Welcome Rebecca Fricke p On behalf of the

Welcome! Rebecca Fricke p On behalf of the Unitarian Universalist Society and p The League of Women Voters of Amherst

Thanks to Community Co-Sponsors* p p p p p Amherst Business Improvement p CHAPA (Citizen’s Housing and Planning Association) District p Craig’s Doors Amherst Coalition for Affordable p Eliot CHS Homeless Services Housing p Family Outreach of Amherst Community p First Congregational Church of Amherst Connections Amherst Community Land Trust p Interfaith Housing Corporation p Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity Amherst For All p Pioneer Valley Network to End Amherst Human Right Homelessness Commission p Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst Media p Valley Community Development Amherst Survival Center Central Hampshire Veterans’ *Please look for informational materials Service near the entrance to the social hall.

Status of Affordable Housing in Amherst Town Amherst Paul Bockelman Town Manager

The Town has accomplished a lot… p p Exceeds the State-target of 10% of affordable units on the Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) – have been above 10% for almost 30 years Invested over $8 million since 2010 in Town funds to develop and retain affordable housing Provided leadership and dedicated resources to expand housing opportunities Working to obtain more tools (zoning, incentives, etc. ) and partners to promote the development of affordable housing units

Funding p p p Local Tax Incentive n Over $2 Million in tax incentives n New construction – deep affordability Community Preservation Act (CPA) n Over $2 Million since 2015 n New construction & modernization n Preservation of affordable units n First time homebuyer program n Infrastructure improvements at Groff Park Community Development Block Grant Funds n $300, 000 since 2015 for capital improvements n $250, 000 for housing extremely low income n Infrastructure improvements on East Hadley Road n Support for social service funding Renovated unit at Watson Farms

Grants p Housing Choice Initiative: Designation as a Housing Choice Community = more competitive grant applications p Housing Choice Capital Grant: Funded new sidewalk on East Pleasant Street between Village Park and Olympia Drive p Mass. Housing Planning for Housing Production: Technical assistance to research 40 R overlay district and sites for affordable housing p CHAPA’s Community Engagement Initiative: Technical support to learn strategies for outreach

Projects p North Square: mixed-use, mixed income rental development with 132 total units, 26 affordable units and commercial space p University Drive: 4 affordable units out of 36 total units p 132 Northampton Road: Support for approximately 30 units of transitional housing p Habitat for Humanity: homeownership units throughout town-5 recent homes p Valley CDC: first time homebuyer program for 4 households p Rolling Green: preservation of 42 affordable units Habitat for Humanity-2 Units on East Pleasant Street Rolling Green Apartments

Policy & Regulations p p p Updated Inclusionary Zoning Bylaw (2018) Changed Apartment definition to allow all units of the same type (i. e. all 1 -bedrooms) if all units are affordable Municipal property disposition policy (2018) Updated AMAHT bylaw (2017) Local tax Incentive (2016) 4 affordable units on University Drive 6 affordable units at Presidential Apartments II

Challenges p Competition for local tax dollars n Significant investment needed in the Town’s infrastructure: p p p p n p Elementary school(s) Library Public Works Fire/Emergency Management Services Roads/sidewalks Maintenance of existing buildings and facilities Sustainability initiatives Staff needs Finding options that don’t require local tax dollars n n Policy & Regulations Outside resources

Adopting a New Town Policy on Affordable Housing John Hornik, Chair Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust

Does this sound familiar? p “this town suffers from a severe housing shortage. We want to be a welcoming and livable city, but people of all ages, backgrounds, and occupations are struggling to keep or find a home here. Our adult children can't afford to live here. People who work here can't afford to move here. Seniors can't afford to stay. ” p “A combination of high land prices, restrictive zoning, an unpredictable, often lengthy permitting process, and neighborhood opposition to new multifamily development is making it very hard to build the kind of housing we need. ”

Why a Town Policy? Amherst has NO GOALS for the development of affordable housing. As someone once told me, “if you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there. ” What have our current “policies” achieved? p Some true stories and fun facts.

Many fewer families with children Edward, a single parent who works for the Town of Amherst, lived in a brick house for many years with rent increasing each year. Two years ago it reached the point where it was no longer affordable, and he and his son had to move out of Amherst. The numbers of families with school age children has steadily declined since the Year 2000 from 2475 to about 1800. Over the same period the number of school age children residing in Amherst has dropped by more than 1, 000.

