, 2019 a very strong collaborator, and with broad enough experience to both properly address policy issues and deal with emergency situations. The person who steps in to this role will need to understand what’s happening and do some best-fit work between all the departments that touch on housing. • Chair Siddiqui said that she will share the description with the Task Force. Chair Siddiqui requested Mr. Cotter share the City’s plan for its upcoming “2019 Affordable Housing Action Week of Action”: • This year, the CDD decided to shift to a month of events as opposed to one week in May - starting this Saturday, April 27th, with the “Affordable Housing Fair” at the Community Arts Center on Windsor St, 11:00 am - 2:30 pm. This is also in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Cambridge Affordable Housing Trust. • Chair Siddiqui said that she will share out the calendar of events for the “2019 Affordable Housing Action Month of Action.” Action Informational Action Sumbul Siddiqui Chris Cotter Sumbul Siddiqui Updates from Task Force Action Area Working Groups Chair Siddiqui introduced the following Task Force Working groups—Tenant Education Legislative and Policy Agenda and Funding—to provide progress updates to the Task Force at large and present any pending questions or needs. Informational Sumbul Siddiqui Tenant Education Working Group Plan for a series of workshops on different topics is laid out (resources for tenants, familiarity with fair housing laws, preparing for inspections, etc) • Main question: would this plan be led by Task Force, or would it be passed off to someone from City to implement and institutionalize? • Chair Siddiqui confirmed the latter (would make sense to have this passed to Liaison once hired). Other ideas discussed: • Task Force “Open House” –holding open house to invite residents into space, highlight what we’re collecting and the work we’re doing on displacement. • City of Cambridge ordinance to protect tenants – a “Tenant Organizing Ordinance” – what would this look like for Cambridge, what will be the process- is this a home rule situation? • Tenant Association / inclusionary tenant advisory group - TBD (Chris Cotter said CDD is looking at coming up with better process for residents to give us input). Informational Alexandra Markiewicz, Sonia Andujar, Maura Pensak

4 Tenant Displacement Task Force Meeting Minutes: April 23, 2019 Legislative and Policy Agenda Working Group In process of reviewing different ordinances passed between 1998 and 2019: Boston, Somerville (just passed an ordinance on March 21), and policy considerations • Following how Somerville’s ordinance plays out; will get sense of parameters (what lawsuits and challenges that may come up, etc); asking, ‘if Somerville is doing an 11/ 10, what is our 10/10?’ • Questions to investigate: If we were to propose some recommendations, what would they be and what kind of impact could they have? Will there be any effect? • Working Group is planning to hold a meeting and involve the Assessor’s Office; Councillor Siddiqui will be joining as well. Informational Action Larry Field; Beth Huang; Betsy Eichel Larry Field; Beth Huang; Betsy Eichel; Sean Hope; Sumbul Siddiqui Funding Working Group Investigating how to both increase the funding resources available and use those we have more effectively. • CASLS providers are dealing with recurring issues of how to source/ cause- manage payments of damage (e.g. tenant with a disability damages apt with bumping wheelchair)—costs of these can be significant, especially when a tenant is on SSI; if a tenant owes a landlord thousands of dollars and can't pay it, that is a threat to their tenancy. • How do we use funding specifically geared to damages? • Increasing rental assistance cap? What is outcome we are expecting? • Chair Siddiqui said she can put in request to the City Manager. Advocating for push to generate revenue- new revenue; more fruitful to identify what we are looking for funding for (versus just how funding can be increased). • Reaching out to organizations in Cambridge that give lip-service to improving quality of life in city and may have funding to give (e.g. Kendall Square Association, Science Cares); major institutions provide funding for a variety of things. • Could write a letter of interest to inquire, and/or set up a meeting to discuss. Options might include: • Vouchers for getting people to housing court • Volunteer Action Fund for Affordable Housing (as California is trying to set something like this up). Informational Action Action Jessica Drew; Betsy Eichel Sumbul Siddiqui Sumbul Siddiqui

5 Tenant Displacement Task Force Meeting Minutes: April 23, 2019 Action Area Working Group Break Out Chair Siddiqui thanked all the Task Force members for their updates and announced that for the last 15-20 minutes of the meeting the Task Force would break out in to these Working Groups and discuss next action steps. Chair Siddiqui and her legislative aide, Ms. Sarah Stillman, met with each of the groups during this time. Action ALL Adjournment Chair Siddiqui adjourned the meeting at 7:40 pm. Procedural Sumbul Siddiqui