We are very happy to announce that Tahsin Razzak, a resident of JAS's 402 Rindge apartment building, is the first place winner of this year's New England Affordable Housing Management Association (NEAHMA) Poster/Calendar Contest (grades 7-9). This year's theme was "Words that Heal - Stop Bullying, Spread Kindness." Bullying is intentional physical, verbal, or psychological tormenting. Some kids bully by shunning others and spreading rumors through social media. Tahsin's poster brilliantly presents a vision of words of inspiration and hope to fight this kind of harmful behavior. NEAHMA'S Board of Directors judged and voted on over 250 posters that were submitted regionally. 

With little more than two weeks remaining in the 2015 – 16 legislative session, Governor Baker and House and Senate leaders are trying to put the wraps on a half-dozen major initiatives.  The most important legislation for MACDC and its members will be completion of a comprehensive economic development bill.  The House and Senate have passed separate bills and must reconcile the differences that remain before July 31^st.  MACDC has been active, working with representatives and senators to advance several important policy priorities in each bill, and we will be working with friends and allies to achieve the best possible outcome from the House/Senate conference committee

Highlights:  Both versions of the economic development bill (H.4483, S.2423) contain definitive language to advance three core MACDC priorities: (1) to improve the administration of the Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC) program, (2) to provide $45 million capital authorization for the Brownfields Redevelopment Fund, and (3) precise language to provide $6 Million capital for the Massachusetts Food Trust.  These three items will not be subject to negotiations in the conference committee. 

The House adopted an amendment to authorize $1 Million in new capital funding for the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC) to support a matching grant program for CDFIs and CDCs.  The Senate bill does not include this measure.

The Senate bill includes an increase in the state EITC from 23% to 28%, a Donation Tax Credit (DTC) proposal to allow existing State Low Income Housing Credits to support more housing preservation, and Community Benefit Districts (CBDs) provisions – enabling collaborative public-private-nonprofit partnerships to implement local initiatives and to enhance community revitalization.  The House did not include these provisions.

Here is a brief comparison of key economic development priorities contained in the bills and that MACDC and its allies will work to achieve in the final weeks.

On May 21, 2015 Dorchester Bay and partners Boston Capital, Escazú Development, and Newmarket Community Partners were designated by the City of Boston as developer of a 2.7 acre parcel of land at 65 East Cottage Street, adjacent to the Uphams Corner station on the Fairmount/Indigo Line. The development team will build 80 residential rental units for low- and middle-income households; 9 condominium units for sale at rates that are affordable to middle-income households; and 20,000 square feet of light industrial space. This is an exciting project for Dorchester Bay. We are eager to transform this vacant parcel into high-quality affordable housing for our community, to bring new job opportunities to the neighborhood, and to provide a more direct link to the train station right next to the property. Read the article from the May 21, 2015, edition of The Dorchester Reporter about the award announcement.

View our complete project materials and visuals at our our page on the Co-Urbanize website.

State Budget:  With just six weeks remaining in the current Massachusetts Legislative Session, a number of important MACDC legislative priorities are still pending.   Our key budget priority, $2 Million in funding for the Small Business Technical Assistance (SBTA) program administered by Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC), was included in the Governor’s and the House approved budget but not the Senate-passed budget. It must now be reconciled in a six-member House and Senate conference committee.  The Senate budget did provide $100,000 to cover operating expenses for the Massachusetts Food Trust – funds that were not provided by the House so this too must be addressed in the conference.  Further complicating the conference deliberations, the Baker administration disclosed last week that this year's state budget shortfall is larger than anticipated and estimates of revenues available for next year's budget might be off by as much as $750 million.  This news makes the budget reconciliation process even more challenging for the conference negotiators.  MACDC and its members are making their voices heard so legislators understand the importance of these programs.

Zoning Reform:  On June 9, the Massachusetts Senate passed “An Act promoting housing and sustainable development” (S.2311), by a vote of 23-15.  This is the first comprehensive zoning reform legislation to pass either the House or Senate in many decades, and we are grateful to so many of you who contacted your senators about this important legislation.

This is a tremendous victory for the Alliance and its partners, and, now, it is on to the House!

Here is a link to MACDC’s statement shared with senators ahead of the vote.

