“Cookie Day” on Beacon Hill urges lawmakers to expand the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP)

Affordable housing advocates, tenants, and nonprofit leaders from across Massachusetts gathered on Beacon Hill on Wednesday, March 12, to rally in support of the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP). The rental assistance program provides stability to nearly 11,000 low-income households, including seniors, persons with disabilities, and families across the state. The Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants coordinated the event, working in tandem with coalition partners 2Life Communities, Haley House, CHAPA, Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, EMPath, The Boston Foundation, and First Church in Cambridge.

2Life showed up in full force, with 40 residents in attendance representing each of its seven campuses and reinforcing the importance of this critical tool. As 2Life’s Chief of Advocacy Emily Levine described it, “We cheered, we laughed, and we sure got to work.” 
 

We are so proud that two members of our 2Life community shared their personal stories of MRVP’s impact on their lives. Katherine Wilkins, a resident advocate at 2Life’s Brown Family House in Brookline, spoke about the power of strategic, people-centered investments in affordable housing. “Having spent my career as a regional planner, I can tell you that something akin to magic happens when you leverage the housing model to serve socioeconomically diverse groups of people. And to do so in a way that ensures their dignity, inclusive of beautiful community gathering spaces that facilitate connections? The rewards abound!”
 

She continued, “For us at Brown, the cobbling together of financing that 2Life maneuvered in order to build our home has unlocked more than stability — it facilitates community. My 93 year old neighbor and friend Phyllis, recently said, ‘I would not be alive today if it weren’t for the community and companionship that keeps me actively engaged with my Brown House family.’ That’s what prioritizing investments in housing can do — it’s much more than brick and mortar.”

Veronica Baez, executive director of 2Life’s Shirley Meadows community and one of the day’s speakers, shared her personal story with the MRVP program. “As a single Puerto Rican mother raising three children, two of whom have special needs, MRVP has been a lifeline,” Baez said. “I received a housing voucher in 2014, which allowed us to have a stable, affordable home and gave me the peace of mind I needed to focus on my children’s needs and pursue professional growth. Thanks to this support, I was able to build a career and work toward financial independence, and in 2022 I was proud to reach a point where I no longer needed it.”

 

Legislators in attendance reinforced their messages, including State Senator Lydia Edwards, who received this year’s “Big Cookie” award for her longtime leadership as a housing advocate and for her role in helping to pass the Affordable Homes Act last session. Senators Joan Lovely and Julian Cyr, as well as Representatives Richard Haggerty and Adrian Madaro, also spoke about the importance of the program, doubling down on their commitments to supporting the coalition’s budget and legislative efforts.

 

Following the event, attendees held meetings and distributed house-shaped cookies to legislators with the FY26 budget ask of $300 million, a symbolic (and tasty) reminder of the importance of investments in housing security.
 

In the span of 2 hours, the 2Life team held 19 legislative meetings throughout the State House and distributed cookies to 51 legislators. Residents shared personal stories about their experiences living at 2Life and their journeys to find safe, affordable, and engaging housing. They also drove home the importance of investments — now more than ever — in housing.
 

Advocates are calling for an increase in MRVP funding to $300 million in fiscal year 2026, which would provide housing support for roughly for an additional 2,300 low-income families and individuals. Codifying MRVP would establish it as a permanent state program, offering long-term stability for tenants and the certainty needed for developers and property managers to support affordable housing initiatives.

Read more about the MRVP program in MassLive.