Welcome school teachers! Beth, a teacher in another local school system, has lived in Amherst for several years with her two children in a market rate apartment. She was facing an increase in rent that would force her and her children to move out of Amherst. Luckily for her and her family, at the eleventh hour, she received a better paying teaching position. Renter households have substantially less income to cover monthly housing costs, which have been steadily rising over the past ten years. 57% percent of renter households are either “cost burdened*” or “severely cost burdened**”. *Spend over 30% of income on housing **Spend over 50% of income on housing

Analysis from Data Town – Housing Insecurity

New Ph. D. – First Job! Susan, a new Ph. D. came to UMass last year from another state on a research fellowship. She was unable to find affordable housing in Amherst. So she returned to the community she grew up in, living with her parents--45 minutes away from Amherst. The vacancy rate for apartment rentals in Amherst is generally understood to be under three percent.

Hooray! I got a Section 8 Voucher! James, A person who is homeless was awarded a mobile voucher from AHA. He has found a unit in Amherst, but in order to move in he must first pay the following: First month (his portion only): $200 Last month rent (full amount): $950 Security deposit: $950 Agency fee: $475 Total: $2, 575 Of 70 persons receiving mobile vouchers from the Amherst Housing Authority in the past two calendar years, only 24% (16) were able to find apartments to rent in Amherst.

Proposed Amherst Affordable Housing Policy • Creation of rental housing for families, particularly those earning below 50% of Area Median Income (AMI)* and the growing number of smaller households that are increasingly single parents with children. • Creation of rental housing for individuals who require smaller affordable housing units (e. g. , studio apartments), including housing for at risk and special needs populations that often require special services and handicapped accessibility, particularly persons whose incomes are below 30% AMI. • Preservation of existing affordable rental housing, including subsidized units and those in the private housing market, which are typically more cost effective to rehabilitate than to build new. • Affordable homeownership for low and moderate income families and individuals. * 50% AMI for a family of four equals about $45, 000 annual income.

Amherst is a very unusual town!

Increasing Gap Between Enrollment (Undergraduate and Graduate) and Campus Residential Capacity 16, 741 18, 000 16, 000 14, 000 12, 570 12, 000 10, 000 8, 000 6, 000 4, 000 2, 000 0 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

University Residential Planning Remember these numbers: Recently announced plans: Enrollment: 30, 000 Build new units: 1, 000 On campus residential units: Replace North Village: 120 13, 000 Replace Lincoln Apts: 180 Difference: 17, 000 Renovate existing units: 300 Actual Net New Units: 400 That’s the impact the students (sometimes with families) have on And that’s after 2 -3 years of housing in Amherst and the construction with greater housing surrounding communities. market pressure in the interim.

Do you recognize this game?

Amherst Version We hold the number of homes almost constant, but p We steadily increase the number of people seeking homes, thus p Driving up both the costs of both rentals and home ownership. p

What are the consequences of these policy decisions? As the largest landlord in Amherst, the University controls most of the supply. As it makes decisions on student enrollments, it controls most of the demand. When its demand outstrips its supply, the University has a very large economic impact. It creates problems not only for students, but for people who work for the University, people who work for the Town, and people who work for local businesses.

What do we need? p p p Set a reasonable goal of 250 new affordable units. It may take us five, six or seven years to get there, but if we don’t set goals and work hard on it, we will never get there. Assure that these new units are available to both individuals and families, including persons who are homeless, disabled, elderly, etc. Assure that these new units are not segregated or isolated, but close to services, including transportation. Assist people seeking affordable housing in identifying and accessing available homes. Maintain our commitment to supporting the Amherst seasonal shelter, even as we develop new housing. We need a partner in the University that recognizes its role in the local housing market and formally agrees to develop 3 -5 thousand new units on campus for its students, including those with families. And above all, we need your ideas and your advocacy!

