The tenant advocate will stop bullying of tenants: support H1814
This is the draft text prepared for testimony in support of H1814 before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary on October 21, 2025.
Thank you for your service, Chairs Lydia Edwards and Michael S. Day, and the members and staff of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.
I am Jerry Halberstadt, the Coordinator of the Stop Bullying Coalition.
On behalf of the Stop Bullying Coalition, I urge you to vote in favor of H1814: An Act to create the office of the tenant advocate in the Office of the Attorney General, an Act of Senator Joan Lovely and Representative Sally Kerans.
A major source of bullying is the failure of the housing provider (landlord or local housing authority) to meet their legal obligation to assure the right of peaceful enjoyment and protection from bullying, mobbing, and harassment, an obligation and rights affirmed by the Office of the Attorney General and the Fair Housing Law.
Housing providers are not subject to effective oversight and accountability for this duty.
H1814 fills the gap in protecting the legal rights of tenants because it provides oversight and accountability for providers of subsidized and public housing and thus prevents bullying, mobbing (bullying by a group), and harassment.
As the only tenant commissioner on the Commission on Bullying in 2017, I led extensive research, including a statewide survey. We discovered that almost half of the respondents lived in developments with bullying, mobbing, and harassment. Very few got relief. The root problem is the lack of effective intervention by the housing provider. Tenants have no real access to a remedy.
These problems continue today.
In one current example in Northampton Public Housing, when tenants including a tenant commissioner complained of bullying, mobbing, and harassment, and lack of oversight by the housing authority board, they were ignored.
Only when housing authority staff complained about poor management enabled by a lack of oversight, did EOHLC intervene, investigate, override the housing authority, and replace the manager.
Freed from an oppressive system, the tenants were immediately able to form a more collaborative, supportive, and beneficial community.
I thank Senator Lovely, Representatives Kerans and Walsh for their constant support of our efforts to eliminate bullying from housing. Thanks also to the many legislators, organizations including Dignity Alliance, and tenants who have advocated for our cause, to be free of harassment and to live in peace.
I am grateful for the ideas and support of the members and partners of our coalition.
Thank you.
Resources
Jerry Halberstadt and Marvin So, Statewide Survey on Bullying of Tenants in Public and Subsidized Multifamily Housing: Report of the Committee for Research on Conditions and Prevalence of the Commission on Bullying
Jerry Halberstadt, Survey & Qualitative Research 2017-2020
Jerry Halberstadt, Community Support for Respect: Comments prepared for delivery at the November 14, 2024 gathering of the Anti-Hate, Anti-Bias Task Force of Middlesex DA Marian T. Ryan
Halberstadt, Jerry, Creating Community in Northampton
Halberstadt, Jerry, Sticks, Stones, Gossip & Governance Part 1 of 2
Halberstadt, Jerry, Sticks, Stones, Gossip & Governance Part 2 of 2
Halberstadt, Jerry, Bullying & Democracy At Apple Village
Halberstadt, Jerry, , 2020, Community Norms and Governance of Housing
Commission on Bullying: RESOLVE CREATING A COMMISSION TO STUDY WAYS TO PREVENT BULLYING OF TENANTS IN PUBLIC AND SUBSIDIZED MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING https://malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Resolves/2016/Chapter2
“Office of the Attorney General Advisory: The failure of management and the landlord to assure peaceful enjoyment for all tenants is unlawful, according to the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts”
S.1007: An Act to prevent and respond to bullying of elderly and disabled residents. https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S1007
H1814: An Act to create the office of the tenant advocate in the Office of the Attorney General https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H1814
Statement of Janice Harper, bullying and mobbing in group settings. http://stopbullyingcoalition.org/harper-mobbing,
FR–5248–F–02 Quid Pro Quo and Hostile Environment Harassment and Liability for Discriminatory Housing Practices Under the Fair Housing Act, Final Rule published in the Federal Register on September 14,2016, CFR Citation: 24 CFR 100, p. 63075
The Attorney General is empowered to act to protect the rights of a victim of bullying and mobbing, including under the authority of MGL c.12 Section c. 12, §§ 11H-J and M.G.L. c. 151B, § 4(4A).2
Tenant Advocate Resources http://stopbullyingcoalition.org/tenant-advocate-resources
Molly Rockett, Private Property Managers, Unchecked: The Failures of Federal Compliance Oversight in Project-Based Section 8 Housing, 134 Harv. L. Rev. F. 286 March 2021
November 2024 Anti-Hate Anti-Bias Task Force Meeting (video) with DA Marian T Ryan, Paul Lanzikos (Dignity Alliance), Margaret M Gullette (Ageism), and Jerry Halberstadt
Northampton Housing Authority
Halberstadt, Jerry, Creating Community in Northampton
Tarbutton-Springfield, Jo Ella (Jada), Still Glowing After The Third Clean-Up Salvo Event
This statement was published on June 13, 2025 and updated on September 19, 2025 and October 16 & 19, 2025.