This week there has been a great deal of coverage on the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies’ “America’s Rental Housing 2024” report (including CBS, NYT, NPR). It’s worth a review. And as prominent housing finance and urbanism scholar Dan Immergluck highlighted on Bluesky, while folks are focused on middle income households paying more than 30% of their income on rent, very low income households face even harsher realities, with “over 60% pay[ing] more than 50%(!) of their very low incomes for rent.” This is important to keep in mind as Brookline for Everyone continues to advocate for an “all of the above” strategy to tackle housing unaffordability, both the challenges middle and upper middle income households face predominantly due to housing supply shortages AND the vital need for subsidies and well funded programs to support lower income residents. Which leads us right into our first action of the week…
Email the Select Board to Ask for Their Approval of Crucially Needed Rental Assistance Funds
As many on this list know, Brookline has many low income households facing the threat of eviction at any given time. Often these are related to short term life circumstances, whereby a small infusion of rental assistance can right the ship and support longer term housing security. The Brookline Community Development Corporation (BCDC) began a rental assistance program in August of 2023, and has been able to help 15 households. At this point, the funding from BCDC and the Brookline Community Foundation has been fully exhausted. At the November meeting of the Housing Advisory Board (HAB), the board voted 7 in favor with 1 abstention to provide $128,000 from the Housing Trust to support this program.
However, the expenditure can’t be approved until the Select Board votes on the matter, which has not been added to their agenda since that time. Until now. At the Select Board meeting on Tuesday, January 30 at 5pm the final agenda item is to consider the BCDC request, at the recommendation of the HAB, to provide this much needed funding.
And here’s where we are asking for your help! Email the Select Board and ask them to fully fund the Brookline CDC’s request to support their rental assistance program. You can highlight some of the benefits of providing rental assistance:
- First and foremost, rental assistance reduces time living in shelters, in cars, or on the streets by keeping low-income neighbors in their homes.
- Housing stability can reduce psychological distress leading to better mental health and, in some cases, better physical health as stress exacerbates other health conditions.
- Children in more stable housing have fewer behavioral issues, perform better in school, and have better health outcomes.
- By keeping residents in their homes, both tenants and landlords save money related to moving and renting to new tenants.
Housing insecurity is a real problem for Brookline, and BCDC is well situated to address it in a cost efficient manner. While funding from the Housing Trust for Brookline CDC’s rental assistance program won’t solve everything, it will provide meaningful support for our low-income neighbors at a relatively modest financial cost to the Town.
Email the Select Board at bgreene@brooklinema.gov, jvanscoyoc@brooklinema.gov, maschkenasy@brooklinema.gov, msandman@brooklinema.gov, pwarren@brooklinema.gov and copy SelectBoard@brooklinema.gov, ccarey@brooklinema.gov, dfields@brooklinema.gov, mgoff@brooklinema.gov.
Join Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO) for a meeting with Senator Cynthia Creem and Reps. Kay Khan, Ruth Balser, and Alice Peisch
Mark your calendars for an in-district meeting with Senator Cynthia Creem and Reps. Kay Khan, Ruth Balser, and Alice Peisch hosted by our friends at Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO) on Monday, January 29 at 7pm at the Union Church in Waban (14 Collins Road, Waban, MA). GBIO has been actively engaged in pushing the legislature to improve the quality of state public housing, allocate more funding for affordable housing and homeownership, increase the overall housing supply, and improve access for returning citizens. Learn more about the event here. Or sign-up to attend here.
May Election Update
As we’ll regularly remind folks in this space, the local May election is just around the corner. You can stop by the Clerk’s office to officially pull the paperwork necessary to run for Town Meeting, as a handful of folks have already done. We’ll be hosting our first Town Meeting candidate info session this week – sign up here for more information.
We’ll need your help to elect pro-housing candidates! Here’s a couple ways to get started.
- Donate to the Brookline for Everyone PAC to help fund our campaign efforts!
- Volunteer to help knock doors, reach out to neighbors, expand our social media reach and more! Email us at volunteer@brooklineforeveryone.com.
Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies Session on “How to Use ADUs to Create More Affordable Housing” and “Collaborative Initiatives to Foster Health Equity”
This Friday, February 2 at 12:15pm, join the Joint Center for Housing Studies and their 2023 Gramlich Fellows for presentations on how ADUs can create more affordable housing and place-based efforts to foster health equity.
From the event site:
In one presentation, Aleks Czulak, a Master of Public Policy student at the Harvard Kennedy School and Masters of Business Administration student at MIT, will discuss how some community-based organizations have supported the development and sustainability of place-based partnerships focused on health, equity, and transformational local impacts. In the other presentation, Haewon Ma, a Master in Design Studies candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, will discuss how community-based organizations are using accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to provide affordable housing for older adults, immigrants, and others.
Click here to learn more and register for this virtual event.
Thanks and have a great week,
Jeff Wachter on behalf of Brookline for Everyone