Guest Blog: Senator Brendan Crighton on An Act Relative to Housing Production

by | Oct 18, 2021 | Housing News

Across Massachusetts, we are facing a housing crisis, in part, because there are simply not enough affordable housing options for individuals and families with middle and low incomes. As of 2019, Massachusetts has a shortage of 156,000 homes for people with extremely low incomes.

For this reason, I introduced S.871, An Act Relative to Housing Production, which builds on the advances we’ve made in previous years to develop affordable housing, combat racial segregation, and produce housing at all income levels. I am proud of the progress we’ve made in the Legislature to address this issue, but there is still more work to do.

Last session, the Legislature made historic progress in housing production and zoning reform by passing Housing Choices. This legislation lowered the voting threshold to approve various zoning decisions from a two-thirds supermajority to a simple majority. For years to come, this change will promote more housing development across the state to bring families with low and middle incomes back into the housing market.

Housing Choices also required communities with MBTA access to have at least one zone of multi-family housing as of right near public transit. This requirement will help us make public transit available to all, connect people with economic opportunities, and promote the production of diverse housing stock.

Yet even with these necessary measures, we know finding affordable housing at any income level is growing increasingly difficult. As noted in the Boston Foundation’s 2021 Greater Boston Housing Report Card, we also know high housing prices and exclusionary zoning practices are spurring more segregation in many communities. If we’re taking steps to improve housing affordability and access, we also need to address the steep impact on people of color.

Meeting the need for housing that is affordable to all will help grow our economy, prevent displacement, reduce homelessness, and enable people to live near their work, network of family, friends, and care providers. We can achieve this by increasing production of affordable and accessible homes, removing restrictive zoning barriers, and implementing innovative policy solutions for land use.

We can build on the momentum of past successes and add more tools for housing production that can be leveraged by communities. S.871 helps create these additional tools.

S.871 aims to create more affordable housing and create homeownership opportunities for families with low and middle incomes. It would set a statewide affordable housing production goal of 427,000 new homes in the Commonwealth by 2040 with a goal of 85,400 (or 20%) of those homes affordable to households earning less than 80% of the area median income. At least 8,500 of these affordable units would be set aside for households earning less than 30 percent of the area median income.

From a transit perspective, the legislation would allow multi-family housing to be built near public transportation or other suitable locations in all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. All too often, multi-family homes are left out of the equation when new housing is created, leaving families with fewer options in their communities. A home near transit can make all the difference in a family’s quality of life by shortening commutes to work and school, enabling them to stay connected to loved ones, allowing easy access to community resources, and more.

Additionally, S.871 will allow inclusionary zoning bylaws to be enacted with a simple majority vote, enabling more communities to develop much-needed affordable homes in their areas. Like Housing Choices, this will help us reach our housing goals and provide more housing opportunities across the state. It will also create a more diverse housing stock, which means more diverse communities and schools.

The bill also allows accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to be built as of right, simultaneously increasing the housing supply while providing additional housing options near loved ones for individuals with disabilities or individuals hoping to age in place. Embracing ADUs is yet another tool in the affordable housing toolbox.

This legislation establishes a study to investigate how underutilized commercial properties can be used for housing, prioritizing state-owned land, like empty or vacant lots, where we can create new homes. This will help us look towards innovative housing solutions that make sense for communities facing displacement while creating affordable housing.

I am so grateful to CHAPA and other advocates for their work on this critical legislation, which lays out an equity-oriented vision for the future of housing production in our state.

by Senator Brendan P. Crighton

CHAPA Asks Legislature to Support Housing Priorities for the Commonwealth’s ARPA Fiscal Recovery Funds

by | Oct 18, 2021 | Housing News

On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). This once-in-a-generation investment allocated over $5.3 billion in fiscal recovery dollars to Massachusetts.

Housing is the single best investment Massachusetts can make to secure a healthy future for all. These flexible ARPA funds may be used for rent, mortgage, or utility assistance; counseling and legal aid; supportive housing; affordable housing development; and housing vouchers, residential counseling, or housing navigation assistance.

Right now, we have a real opportunity to secure the boldest housing investments to address our housing crisis. There is no telling when this type of opportunity will come again.

To ensure our most vulnerable residents are not left behind as Massachusetts continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, CHAPA kindly requests that the state legislature prioritize $1.683 billion of its total ARPA fiscal recovery funding for the following key housing priorities.