Amherst cannot do this by itself. We will need help. State Legislative Update on Affordable Housing Senator Joanne Comerford Representative Mindy Domb

FY 20 Budget Changes ● 10% increase in state subsidies to housing authorities and public housing nonprofits ● Registry of Deeds fee inrease will fund the Community Preservation Act ○ Fees increased from $20 to $50 for most documents, will result in additional $36 million to the CPA trust fund ○ $10 million for the creation of affordable housing units included in recent supp

Legislation

Deed Excise Tax ● Senator Comerford filed H. 2552 with Rep. Malia, now being amended by advocates to increase the statewide deeds excise tax ● Governor Baker also filed legislation with a smaller deeds excise tax increase ● Double the Deeds Excise Tax ○ $4. 56 per $1, 000 $9. 12 per $1, 000 ● Distribute the revenue: ○ 50% for climate change mitigation ○ 50% total into affordable housing ■ 60% into Affordable Housing Trust Funds ■ 40% to the Housing Preservation and Stabilization Fund ● Doubling the tax will generate $350 million in revenue annually ● Legislation would also include a local option tax

Key Co-Sponsored Bills ● Right to Counsel ○ Over 92% of tenants facing eviction have no counsel during the proceeding ○ Legislation would mandate that counsel is provided during eviction proceedings ■ S. 913 (Sen. Di. Domenico); H. 3451 (Rep. Tyler); H. 1537 (Reps. Rogers + Day) ● HOMES Bill ○ The urgency with eviction sealing ■ Eviction records are publicly available forever, regardless of outcome ○ HOMES (An Act promoting housing opportunity and mobility through eviction sealing) would provide that all records are sealed after 3 years ■ S. 824 (Sen. Boncore); H. 3566 (Rep. Moran)

Key Co-Sponsored Bills cont. ● MA Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) Reforms ○ Codifies in law the provisions of the rental voucher program and apartment inspection requirements (line-item doesn’t require units to be inspected) ○ Increase rent levels to match present-day fair market rent levels ■ S. 864 (Sen. Eldridge); H. 3872 (Rep. Madaro) ● Rental Arrearage Assistance Program (RAAP) ○ Re-establish a statewide rental arrearage program to help households avoid homelessness ○ Would provide cash assistance for up to 4 months of back rent or mortgage payments ■ H. 1264 (Rep. Decker)

Housing Case Managers, like Francine Rodriguez from Family Outreach of Amherst, support Amherst residents in housing court. But they are no substitute for a lawyer.

How To Make Your Voice Heard

FY 21 Budget

Budget Advocacy ● Advocacy organizations unpack Governor’s budget ● Contact your legislator and ask them to support your priorities ● Tell your legislator how that funding impacts you and your community ● If there are organizations or services you rely on they may receive funding in the state budget! ● Budget also contain outside sections = new laws

Legislative Advocacy ● First chance for advocacy: during co-sponsorship ● Begin communication with committee members when bills arrive in committee ● Submit testimony or testify at public hearing ● Urge Chairs to bring bill up for a committee vote ● Follow up if bill is still in committee ● Help us be strong advocates for you

www. malegislature. gov

Again, What Do We Need? Set a reasonable goal of 250 new affordable units. It may take us five, six or seven years to get there, but if we don’t set goals and work hard on it, we will never get there. p Assure that these new units are available to both individuals and families, including persons who are homeless, disabled, elderly, etc. p Assure that these new units are not segregated or isolated, but close to services, including transportation. p Assist people seeking affordable housing in identifying and accessing available homes. p Maintain our commitment to supporting the Amherst seasonal shelter, even as we develop new housing. p We need a partner in the University that recognizes its role in the local housing market and formally agrees to develop 3 -5 thousand new units on campus for its students, including those with families. And above all, we need your ideas and your advocacy! p

Let’s Talk! (a) How a Town Housing Policy can promote the development of new affordable housing in Amherst q John Hornik, Tom Kegelman, and Janet Mc. Gowan (b) Influencing Housing change through Legislative action q Senator Jo Comerford and Representative Mindy Domb (c) What can we do to address homelessness and to support the Amherst seasonal shelter q Jay Levy, Kevin Noonan, and Gerry Weiss (d) Improving access to affordable rentals in Amherst q Rita Farrell, Carol Lewis and Nancy Schroeder

Breakout Groups Group Instructions: Please go to the location of the group that you want to participate in. One group will be in the entry. Take a chair with you and form a circle around the leaders. There will be one person with a sign for each group. At the end of discussion, agree on points to be reported back to the full Housing Forum. Begin talking.

Wrapping Up Reports Back from Breakout Groups (a) How a Town Housing Policy can promote the development of new affordable housing in Amherst. (b) Influencing Housing change through Legislative action (c) What can we do to address homelessness and to support the Amherst seasonal shelter (d) Improving access to affordable rentals in Amherst p Next Steps