One housing advocate made it clear to lawmakers on Monday: without a pandemic-era policy pausing eviction cases while an application for aid is pending, “people would have been on the street.”

Isaac Simon Hodes, executive director of the Lynn United for Change group, said the policy often referred to as Chapter 257 proved “absolutely critical” during its tenure, calling it a “common sense” measure that offers benefits to both landlords and tenants.

He described the case of a Lynn tenant, Yessika Ramos. She and her four-year-old son with special needs were only a day from being evicted when they connected with Lynn United for Change, which helped delay their removal thanks to the Chapter 257 protections, according to Hodes.

“We’ve seen so many cases where without that protection, people would have been on the street. With that protection in place, those people were able to complete the application process, the landlord was made whole, the tenants were stabilized, and it was a real success story,” Hodes told the Joint Ways and Means Committee at the final hearing about the fiscal year 2024 state budget.

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