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I am a community organizer with a grassroots, community member-led organization in Lynn, MA. I work with a number of community leaders from diverse working class backgrounds and have talked to hundreds of low-income residents over the past two years. People across our city, both in private and public housing, are struggling with terrible housing conditions, from roaches and mold to living in spaces far too small for their families. The services and support for tenants in navigating these situations and the housing system, access to information about tenant rights, and ability to pursue recourse for dealing with negligent landlords and harmful conditions are almost nonexistent. More than anything, tenants in all forms of housing are facing the continual threat of rent increases that force them into eviction or displacement from the community. Lynn United for Change, another local organization we partner with, attempts to assist thousands of tenants a year, often as the only line of defense, with extremely limited staff and budget, and regularly is seeing rent increases ranging from $500-$1500. We are in desperate need of rent control in public and private housing, just cause eviction, better enforcement of quality standards and tenant rights, creation of an office of tenant protections and further support for tenants in navigating their situations (including better outreach and access to information), and policies to preserve and increase affordable options across the board.