Rally in Holyoke advocates for renters’ rights

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – The city of Holyoke held a renter’s rally In response to the ongoing housing crisis affecting tenants.

Members from across the city of Holyoke were all fighting for one thing, housing justice. The rally was organized by Neighbor to Neighbor, a community organization that is dedicated to addressing housing issues and advocating for renters’ rights.

Many tenants across the state and in Holyoke are facing challenges such as substandard living conditions, exorbitant rent prices, unresponsive landlords, and a lack of viable options in the case of forced relocations.

Wednesday’s rally aims to send a powerful message to city officials that it’s time to address the housing crisis and they won’t stop until everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.

“We’re going to continue to have rallies until everyone has safe dignified affordable housing. We recently were able to get Mayor Joshua Garcia to commit to creating an office of tenant protections in the city of Holyoke, which is a huge win. Neighbor to Neighbor has been working with all the tenants in the city for over a year and this office would really fill the gap,” said Katie Talbot from Neighbor to Neighbor.

Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia has agreed to create a committee that would explore building out an Office of Tenant Protections, so renters have somewhere to turn when landlords fall short. This office would bridge the gap between the tenants and the protections that they should already be entitled to.