Pressley Announced Bill in Boston Today, Legislation Comes During National Fair Housing Month

Bill Text | Roundtable Video | Roundtable Photos

BOSTON – Today, to kick off National Fair Housing Month, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), along with Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) and Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Renters Caucus, introduced the Housing Emergencies Lifeline Program (HELP) Act, much needed legislation to provide support to those facing eviction. The legislation prohibits credit reporting of evictions, rent, and utility debt, funds legal representation for those at risk of eviction, cracks down on illegal evictions, and more.

Congresswoman Pressley announced the legislation today during a visit to 2Life Communities in Allston-Brighton, where she held a roundtable with renters, advocates, and community members. Photos from the roundtable are available here and footage from the press conference is available here.  

“As someone who knows the trauma of coming home to an eviction notice on your door, I’m proud to put forward legislation to support our families during this time of crisis and keep them safely housed,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “I’m grateful to Ranking Member DeLauro and Congressman Gomez for their partnership on this critical legislation, and to our advocates and families who shared their stories today. Together, we’ll keep pushing to affirm housing as the human right that it is.”

“As a child, I will never forget coming home and seeing my family’s belongings on the streets – we had been evicted,” said Congresswoman DeLauro. “Evictions do not happen in a vacuum. This trauma can ripple across one’s life – leading to job loss, poorer educational outcomes, poorer health, and lack of access to housing in the future. The HELP Act would give legal counsel to those facing eviction, create a database to track evictions, and prohibit credit reporting of evictions and rent and utility debt so that those who fall behind do not have future housing opportunities stripped from them. Poverty can become a vicious cycle with one hardship following or even causing another. In the current cost of living crisis, we need to give Americans the tools to get back on their feet if they fall down. This bill does that.”

“I founded the Congressional Renters Caucus because too many families are being crushed by rising rents, unfair evictions, and a housing market that is leaving working people behind,” said Rep. Jimmy Gomez. “An eviction filing can follow someone for years, even when the case is dismissed, making it harder to recover and move forward. The HELP Act gives renters the protections they deserve and helps keep more families in their homes.”

The Housing Emergencies Lifeline Program (HELP) Act provides critical support to those facing evictions. Specifically, the legislation would:

• Prohibit credit reporting of evictions and utility debt;
• Require covered landlords to inform their tenants of their rights and responsibilities and to disclose reasons for an eviction in writing to crack down on illegal evictions;
• Establish a national hotline at HUD to direct renters to the eviction prevention resources they need in their state; 
• Authorize funding for legal counsel for those facing or at risk of eviction; and
• Direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish a database of eviction information gathered from all State and local entities that receive covered housing assistance.
  

To read the bill text of the HELP Act, click here. 

Joining Rep. Pressley in Allston-Brighton today were: Amy Schectman, CEO, 2Life Communities; Emily Levine, 2Life Communities; Anne Rousseau, Metro Housing; Gretchen Van Ness, LGBTQ; Senior Housing, Inc; David Gleich, Boston Housing Authority; Danielle Johnson, Esq, Mayor’s Office of Housing Stability; Kate Chang, Pine Street Inn; Lyndia Downie, Pine Street Inn; Michael Shelton, 2Life Communities resident; Sarah Byrnes, Mass Union of Public Housing Tenants; Libby Hayes, MassHousing; Carolyn Villers, Mass Senior Action Coalition; and renters and families. 

“Across Massachusetts, older adults living on fixed incomes are increasingly at risk of housing instability as costs rise and incomes fail to keep pace. Today, more than four in every ten seniors are rent-burdened, and the majority of households eligible for housing assistance are older adults who are not receiving it,” said Amy Schectman, Saul and Gitta Kurlat Chief Executive Officer of 2Life Communities. “The Housing Emergencies Lifeline Program (HELP) Act is a critical step toward preventing eviction before it happens by expanding access to legal assistance, strengthening the data needed to drive smarter policy, and ensuring that a temporary crisis does not become a permanent loss of housing. Stable, affordable housing is essential to healthy aging and strong communities. This legislation reflects the kind of proactive, equity-driven solutions we need, and we are deeply grateful to Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley for her leadership and unwavering commitment to protecting vulnerable renters across Massachusetts and across the country.”

