To the editor:

I am writing in response to an article published in the Lynn Item on March 19, 2026, titled “Officials state the case against rent control by Briana Alvarez. Although I respect Ms. Alvarez’s position, it is one-sided and not entirely accurate. My response is this:  

To tackle the high cost of housing in Massachusetts, we need every option on the table. That means building more housing to address housing shortages AND passing rent control to protect tenants from corporate real estate investors that are pushing workers and seniors out of their communities, forcing people to work multiple jobs just to pay the rent, and making it impossible for young people and families to save money for the dream of owning a home.

Let’s be clear about the rent-control policy being proposed in Massachusetts. It would apply rent limits to new construction only after a building’s first 10 years. And even after a decade when the owners of new apartment buildings could set rents as high as they like, the measure would merely limit annual rent increases in Massachusetts to the cost of living, with a cap at 5%. That’s hardly a barrier to developers making a healthy profit on new housing construction. Other factors, such as fluctuating interest rates, high costs of materials and labor, and exclusionary zoning, have a much greater impact on housing construction. 

While it wouldn’t affect new construction, rent control would protect existing renters in older buildings from the excessive rent increases being forced on us by out-of-town investors seeking quick profits.  

As a pastor and longtime social worker in the area, I see every day how housing instability impacts families in Lynn — how it strains parents, disrupts children, and weakens the fabric of our community.  We are called not only to care for our neighbors, but to ensure they can remain part of the community they help sustain. 

In Lynn and throughout the North Shore, it’s become increasingly common to see investors buy homes, raise the rent by 50% or more overnight, and push out long-term residents. That’s wrong! It’s clear from the more than 200 cities, towns, and states that have rent control policies in place already that rent control and new housing construction can coexist peacefully. In order for us to solve our housing crisis, they must! 

Pastor Gina Tillotson-Cordy, ABD, MDiv, MSW 

Senior Pastor at Lynn First Church of the Nazarene