That the City Council joins the Mayor’s letter to HUD Secretary Benjamin Carson communicating opposition to proposed changes to Housing and Community Development Act of 1980

OFFICE of the MAYOR Marc C. McGovern Mayor June 20, 2019 Benjamin S. Carson Secretary U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 451 7th Street S. W. Washington, DC 20410 RE: Proposed Rule Changes Docket No. FR-6124-P-01 "Housing and Community Development Act of 1980: Verification of Eligible Status" Dear Secretary Carson: On behalf of the Cambridge City Council, I am writing to confer our strong opposition to the proposed rule published in the Federal Register (Docket No. FR-6124-P-01) regarding the "Housing and Community Development Act of 1980: Verification of Eligible Status," and requesting that current HUD regulations regarding housing eligibility be maintained. The proposed rule changes would adversely impact the wellbeing and lives of some of Cambridge's most vulnerable residents and the community to which they belong. By forcing mixed-status immigrant families from housing, HUD will be contributing to homelessness in our city and unnecessarily straining resources designed for at-risk populations. More than a quarter of Cambridge residents are foreign- born. Destabilizing our communities would disrupt the lives of not only mixed-status families but the neighborhoods, church groups, and businesses to which they contribute. Using a family member whose immigration status is not clear as the poison pill that forces the eviction of the entire family is indiscriminate to the wellbeing of natural born citizens, especially children, who may be living in the household. Federal response times for citizenship and immigration services have doubled during the last two years, meaning that delays in paperwork could render some families homeless when they are in fact eligible. Further, the proposed change will fail to reduce wait times for those seeking public housing. Some 5,000 individuals who live or work in Cambridge are on the waiting list for housing, and their wait time will not improve if, and when, a handful of families are evicted from housing. As with the region, homelessness has been rising in Cambridge, particularly among minors under the age of 18 and families with children. The proposed rule change would cast a shadow on the lives of vulnerable children and youth who would be removed from housing. Irreparable harm may be caused to children, even if their family can find housing elsewhere. CITY HALL, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02139 [phone removed] FAX [phone removed] TTY/TDD: [phone removed] EMAIL: mmcgovern@cambridgema.gov

The average monthly rental price in Cambridge of $2,700 means that families who are evicted from public housing will find it difficult, if not impossible, to find housing in Cambridge and in the same school district, causing disruption to the education of children and tearing them from their support networks. HUD's proposed rule change should be withdrawn because of the negative impacts it would have on vulnerable families and children who are legally eligible for assistance and the overall adverse effects it would have in the region's communities. Sincerely, Mure MCe