Boston Neighborhood Network News

0:00Good evening Boston. I'm Jack Hughes and you're watching BNN News. Here are today's top stories. The cost of living in Boston has increased significantly over the past 10 years, and finding affordable housing involves navigating several programs from city ran lotteries. BNN reporter Eja Esacaro spoke with state representatives and housing authorities about what is being done for affordable housing. Here's what she found. Boston, with its unique culture, world-class universities, and rich history, is one of the most desirable cities in the country to live in, but it also has some of the highest rental costs in the nation, making affordable housing a major challenge for many residents. On Wednesday, the mayor's office of housing, along with the community preservation fund, the neighborhood housing trust, and local housing advocates, announced more than $52 million

1:02in new funding to support affordable housing across the city. One of the main reasons that housing costs are high is that we don't have enough of it. It's critically important that we be producing more housing, all kinds of housing, single family, mixed, middle income, high rise. We need it all because folks will benefit. Prices can come down when you can address our lack of supply. In addition to new units, the funding will also support the preservation of existing public housing and the development of supportive housing with on-site services. What we find most inspiring and special about this is that with the support of the city of Boston and the Boston Housing Authority, we're going to be able to provide a service and rich package to seniors, which will include health care and all kinds of supportive services to the very population of seniors who often feel disregarded and not paid attention to.

2:06The goal is to help residents stay in the neighborhoods where they live and work, preserving the community and local culture. A city that has affordable housing allows their residents to expand, really be able to live and work in the same places, which is really, really important. When there's not enough affordable housing, people are pushed out of their neighborhoods away from their family, away from their culture, and so that's always difficult. So it's really important to keep families where they live and grow up. It was also noted that expanding access to affordable housing can also help address broader health and acuity challenges. We need to be making sure we're doing everything we can to build more affordable housing so everyone can have housing. This is not just a housing issue, it's a healthcare issue, it's an equity issue, folks who are in our city who are working two and three jobs, they need to be able to have a place that they can live in our neighborhoods and in every neighborhood of the city. We need housing for all of the people, not just some of the people. Boston recognizes the importance of affordable housing and its continuing efforts to keep

3:08the city affordable for all. For BNN News, I am Ajay Sikara. April is a national donate life month and to help raise awareness, field reporter Mira Donaldson visits the state house, meeting with legislators and organ donor recipients. Here is the story. Emotion was on display as New England donor services and legislators put forward a declaration to make April donate life month in Massachusetts. Many shared personal accounts of their own transplant story. We'll forever be grateful for all the different services, certainly the donor family and all of the members of our care team. We almost lost Rob and you know fortunately a donor came in, we just have an enormous gratitude for the donor in which saved Rob's life. New England donor services says that the US has

4:09performed more organ transplants than any other country. The fact that you're far more likely to need an organ transplant than to become an organ donor, that that simple decision can have a huge impact on the lives of others. This past year New England donor services says it had a record number of transplants and continues to challenge the stigma. For BNN, I'm Mira Donaldson. Now when we come back Natalie Candler sits down with Jane Doeaine. Today we have Nithia Badrinath, Jane Doeaine's policy director and Sine and Riekez. Jane Doeaine's policy and systems advocacy manager with us. Nithia leads JDI's policy work through research, legislative budget and systems advocacy strategies as well as membership and community engagement and Sine works to advance JDI's policy and advocacy mission by evaluating how the legislature state agencies and courts respond to

5:13survivor needs and by supporting member engagement and policy work. Thank you both for coming and welcome to our studio. Thanks for having us. Thanks for having us today. Well I'm super excited to get into the newest piece of legislation that you guys have been really talking about and promoting. You guys have a lot going on at JDI I know that but let's talk about the Massachusetts Survivors Act. When did this idea sort of come about? How did it come about and what does the Massachusetts Survivor Act promise and who would have benefit? Yeah absolutely. So I think yeah this is a new piece of legislation for Massachusetts but it's not a new idea generally. So where this legislation comes from is actually New York State. The first version of this was passed in 2019. Their version was called the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act. Not a new idea at all. Just new for Massachusetts. It's its first file this session and going back to what does it promise. This bill is a resenancing and sentence mitigation bill so what that means is if a survivor can tie their survivorship to their criminalization they would be eligible for

6:19sentence mitigation or diversion under this bill. It also has a piece in there about expungement and ceiling so if a survivor is granted relief under this bill they can also have their record expunged which helps them get jobs after the fact helps them get safe and stable housing. So who does it benefit? I think obviously first and foremost incarcerated survivors benefit greatly from this bill but also it really benefits their families. The people that care about them, their communities and really benefits our broader community. I think it gets us closer to a justice system that's really focused on dignity and healing overall. How did these situations slip through the cracks? I mean don't we have this system so that people who are you know victims of abuse can be protected in these situations? Yeah. I think you know our current legal system as it is does not actually respond to domestic violence especially accurately especially in the criminal legal system context and I think with this specific issue there are two limitations

7:21that exist currently with both self-defense laws and also mandatory minimums that exist in Massachusetts so for example you know you mentioned you know why can't self-defense laws be used in this situation right? Like if people are thinking about it and the reality is it's incredibly narrow. There needs to be an immediate threat and also a proportional response to you know a certain transgression that occurred. The other piece is mandatory minimums so we have mandatory minimums in Massachusetts so you might so judges can obviously like ask you know a survivor in you know in trial for example about their you know abuse and the factors however their hands are tied they can't really consider this context because we have mandatory minimums in place so I think that's something really important for us to consider. And you know let's say someone was convicted of a crime and the mandatory minimum is you know 15 to 20 years for example would you be able to reduce that sentence if the bill passes would you be how what would that look