Economic Development:  On June 15, the Joint Committee on Economic Development & Emerging Technologies reported favorably H. 4413, An Act Relative to Job Creation, Workforce Development and Infrastructure Investment.  MACDC supports the economic development proposal and our members are encouraged that key policy concepts and areas of implementation and focus outlined in the bill are consistent with ideas CDCs have put forth.  These efforts are demonstrated by the multi-year funding commitments to:

• The Mass Works Infrastructure Program ($300 million)
• The Brownfields Redevelopment Fund ($45 million)
• The Smart Growth Trust Fund ($15 million)
• Transformative Development Initiative ($30 million)

The Joint Committee also included $6 million authorization over 3 years for capital expenses for the Massachusetts Food Trust – a huge win!  The bill will now go through a series of committees before it is voted on by the House and Senate and sent to the Governor. Here is our testimony to the House Committee on Bonding in support of the bill. We will need to follow the bill carefully to ensure that funding is maintained at each step along the way – as nothing is guaranteed for final passage.

Recently, the City of Boston announced the creation of the Acquisition Opportunity Program, a $7.5 million loan fund designed to keep currently-affordable rents low. LISC Boston was instrumental in the development of this anti-displacement strategy, and we applaud the City’s commitment to mitigating the impact of gentrification.

In 2014, we and the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC) formed the Gentrification Learning Community, a diverse group of residents, community development professionals, and neighborhood organizations, to study the issues causing displacement in our city. At the same time, along with our partners at The Boston Foundation and the Department of Neighborhood Development, we convened the Acquisition and Conversion Working Group, a consortium of more than 20 organizations including CDCs, funders, and city and state officials, to identify strategies for allowing low- and moderate-income people to stay in their homes.

What we found is not news. 

Skyrocketing real estate prices, an aging and inadequate housing stock, and a slower-than-average recovery from the Great Recession among minority and low-income families all contribute to the problems of gentrification and displacement. But the solutions we came up with offer real promise.

Sheila Dillon, Chief and Director of Boston’s Department of Neighborhood Development, says "Mayor Walsh has made it very clear to us that we needed to think creatively about new ways to help tenants remain in their homes --  he wants to make sure that the people who have lived in their communities for years can remain there.  ​With the help of partners like ​LISC and​ the Boston Foundation, we developed the Acquisition Opportunity Program as one way to attack this problem.  We know that it is only one tool, though, and that much more work needs to be done.  But we are excited about this pilot program, and grateful to have supportive partners to help us."

The program has the potential to prevent not only displacement, but homelessness as well. It will also allow workers to remain near their jobs, and children to stay in their neighborhood schools.

Perhaps most important of all, when people can stay in the homes they’ve chosen, the fabric of community remains woven tight: Neighbors look out for their each other and their neighborhoods, helping to keep everyone safer, healthier, and happier. And that is an outcome that LISC believes everyone deserves.

Research has shown a powerful link between  children’s exposure to homelessness and their long term health: children exposed to homelessness are several times more likely to be hospitalized and face more mental and physical health issues later in life than those with stable homes. In order to confront both the health and housing needs for families who are currently homeless or at risk of homelessness, the Boston Foundation piloted its Health Starts at Home initiative with four planning grants this year. Four MACDC members- The Neighborhood Developers, Nuestra Communidad, Urban Edge and Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnerships are involved in three of the projects in coalition with other healthcare and social service organizations. The projects use diverse strategies to link housing to healthcare: Urban Edge and MBHP are working with partners to connect families sheltered in a motel in Waltham to long-term housing and healthcare support while TND and MBHP are creating a referral system through MGH Chelsea so families who come to the hospital in need of social services can be referred to TND’s robust CONNECT program that links families to needed housing, jobs and benefits.

The planning grant was an important learning opportunity for both the Boston Foundation and the involved organizations to learn how disparate sectors, such as community development and healthcare, could work together to have a collective impact.

“A lot of organizations talked about wanting to work together, but not having the funding or the space to do that” said Pamela Hung, Program Associate in Health at The Boston Foundation.

The planning grants allowed the participating organizations to learn one another’s “language” and learn about one another’s programs and how they could be aligned. From these learnings, the groups created integrated service delivery models and two of the projects started to pilot their models to see what worked and what could be improved. All of the groups also created robust data collection and outcome systems in partnership with Health Resources in Action and the Urban Institute to evaluate the impact of the program on child health.

For the next three years, the projects have been given implementation funding to pilot the programs and evaluate their outcomes. The Boston Foundation hopes that the learnings from these initial pilots will lead to a larger policy change in how healthcare and housing programs are linked.

