Dear Medford City Council and Mayor Lungo-Koehn,

We, the undersigned, urge the Council to vote in favor of resolution 20-686 to establish an eviction moratorium in Medford, MA. If this legislation fails to pass, we also demand that Mayor Lungo-Koehn pass an executive order to establish an eviction moratorium as soon as possible.

The city of Malden recently showed regional leadership in passing an eviction moratorium, and we stand in solidarity with the NAACP Mystic Valley and other local community groups in demanding similar legislation in Medford.

An eviction moratorium is legislation responsive to the needs of Medford’s most vulnerable community members. In order to protect our communities, people must have the option to remain safely housed. The need to prevent homelessness in Medford has never been greater. The moratorium is an essential public health measure to be taken in the interest of everyone’s safety.

Medford is in the unfortunate situation of needing to fill at least two large gaps in our community with this legislation: housing protections and political leadership. Absent a national or state eviction moratorium, which should absolutely be in place, we are left in our small communities to take matters into our own hands if we truly have the safety of our residents at the top of our concerns.

Pursuing evictions right now, in the middle of a pandemic, at the start of a long winter, when the state moratorium has prematurely expired, is inhumane. We urge our council to recognize this fact and make the humane decision to support this moratorium.

While this is only a stopgap measure and we hope to see future efforts to eliminate homelessness in Medford, a possibility very much within our city’s reach, this moratorium is an important step toward that goal.

Please don't let us down - exhibit your leadership by supporting an eviction moratorium in Medford. Thank you!