Benjie (Benjie/Benjie Kemper) of the Center for Living and Working told the Accessibility Advisory Commission that advocates are organizing a statewide campaign to raise the accessibility requirement for the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Trust Fund to 10 percent.

"We got, the Affordable Housing Trust Fund in Worcester," Kemper said, and "we require ... 10% is accessible, and it created 57 additional units, coming online in Worcester that are both accessible and affordable." He said the campaign aims to persuade the state executive office that administers the statewide trust to adopt the 10% requirement administratively, which would not require new legislation.

Kemper said the state recently allocated $800 million to the statewide Affordable Housing Trust Fund and that advocates want to ensure a share of those resources support accessible units. He said the coalition has begun meeting and planned a second meeting the day after the commission meeting; he encouraged commission members to join the statewide coalition or submit a support letter and offered to coordinate outreach through the commission.

During questions, commissioners asked whether the 10% requirement was citywide or statewide; Kemper confirmed Worcester’s municipal trust already requires 10 percent accessibility, while the statewide program does not. He said initial conversations with Secretary Ed Augustus of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities were positive and that Augustus wants to review cost and development impacts.

The presentation was informational; commissioners suggested the Accessibility Advisory Commission consider a letter of support and reach out to other disability/accessibility commissions.