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T HE T UFTS DAILY VOLUME LXXXV, ISSUE 2
Thursday, January 26, 2023
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.
LOCAL
A homeowner looking to rent out rooms was blocked by an obscure law — now lawmakers want to change the rules by Matthew Sage
Assistant News Editor
A Somerville homeowner attempting to rent rooms in his house to Tufts students has faced unexpected resistance from the city government on the grounds that his request to house unrelated students is unlawful. The homeowner, who requested that the Daily not identify him by name, has been appealing to the Somerville City Council for months. The rule in question prevents more than four unrelated persons from living in the same unit and requires a group living permit, approved by a review board, to bypass the restriction. The homeowner’s son, who is a stu-
dent at Tufts, lives with his father at the property. The homeowner’s requests for a permit, however, have been deferred at several points, including at one point by Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne’s office. Denise Taylor, director of communications at Somerville City Hall, explained the decision to ask for a continuance. “The City requested a continuance, which is a fairly common occurrence, to allow due diligence over a limited time period to review … the affordability impacts as well as potential safety or management needs of this proposal for a non-standard use,” Taylor wrote. see RENT, page 2
NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY
Somerville City Hall is pictured on March 12, 2022.
LOCAL
Somerville City Council passes measure to eliminate medical debt by Layla Shaffer Staff Writer
The Somerville City Council unanimously passed a resolution on Jan. 12 calling for the cancellation of Somerville residents’ medical debt. Headed by City Councilors At-Large Willie Burnley Jr. and Charlotte Kelly, the plan details the reappropriation of American Rescue Plan Act funds to buy medical debt portfolios in bulk for those residents who make up to 400% of the federal poverty rate, or those for whom debt is 5% or more of their annual income. “Somerville has the opportunity to transform thousands of residents’ lives with very few resources and this is an incredible opportunity to center equity and economic justice in how we spend our remaining ARPA funds,” Kelly said in a press release. “We can lead boldly around the issue of healthcare debt, support our residents who continue to struggle due to exasperated economic and medical impacts of COVID-19, and strengthen our relationship with medical institutions that serve
as the primary point of medical care for our residents.” Medical debt has become a strain on millions of Americans. According to a recent survey by the Commonwealth Fund, which supports research into healthcare issues, 79 million Americans have unpaid medical bills or medical debt problems. In 2020, collection agencies held $140 billion in unpaid medical debt and today, medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States. A 2022 poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that a quarter of adults with health care debt owe more than $5,000, and of those, one-fifth do not expect to ever pay it off. “Doing something like this is really a win-win-win,” Burnley Jr. said. “It’s a win for those in health care positions because they save money that they may otherwise never get if people can’t afford to pay them back. … It’s a win for the residents who, because of medical debt, are subject to worse credit scores [and] have a harder time finding employment, housing [and] health care. And it’s a win for the
city because we get to support our residents and be at the forefront of pushing our neighbors to do something similar.” In order to achieve their plan, Burnley Jr. and Kelly have partnered with RIP Medical Debt, a national nonprofit founded in 2014 by two former debt collectors, which purchases medical debt around the United States from providers with the intention of forgiving consumers. “Medical debt is a debt of necessity, and by that I mean it differs from most other types of debt in this country, as no one seeks out a chronic illness or an accident,” Daniel Lempert, vice president of communications at RIP, said. Lempert also spoke on the emotional impacts of medical debt. “People who have debt in general are three times more likely to struggle with issues of anxiety or depression,” Lempert said. “And more recently, there’s been research looking at medical debt as a social determinant of health. … It’s really antithetical to the purpose of healthcare in see DEBT, page 2
LOCAL
Cambridge reels after police killing of Sayed Arif Faisal by Ariana Phillips Deputy News Editor
Originally published Jan. 24 The Cambridge City Council held a special meeting on Jan. 18 to discuss the protocols of the Cambridge Police Department after police fatally shot Sayed Arif Faisal earlier this month. Faisal was a 20-year-old Cambridge resident and engineering student at UMass Boston. Since his death, the Bangladesh Association of New England has raised over $61,000 for Faisal’s family. In a statement released earlier this month, Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui offered her condolences to Faisal’s family. “I did not have the opportunity to know Faisal in life, but I have learned from his loved ones over the past week that he was a kind and thoughtful friend with a warm smile and big heart,” Siddiqui wrote. “At his funeral on Saturday, I heard about a bridge builder who was generous and deeply commit-
ted to his community. Everyone knew him as a support system with big plans and great potential. Instead, his parents had to bury their only child—who they lovingly called Prince—at the age of twenty. I know this grief is felt across our city.” Siddiqui called a Jan. 12 community meeting and the city council meeting to provide information about the incident and uplift the voices and concerns of residents and the Bengali community. Representatives from the Cambridge Police Department, Cambridge Holistic Emergency Alternative Response Team and Muslim Justice League were also present at the city council meeting. Ca m b r i d g e Po l i c e Commissioner Christine Elow provided a description of the incident to the City Council. According to Elow, on Jan. 4 the department received reports of a man, later identified as Faisal, who jumped out of a window see FAISAL, page 3
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