The Housing Emergencies Lifeline Program (HELP) Act is endorsed by: National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), PolicyLink, Boston Tenant Coalition, Coalition for Economic Survival, National Housing Law Project (NHLP), National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB), NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, National Women’s Law Center, Community Action Agency of Somerville, Inc. (CAAS), National Coalition for the Homeless. 

“As a Community Action Agency located in a city where 67% of the population rents, we daily see examples of the violence that eviction wreaks on low- and moderate-income households. The provisions of this Act would help to curb some of the most common abusive practices that we see in our city. In the years since this Act was first introduced we have only seen the situation worsen, with many families forced out of our community. This legislation is long overdue, and I sincerely hope that it will be enacted during this session,” said David Gibbs, CAAS

“The Housing Emergencies Lifeline Program (HELP) Act would dramatically improve access to the rental housing market for poor Americans, especially Black and Latino households. The bill provides significant funding for eviction defense and would prohibit reporting evictions or rent-related debt. An eviction report is a stain that follows low-income renters for years after they experience hardship, and the HELP Act would help millions of American families out of the cycle of housing instability. NHLP applauds Representative Pressley as she puts forward real solutions to our evictions crisis,” said Shamus Roller, Executive Director, NHLP

In February 2026, the House passed two bills championed by Congresswoman Pressley that would strengthen eviction protections and help families receiving federal housing assistance achieve financial independence. The Eviction Helpline Act and Helping More Families Save Act passed the House as part of the bipartisan Housing for the 21^st Century Act.

In January 2026, Rep. Pressley, alongside Congresswomen Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) and Ilhan Omar (MN-05) held the Congressional Progressive Caucus’ (CPC) Lowering Costs Taskforce’s first shadow hearing, titled “Building the New American Dream: Lowering Housing Costs for All.” The shadow hearing brought together housing experts and CPC Members to advance solutions to lower costs by building more affordable, public, and market-rate housing; cracking down on corporate and landlord greed; and expanding federal assistance for low-income families.

As a Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance of the House Financial Services Committee (FSC), Rep. Pressley has consistently advocated for policies that affirm housing as a human right and center the dignity and humanity of all people.

• In March 2026, Rep. Pressley joined Financial Services Committee Democrats in a comment lettercondemning HUD’s proposed mixed-status families rule, which would increase evictions, separate families, and increase homelessness across the country. 
• In December 2025, Rep. Pressley convened local advocates and community partners to sound the alarm on the housing crisis created by Donald Trump.
• In December 2025, Rep. Pressley underscored the need to support grandfamily and kinship households, which are vital to preventing homelessness and keeping families and communities whole.

