BOSTON – With Gov. Maura Healey’s $4 billion housing bond bill awaiting debate, public housing residents took to the State House on Monday to lobby for the bill, hoping they can get some needed work done in their neighborhoods.

Of the 43,000 public housing units in the state, some were built decades ago without accessibility in mind. Tenants lobbied at the State House on Monday to try and get legislators to support funding to get their homes up to date. There are line items in the budget, as well as a bill by the governor dedicating money to improve the units.

“We need some help with this issue because we need automatic door openers for the handicapped apartments,” said Frank Stefanik, president of the Webster Tenant Organization. “So there's a lot involved, and a lot of money to do all this.”

“Our buildings are 50 years old,” said Judy O’Kulski, president of Tenant Organization in Belchertown. “They need new roofs. A lot of the floors need to be replaced. Some have such as mine, which has asbestos.”

O’Kulski is passionate about making the community safer. She says they don’t have any elevators, so getting to a second-floor apartment isn’t realistic for some of her neighbors. She said the sidewalks are uneven and the parking isn’t accessible, fixes which could make a big difference to those living in her community.

“I think outreach with the senators and representatives are utmost importance. We need to capture their attention. It's if we have to move them in for a week,” she said. “Come find out what it's like to live here.”

Stefanic knows being an active member of the tenants organization and doing in-person advocacy work can make a big difference when it comes to what gets funding.

“This is our home,” he said. “We are the people, we have the voice and that's why we're here to get the message out.”

The governor’s housing bond bill is in the House’s Ways and Means Committee, waiting for further review.

The Senate started its budget debates Monday. So for these public housing residents, this was the perfect week to get out there and share their stories.