RiverCOG to roll out DOH-funded training and public education modules to help towns plan for housing

RiverCOG outlined a Department of Housing technical assistance grant to create a regional public education and commissioner-training program aimed at improving local housing planning and community engagement. Megan, the project lead, told the committee the program will focus on four areas: public perception, visioning (future land use maps), zoning/regulatory tools and the physical construction or conversion of housing units.

"Shifting public perception towards a positive and or at least neutral view of housing can smooth the way for future projects," Megan said during the presentation, underscoring the project's emphasis on outreach and clear visuals. Organizers plan to create short lesson plans, interactive trainings and videos that show how the same number of housing units can appear in very different configurations, a tool they said will help residents and commissioners understand density trade-offs.

The training is designed primarily for commissioners, the presenters said, and is intended to be flexible: RiverCOG staff can deliver the modules in person, town staff can run them, or the materials can be deployed as self-service online modules with a feedback mechanism. The presenters said one 1.5-hour module would meet the statutory requirement that at least one hour of mandated training be on affordable housing; the broader package could be used to fulfill additional professional-development time.

Committee members from small towns said the materials could help demystify housing types and federal programs such as vouchers. Janice Atkinson of Essex noted that recent plan-of-conservation-and-development public sessions on affordable housing were "rather contentious," and called for more public education. The committee also agreed to beta-test lesson plans during a summer meeting and to produce an initial set of videos and lesson plans by the end of the summer.

RiverCOG said the project will include a curated regional resource page, fact sheets, and iterative lesson plans; project staff will provide support during local implementation and reporting to the Department of Housing. The program's working title and logo shown to the group was "Share Foundations: Housing Solutions Through Collaborative Learning." The committee voted to move forward with project tasks and agreed to provide feedback at upcoming meetings.

The next public step will be pilot trainings and video releases this summer and beta testing with committee members expected in August.