Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
On September 29, 2026, the Boston City Council Committee on Housing and Community Development, chaired by Councilor Enrique Pepin, held a hearing on Docket #0695 regarding the status of implementation of the City of Boston's Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH). The hearing featured two panels: a community advisory panel and city administration officials. Councilors and advocates discussed progress, challenges, and next steps for affirmatively furthering fair housing (AFFH) in Boston.
Note: The agenda listed only Docket #0695 without further detail; the hearing expanded significantly based on community and administration testimony.
For the record, my name is Enrique Pepin, Boston City Council for District Five, and I'm the chair of the Boston City Council Committee on Housing and Community Development. Today is September twenty-ninth, two thousand and twenty-six. And the exact time is ten thirty-eight AM. This hearing is being recorded.gov slash city dash council dash TV and broadcast on Xfinity Channel Eight, RCN Channel Eighty Two, Bios Channel Nine Six Four.gov and will be made a part of the record and available to all counselors. Public testimony will be taken during this hearing.gov for the link and your name will be added to the list. Today's hearing is on docket number zero six nine five. Order for a hearing on the status of the implementation of the city of Boston's assessment of fair housing. Today I'm joined by my colleagues in order of arrival. Counselor Flynn, Councillor Murphy, Council Warrell, Councillor Braden, and Councillor Mejia. And then we I will allow my colleagues opening statements, and then we can go into QA. Okay, let's start off with Mr. Lincoln, and then we could work down the line. If you could please state your name and which organization you are representing, and then we will start with your presentation. Sure. Good morning. My name is Lincoln Larmond. I'm a Boston Tennant Coalition and the Community Advisory Committee for Affirmatively Further and Fair Housing. Thank you. James Jennings, Professor Emeritus at Tufts University, and a member of the community advisory committee. I'm Nadine Cohen. I'm a member of the community advisory committee and the monitoring committee and a longtime fair housing attorney and advocate. How are you doing? Armani White, Executive Director at Reclaim Roxbury, also a member of the community advisory committee and the uh monitoring committee. Thank you. Okay. Um and at this time I just want to give the sponsor of this hearing, Councilor Warrell, an opportunity to also give a brief opening remarks before the presentation. Uh thank you, Chair. Thank you to my colleagues, thank you to the panelists uh for all your work in this space, and also to the uh advocates uh that are seated uh right behind our group of advocates. Um I know we've had several hearings on this topic, uh, many requests for information, which should tell us how crucial the work of Fair Housing is to all of us in this room and to all our residents. Uh so I'll keep this brief because we have a group of advocates right in front of us and community leaders who joined us here today with a lot of important information to share. So just want to say thank you for your work. Look forward to diving this, diving into the conversation. Also, want to give a shout out to Stasi, uh my policy director, who's been working with uh our panelists and our community leaders um around Fair Housing and pulling this uh hearing together. So big shout out to Stasi. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Warrell. Just also want to acknowledge that we've been joined by Councillor Weber. And now, and also for the audience. First, we're gonna hear from an amazing community panel and all the work they do, and then second panel will consist of the amazing city team as well. So stay tuned for that. Okay. The floor is yours. Yeah, thank you.