Affordable Rental Housing Production and Preservation

CHAPA recommends $200 million for affordable housing rental production and preservation to ensure families are safe and healthy in their homes and meet the Commonwealth’s goal of creating 200,000 more homes.

These would fund affordable rental housing production and preservation for more homes that are climate resilient, energy efficient, and accessible to disproportionately impacted populations, including BIPOC communities, persons with disabilities, seniors, LGBTQ+ populations, and others.

Housing Rehabilitation

CHAPA recommends $100 million for affordable housing rehabilitation to improve housing quality, accessibility, and long-term resiliency.

These funds would support the rehabilitation and retrofitting of homes to meet the Commonwealth’s climate resiliency and energy-efficiency goals, provide more accessible homes for persons with disabilities, and to improve housing quality and the health of residents by removing hazards like lead paint and mold.

Affordable Homeownership

CHAPA recommends $500 million in total investments to expand and preserve affordable homeownership opportunities to close racial disparities in homeownership. We support the following investments in homeownership:

  • Building Homeownership Opportunities: $200 million for the CommonWealth Builder Program and other similar grants and loans to build affordable homeownership opportunities including single-family homes and condominiums that are affordable to households with low- and moderate-incomes, particularly in communities of color.
  • Expanding First-Time Homebuyer Resources: $300 million to expand resources for first time homebuyers, including down payment assistance and access to mortgages, focused on residents of disproportionately impacted communities.

Public Housing

CHAPA recommends $450 million for preserving the Commonwealth’s public housing that collectively needs $3 billion in deferred capital repairs and maintenance.

These funds would support capital repairs and improvements of our state Public Housing, much of which is over 50 years old, for long-term preservation of affordable homes for families with low-incomes, seniors, and persons with disabilities.

Acquisition of Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing

CHAPA recommends $50 million for property acquisition to create and preserve more permanent affordable homes.These funds will allow residents or communities to acquire un-subsidized, naturally occurring affordable housing being sold or foreclosed upon, providing new opportunities for long-term affordable homes and preventing displacement of residents from their homes and neighborhoods.

Supportive Housing

CHAPA recommends $300 million to create housing with supportive services. These comprehensive investments will build a foundation for economic recovery by expanding access to safe, healthy, and affordable homes with access to services for our most vulnerable residents including individuals and families experiencing chronic homelessness families and individuals, seniors, survivors of trafficking or domestic violence, and those with serious behavioral health or substance abuse challenges.

These evidence-based housing investments will help end homelessness through the creation of a flexible spending account for the operating costs for supportive services and the acquisition of hotels, motels, nursing homes, and other forms of temporary housing for the purpose of conversion to permanent, deeply affordable homes.

Housing Stability

CHAPA supports $83 million in total investments for housing stability efforts to prevent evictions and provide access to housing resources for the most vulnerable populations during the pandemic and over the long-term. We support the following investments in housing stability:

  • Right to Counsel: $78 million to create a statewide right to counsel program for residents with low incomes facing eviction to be administered by the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation. The program will prevent evictions for tenants and support owner-occupants of 1- to 3-family homes who are at risk of losing their home.
  • Tenant Outreach and Assistance: $5 million for community-based organizations working with residents in disproportionately impacted communities to support outreach efforts about available emergency resources and assist households with applying for housing assistance. This will help prevent evictions and improve the distribution of emergency rental assistance programs.

These investments can immediately begin to be distributed through existing, proven-effective programs to ensure a thriving future for all our people and communities.

As Legislature debates how to use our ARPA fiscal recovery funds, CHAPA urges the State to invest comprehensive resources towards affordable housing as soon as possible.

Please see CHAPA’s ARPA Fiscal Recovery Funds Fact Sheet and testimony for more informmation.

For any questions about these priorities, please contact Ryan Dominguez at rdominguez@chapa.org or 617-684-4713.

Request for Proposal: Neighborhood Emergency Housing Support Program

by | Oct 13, 2021 | Housing News

CHAPA is pleased to announce that we have issued a Request for Proposals for our new Neighborhood Emergency Housing Support program. This one time grant program is aimed at supporting the on the ground, community based organizations in their effort to assist members in their community in learning about and applying for the emergency housing assistance made available through State and Federal Funding.

Neighborhood and community based organizations meeting the criteria outlined in the RFP are encouraged to submit an application.