8:24like in inaction? This would basically give judges the ability to use their discretion over just mandatory minimums and requirements that way so. Right. Can you provide us an update on where the bill is currently? Currently it's in a ways it means so which is the second kind of committee after it moved out the initial committee. So there is a lot of momentum on this bill. We have a really broad coalition. I was really broad support for this bill and also like women here who have been currently or who are incarcerated and formerly incarcerated. We had some testimony from women inside framing him for for this bill as well so I wanted to uplift that and just the you know women inside are saying this women who have been released are talking with their experiences and we have research and everything right. So we have that momentum and with the legislature we're kind of just now you know waiting for the bill to move continue to move throughout the process. So we've got it we made it through one hurdle and we want to keep moving so it's kind of where we're at right now. So just like obviously need folks to you know call their reps and just talk about the

9:25issue with them and something that they care about. Yeah absolutely and I definitely think that it's something that our viewers really really care about. I want you both to answer this question because I think it's important but if this legislation does pass which you know hoping it does how do you hope it will uplift people who've experienced domestic violence. I think the most important part is that it takes into account survivor's experiences and really honors and validates those experiences and you know I think at JDI we know and believe fullheartedly that healing cannot happen from within a jail cell and so what this bill does is it gets these survivors who are in need of that healing that dignity that justice it gets them back into the communities you know and that's where we know and we believe that real true healing does happen and so I think that's one of the most important parts is that it you know it gets folks back into their communities it gets them access to resources it gets them access to the things that they need to rebuild their lives and move on with their lives. Yeah I think today said it but I think this will

10:30have like huge implications for how we can view and understand survivorship here in Massachusetts and the fact that this has been moving in other states and other states can do it like Oklahoma in New York. Georgia for example there are so like you know survivorship yeah just understanding the you know decades-long impact that survivorship can have on someone and even when you're yeah when you're in prison re-traumatized by those experiences right like I think that's something that need to be considered if somebody is a survivor and then being put back in the environment that kind of brought them there at the first place. What does that say about you know healing for that person so I think just really being able to recognize that and yeah like survivors need to be back in their communities and people are sometimes we kind of hear oh I thought judges could do this already right but you know that's not the case and you know we just we just need this to happen and bring people home. Yeah well thank you both for joining me today could you you know tell our viewers where they can get more involved in advocacy for the Survivors Act and where they can learn more about

11:32JDI. Yeah so our coalition the Survivors Act Coalition has its own website it's ma Survivors Act.org and you can find more information about this bill there's some like FAQs if folks have any questions also all of the folks who are involved in the coalition are there so if you know you want to be involved too feel free to like shoot the website there's an email on the website if you want to be involved and you know this is something that you know we are really relying on advocacy from everybody to really convince the legislature that this is a priority so if folks can reach out to their own representatives and say that this is a priority for them and have conversations with Senate ways and means staff where the bill is currently where the bill is currently that would be incredibly helpful and also if folks you don't need support if folks have been into experiencing domestic abuse or survivorship in their life you know we have our network of member programs that can support with support with that and our website is where you can find that so it's jando.org

12:35is our website and if you want to navigate to our fine help page you can find that and connect you to resources and programs who are all across message you said so many ways to get involved yeah definitely yeah many ways to get involved in this absolutely imperative vital work thank you both for doing this work for advocating for survivors and for joining me here today in the studio well thank you so much yeah we're so happy to be here and just really happy that this has a platform so thank you yeah me too me too

14:04yeah

15:34There it is, hold it up, it does not get to any sweeter than that right there, it's a It's a huge highlight. Where they are, where the hype track right here is nobody on this one but pretty good boys and pretty good boys. Welcome back, Sisters in Stitches is an organization founded in 1997 that attempts to preserve the African American art form of quilting. BNN partnered with Sisters in Stitches to host a showcase of their work with BNN speaking to Sisters in Stitches leaders and artists about the impact of their work.

16:46Well, I'm a home founder and I'm about also vice president and me and the president Susie Ryan started this back in 1997. When we decided that we wanted to learn how to quilt and so we took classes with Jackie Anderson Wilson, who is also has her quilt here in the show. That's how we got started and there was a need because there wasn't any other place where African American women could quilt and feel safe and free to talk how they want and to be how they want. That's how we started. I can't believe that 30 years has gone by because I'm not getting older, you know what I'm saying? It's quite a benchmark for us because we've survived an awful lot, but being in the groove and interacting with so many different quilters and situations and exhibitions, it has really just enriched my life and I think enriched the people who have participated.

17:54I really like thinking about animals that are losing their homes and that are becoming extinct because of the way mankind is just taking up all their earth. And I picked the elephant because it's a sign of unity because the elephant, they all take care of each other and I like to hear. And that's what Sisters and Stitches is about joined by the cloth where people are bringing people together through sewing and you know gathering together talking about history. I think it's fabulous, absolutely fabulous. We came to see a quilt by our friend Donna. She quilts with us at library. And Donna and I have been quilting together for 35 years. The fabric, especially African fabric, it takes me back home. It feels like home.

18:59It's just beautiful. I think we did a great job and we love the fact that the wall just happens to go with all the quilts. But yeah, it's a labor of love. Well, that's all we have for today, Boston. Thank you for tuning in. I've been Jack Hughes. We will see you next time.