JALSA Submits Testimony in Support of YIGBY Housing Availability Legislation
July 29, 2025
Dear Chairs Rausch and Lewis:
The Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA) is a membership-based non-profit organization based in Boston, with thousands of members and supporters statewide. Guided by Jewish teachings and values, we are devoted to the defense of civil rights, the preservation of constitutional liberties, and the passionate pursuit of social, economic, environmental, and racial justice for all people.
JALSA wishes to offer its testimony in strong support of S.1430, An Act to promote Yes In God’s Back Yard, also known as The YIGBY Bill. This legislation will create a path for faith-based institutions to be a crucial part of resolving our housing crisis in our state.
Massachusetts has one of the most severe housing crises in the nation. We have the third highest median home price and the highest median rent price. It has been estimated that Massachusetts needs 222,000 more housing units over the next decade. The YIGBY Act would allow places of worship to build housing on their property. Further, the bill would allow for this housing to be built "by right," meaning that there would be no need to have a special permit granted. With faith-based organizations owning nearly 2,000 parcels that can support housing development, this measure could allow for the construction of 100,000 homes!
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, rent and house prices have skyrocketed. Average home prices went up by $300k from 2014 to 2024. Average rent prices went up about 25% between 2019 and 2024. This will inhibit the ability of young people and families to build wealth, achieve stability, and provide for future generations. Further, the cost of housing will deplete seniors of their savings, preventing earnings from being passed down. The cost of rent and housing will dangerously exacerbate the wealth gap.
In addition to empowering faith-based institutions to serve an impactful role in resolving our ongoing housing crisis, this legislation – and the broader need to solve our housing crisis with greater urgency – is very much in line with our faith-based values, which impress upon us the importance of housing as a human right. On Yom Kippur, our most sacred holiday, we read in Isaiah, “take the poor into your homes.” Deuteronomy 15:8 also commands that a poor person be granted “sufficient for what lacks, according to what is lacking to him” – which, indeed, includes a home. We must take every step that we can to make housing available to all. Upholding human dignity, the fundamental Jewish value of Kavod HaBriyot, demands that we ensure housing for all.
JALSA strongly urges the members of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government to report S.1430, An Act to promote Yes In God’s Back Yard, the YIGBY Bill, favorably out of committee.
Sincerely,
Cindy Rowe
President & CEO
Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action