Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Advocacy And Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Housing partnership pushes advocacy on renovation funds and the ‘‘missing middle’’
Summary
Members discussed advocacy strategies for securing bond-bill and renovation funds for aging affordable housing, tenant organizing, and state-level support for smaller-scale 'missing middle' projects that current funding often excludes.
At its Nov. 4 meeting the Northampton Housing Partnership discussed advocacy and outreach steps to support renovations of aging affordable housing and to press for funding rules that serve smaller-scale projects often called the “missing middle.”
Richard Abusa urged the partnership to undertake community education in advance of project proposals so residents are better prepared to understand tradeoffs; he said op-eds and outreach can create organic community support before specific developments are proposed. Hannah Schaffer described a recent public panel on the housing crisis she participated in and recommended more community engagement events to broaden public understanding.
Members focused on renovation needs in existing affordable properties. Carolyn (staff member) said some older developments managed by nonprofit Preservation of Affordable Housing Inc. and others require energy upgrades, mold remediation and improved accessibility. The meeting noted Florence Heights is federally supported by HUD, Hampshire Heights is state-supported, and that the recent housing bond bill allocates additional funds for public housing capital improvements but that distribution rules remain unclear.
Carolyn also raised the problem of funding eligibility for smaller projects. She said many funding programs and nonprofit developers favor projects of 20 units or more, leaving projects of roughly 8–20 units without an obvious financing pathway. The partnership agreed advocacy toward state-level rules and bond‑bill implementation that allow smaller-scale projects could help neighborhoods where large developments are not appropriate.
On legislative tracking, Hannah offered to follow the broker-fee home-rule petition and recommended inviting Representative Sabadosa or staff to a future meeting for a short check-in. The partnership did not adopt formal policy positions at the meeting but agreed to continue monitoring bond-bill implementation, tenant-organizing efforts, and legislative petitions and to report back at future meetings.