Applicants must submit an electronic copy of the application to Maritza Crossen at mcrossen@chapa.org by 5 PM on Monday, November 1, 2021. 

To learn more about the grant opportunity and to obtain an application, please visit our page on the CHAPA website. Please feel free to share this opportunity with any groups you think may qualify.

Hearing on Strengthening MA Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) – Oct 12, 2021

by | Oct 7, 2021 | Housing News

Hearing on CHAPA Housing Priorities – Tuesday, Oct 12, 11:00 a.m.

The Joint Committee on Housing will host a hearing on housing related bills including MRVP on Tuesday, October 12, 11:00 a.m.

This hearing includes CHAPA legislative priorities on Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP), H.1428/ S.898, An Act relative to the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program. This bill will secure MRVP permanently by codifying it into the state statute. It will also make essential program changes to make voucher more usable and efficient so everyone facing housing instability can have a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.

You can help advance this bill to protect public housing by taking action today! You can submit written testimony to the Housing Committee, testify virtually at the hearing, and sign your organization on in support of H.1428/ S.898!

Submit Support Letter

You can submit a letter as written testimony in support of H.1428/ S.898 to the Housing Committee. You can email the testimony directly to taylor.trenchard@mahouse.gov.

Testify Virtually

You can testify at the hearing virtually! Signing up to testify virtually will be available until Friday, October 10 at 5:00 p.m. To sign up to testify you need to first create an account for MyLegislature and follow these instructions.To sign up to give testimony, click here.

Fact Sheets & Sample Testimony

Sign Your Organization Up to Strengthen MRVP

Complete this form to add your organization to the growing list of supporters!

Legislative Sponsors

Representative Adrian Madaro & Senator Joan Lovely

Questions?

Please contact Eric Shupin, Director of Public Policy at eshupin@chapa.org, or Abhi Kurve, Policy Associate at akurve@chapa.org at CHAPA with any questions.

Hearing on Fair Housing Legislation – October 12, 2021

by | Oct 7, 2021 | Housing News

Hearing on Fair Housing Legislation – Tuesday, October 12, 11:00 a.m.

The Joint Committee on Housing will host a virtual hearing on fair housing legislation on Tuesday, October 12, beginning at 11:00 a.m.

This hearing includes two CHAPA legislative priorities on fair housing:

You can help advance this legislation by taking action today! You can submit written testimony to the Housing Committee, testify virtually at the hearing, and sign your organization on in support of these bills!

Submit Support Letter

You can submit a letter as written testimony in support of the bills to the Housing Committee.

Online testimony will be accepted until Friday, October 15. To submit testimony online you need to first create an account for MyLegislature and follow these instructions. If you already have an account click here.

You can also email the testimony directly to taylor.trenchard@mahouse.gov.

Testify Virtually

You can testify at the hearing virtually!

Online sign up to testify will be available until Sunday, October 10 at 5:00 p.m. To sign up to testify you need to first create an account for MyLegislature and follow these instructions. To sign up to give testimony, click here.

Fact Sheets & Sample Testimony

Sign Your Organization Up in Support of the Fair Housing Bills

Complete this form to add your organization to the growing list of supporters!

Questions?

Please contact Eric Shupin, CHAPA’s Director of Public Policy, with any questions at eshupin@chapa.org.

DHCD Releases 2022 Winter Rental Round NOFA

by | Sep 20, 2021 | Housing News

On September 20, 2021, the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) released a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the 2022 winter affordable housing rental round.

According to the NOFA, DHCD will make the following resources available:

  • Federal & State Low Income Housing Tax Credits
  • HOME Investment Partnerships Program
  • National Housing Trust Fund
  • Affordable Housing Trust Fund
  • Housing Stabilization and Investment Trust Fund
  • Capital Improvement & Preservation Trust Fund
  • Housing Innovations Fund
  • Facilities Consolidation Fund
  • Community-Based Housing
  • Transit Oriented Development funds
  • Project-based Section 8 & MRVP vouchers

The deadline for submission of pre-applications to the winter 2022 affordable housing competition for rental projects will be October 28, 2021. Full funding applications will be due January 13, 2022.

Sponsors interested in participating in the December 2021 funding competition must submit a pre-application to the Department through the on-line Mass OneStop+ system on or before October 14, 2021.

DHCD will hold information sessions in October for interested developers with projects that may be eligible. Those dates will be posted when available.