A Petition by the Cambridge Housing Affordability Organizers (CHAO)

April 22, 2025

On April 8th, the Cambridge City Council called on Harvard’s President Alan Garber to refuse the Trump Administration’s demands. On April 15th, the City Council voted unanimously to praise Harvard’s decision to defy the Trump Administration.

However, as the City Council supports Harvard’s fight to defend vulnerable populations from the Trump administration’s attacks, saying they’ve “got [their] back”, they themselves are not doing enough to defend vulnerable communities from Trump’s funding cuts.

Currently, the Trump administration is cutting funding for housing and vital services, putting thousands of Cambridge’s lowest-income residents at risk, and pitting vulnerable groups against one another in the fight for resources. Rather than stepping in to defend all of these communities, the City is trying to close the Spaulding Shelter and wind down the Rise Up program that provides vital cash assistance for 2000 very low income families. Likewise, it has yet to publicly commit to providing vouchers to stop 170 formerly-unhoused or mixed-status immigrant households from losing their housing due to Trump administration actions. If the city claims to have our backs, we expect them to demonstrate solidarity and Stand Up to protect the most vulnerable residents across Cambridge, as well.

We call upon our Cambridge City Council and Manager to ensure that Cambridge—one of the wealthiest cities in the country—provides the funding necessary to protect the following critical programs, ensuring that the city’s most vulnerable are not pitted against each other for resources as the Trump administration intends.

Protect the Transitional Wellness Center (Spaulding Shelter) From Closure: The TWC is a 58-bed “model” non-congregate shelter that provides dignity, privacy, and exceptional wrap-around services to the unhoused community in Cambridge. The city is trying to close it by June.
Defend 42 low-income, mixed-immigration-status familiesin Cambridge who have lost their critical rent subsidies due to the Trump administration’s war on immigrants. Provide them with municipal vouchers to keep them housed and avoid information sharing with ICE unless compelled by a court order.
Support 128 formerly-unhoused families who could imminently lose their housing due to Trump voucher cuts.
Back nearly 2,000 very low-income families by continuing the Rise Up Cambridge program, for which federal funds are dwindling, and which provides vital direct cash assistance to households with children.

We estimate that supporting all of the above programs will require an additional $9 million (~1% of the city’s budget). The City of Cambridge currently has over $200 million in undesignated free cash and one of the lowest property taxes in the state. If the Harvard community is willing to sacrifice its jobs and research, immigration statuses and safety, in order to stand up to injustice and protect their community, Cambridge should have its back, demonstrate generosity with its wealth, and protect the city’s most vulnerable community members from this administration’s attacks.

We demand the city STAND UP with action. We demand the city ensures that none of our vulnerable populations, community members, or neighbors in need lose the itemized housing or supports amid the Trump administration’s attacks.