• In November 2025, Rep. Pressley joined House Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Maxine Waters (CA-35) and 52 colleagues in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner, calling on him to rescind a recent HUD decision to slash essential Continuum of Care (CoC) program funding. 
• In November 2025, Rep. Pressley introduced the Appraisal Modernization Act, legislation to promote equity and combat systemic bias in the home appraisal process that has disadvantaged many current and aspiring homeowners—especially homeowners of color.
• In May 2025, Rep, Pressley, along with Representatives Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), and Greg Casar (TX-35), reintroduced the Tenants’ Right to Organize Act, legislation to protect the power of tenants, including those with federal vouchers, to organize.
• In June 2024, Rep. Pressley, along with Representatives Maxine Waters (CA-43) and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), re-introduced the Tenant Empowerment Act, bold legislation to strengthen HUD tenant protections and provide renters with the tools necessary to improve the quality of their homes.
• In March 2024, Rep. Pressley, along with Mayor Wu, visited Roxbury to celebrate the $1,000,000 in federal funding she secured to provide emergency childcare support for families experiencing homelessness in the City of Boston.
• In March 2024, Rep. Pressley, along with Senators Warren and Markey, applauded the final passage of $850,000 in federal community project funding for The Pryde, an affordable housing development for LGBTQ+ seniors in Hyde Park.
• In March 2024, Rep. Pressley urged Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to cut interest rates to boost home affordability and construction of affordable housing.
• In January 2024, Rep. Pressley, during a House Financial Services Committee Hearing, highlighted the growing housing crisis and how appraisal bias and discriminatory tenant screening practices exacerbate the racial wealth and homeownership gaps, especially for Black communities.
• In January 2024, Rep. Pressley celebrated the $2.4 million in federal funding she secured to support the community-led transformation of the Clarendon Hill housing community, an ethnically, linguistically and economically diverse neighborhood in Somerville.
• In December 2023, Rep. Pressley requested the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide data on housing needs for Medicaid beneficiaries and feedback on challenges the agency is having in covering housing support for people requiring home and community-based services (HCBS).
• In July 2023, Rep. Pressley, along with Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) and Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01), reintroduced the Housing Emergencies Lifeline Program (HELP) Act, critical legislation to provide much-needed assistance to those facing eviction amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 
• In September 2021, Rep. Pressley joined Rep. Bush and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in introducing the Keeping Renters Safe Act of 2021 to enact an urgently needed nationwide eviction moratorium. 
• On July 2021, ahead of the expiration of the previous CDC eviction moratorium, Reps. Pressley, Bush, Gomez and their progressive colleagues sent a letter renewing their calls for President Biden and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky to extend the federal eviction moratorium and prevent the historic and deadly wave of evictions that would occur if the government failed to do so. 
• On July 30, 2021, Rep. Pressley joined House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) in introducing the Protecting Renters from Evictions Act of 2021, legislation to extend the eviction moratorium through the end of the year. 
• In June 2021, Rep. Pressley, along with Reps. Gomez and Bush, led over 40 of their colleagues on a letter urging President Biden and CDC Director Walensky to extend and strengthen the moratorium for the duration of the public health crisis. 
• In June 2021, Congresswoman Pressley, along with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), re-introduced the Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act, a bill to institute a nationwide cancellation of rents and home mortgage payments through the duration of the coronavirus pandemic.
• On May 18, 2021, Reps. Bush and Pressley sent a letter to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), calling on the CDC to strengthen and extend the federal moratorium on evictions, ensuring families can remain safely in their homes for the duration of the COVID-19 global health emergency.
• On July 28, 2020, Rep. Pressley, Rep. DeLauro and Sen. Harris introduced the Housing Emergencies Lifeline Program (HELP) Act to provide much-needed, layered assistance to those facing eviction amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
• On July 24, 2020, in a Financial Services Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley discussed the unprecedented financial cliff facing millions of renters and homeowners, the economic consequences of millions losing their homes, including the ability to return to work, and why funding for legal representation is so critical.
• On May 11, 2020, Reps. Tlaib, and Joe Neguse (D-CO) urge House and Senate leadership to include $11.5 billion in funding for Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) in the next relief package to aid the nation’s homeless population who are experiencing heightened vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• On April 10, 2020, Rep. Pressley urged Congressional leadership to prioritize recurring monthly cash payments to those most at-risk during the COVID-19 crisis. This funding would allow people to cover all their bills, including rent.
• On April 17, 2020, Reps. Pressley, Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and colleagues introduce the Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act, a bill to institute a nationwide cancellation of rents and home mortgage payments through the duration of the coronavirus pandemic.

• On March 23, 2020, Reps. Pressley and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) introduced the Public Health Emergency Shelter Act of 2020, legislation to provide critical funding to states and local governments responding to the needs of families and individuals experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 crisis. This legislation was included and passed through the HEROES Act and H.R. 7301, the Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020.
• On March 19, 2020, Rep. Pressley, along with progressive lawmakers and organizations, introduced the Housing is a Human Right Act to authorize more than $200 billion in federal spending over 10 years for crucial housing infrastructure and reduce homelessness.
• On March 18, 2020, Reps. Pressley, Katie Porter (D-CA) and Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) wrote to HUD calling for a moratorium on evicting renters during the coronavirus pandemic.
• In July 2019, Rep. Pressley announced legislation that would prohibit the use of biometric recognition technology in most public and assisted housing units funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), protecting tenants from biased surveillance technology. 
• In November 2019, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Tlaib wrote to HUD blasting the agency for ignoring low-income tenants seeking to save their homes.

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