In a renewed effort to combat our foreclosure crisis, I called on the legislature’s Joint Committee on the Judiciary today to help pass a number of measures that would allow the state to continue partnering with its residents dealing with foreclosure proceedings and ensure the future success for Brockton-area communities for years to come. 

In testimony delivered to the Committee at their hearing earlier this afternoon, I called on my colleagues to support legislation that would (1) establish a 180-day moratorium on foreclosures, (2) strengthen protections for tenants for unjustified evictions on foreclosed properties, and (3) require judicial approval of foreclosures. 

“For the past few years, Brockton has had the fourth highest rate of foreclosures in the state, and now it is estimated that as many as 15% of our city’s housing units are within some point of foreclosure proceedings. Clearly these statistics represent staggering figures that threaten the future of our city in terms of housing for those hard hit by the current economic downturn, public safety issues, workforce and community development programs, and blighted neighborhoods,” I wrote in my testimony to the chairs of the Committee. 

“There is no question that we must do more to strengthen protections for our very neighbors who have been affected by this tragedy,” I added, 

In my testimony I also argued that – thanks to the collaborative effort with many of our partners – the foundation is already built to put these protections in place. Specifically, I highlighted the partnership between the Brockton Interfaith Community (BIC) and the Brockton City Council in introducing three home-rule petitions – H.4276, H.4277, and H.4278 – that aim to address these issues specifically within the City of Brockton.