“Our ultimate goal is that the best practices and models uplifted through Health Starts at Home will lead to  systemic changes in housing and health care funding.” Said Lucy Ellis, Program Associate in Neighborhoods and Housing at The Boston Foundation. 

Almost 50 people, representing more than 20 MACDC Member organizations, joined Attorney General Maura Healey and members of her senior staff in Worcester on May 20, to discuss how to collaborate on tackling some of the most serious housing problems facing our communities.

The welcoming remarks from the Attorney General, who noted that her office strives to be “The People’s Law Firm”, were inspiring.  She commended the “righteous work” done by CDCs, and noted the importance of work that takes care of us all.  After other senior officials from the AG’s office (AGO) gave an overview of the AG’s initiatives (AGO 101!), we got down to the morning’s hard work- breaking into smaller groups, co-led by AGO staff and CDC leaders, to discuss three topics: foreclosure prevention, abandoned and distressed properties, and fair access to housing.

Foreclosure Prevention:

Foreclosure counselors noted that foreclosures are still prevalent, despite a common perception that the crisis is over.  Some people with prior mortgage modifications are in trouble again due to unemployment or other economic problems, and counselors note that some loan servicers are not responding adequately to their efforts to help homeowners in trouble.  There is a concern that many struggling homeowners are not reaching out to counselors who can help them, matched by a concern that if more people reached out to counseling agencies, the agencies may not have the staff capacity, or financial resources, to meet everyone’s needs.  Counselors indicated they would like to work more closely with the Attorney General’s office, and AGO staff said that they are available to assist and to intervene with servicers who are not being responsive.  All agreed that resuming monthly conference calls with the AGO would be helpful.

Distressed Properties:

Representatives from the AG’s Abandoned Housing Initiative (AHI) described two programs they administer.  AHI, which was formed in 2008, offers loans and grants to communities that address abandoned properties through Receivership, whereby a Court-appointed receiver can assume management of distressed properties, conduct repairs, and place a lien on the property to cover the costs.  More recently, the AGO started a Strategic Demolition Fund, which has provided $125,000 to each of four agencies statewide to make funding available to communities to help with demolition of properties that are bringing down neighborhoods.  Participants also noted the importance of collaborating on identifying the best strategies for addressing distressed properties.

Fair Access to Housing:

CDC leaders and AGO staff discussed the many obstacles to building affordable housing in suburban towns, including low density zoning, lack of infrastructure, unreasonable water and sewage requirements, changing political leadership and abutter lawsuits.  Participants agreed that the AGO could be helpful in educating municipal leaders about their responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act as a way to discourage the most egregious practices. There was also a brief discussion about the common practice among property insurance companies in Massachusetts of charging higher premiums for properties with Section 8 tenants – or denying coverage all together.  AGO staff expressed concern about this practice and MACDC agreed to provide them with more information.

After the breakout sessions, participants reconvened as a group to share what was discussed.  The AGO and MACDC are planning how to follow up on the issues identified on May 20.  Together, a community-minded Attorney General and community-based development organizations make a powerful team for tackling community problems.

A new report released by the Massachusetts Community & Banking Council (MCBC, a coalition of community-based organizations and financial institutions), “CRA for Mortgage Lenders in Massachusetts, 2008-2015” highlights that community reinvestment regulation seems to have had a positive impact on the relative performance of Licensed Mortgage Lenders (LMLs) in meeting the needs of traditionally underserved borrowers and neighborhoods.  In the first report of its kind, MCBC provides information on the state law passed in 2007, which mirrors existing federal and state CRA requirements over depository institutions and calls for lenders to meet the credit needs of low- and moderate-income borrowers and geographies when originating residential loans or acquiring mortgage portfolios in the Commonwealth.

MCBC issued a press release on the issuance of the report:  http://mcbc.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/CRA-for-Mortgage-Lenders-in-Massachusetts-2008-2015-Press-Release-5.17.16.pdf  The full report can be accessed at http://mcbc.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/CRA-for-Mortgage-Lenders-in-MA-2008-2015-Final.pdf

The Report and News Release are also available on MCBC’s website at http://mcbc.info/publications/mortgage-lending/.

 If you have any questions or want more information on MCBC or the report, please contact Dana LeWinter, MCBC Executive Director, at (800) 982-8268 or via e-mail at dlewinter@mcbc.info.

MACDC is pleased that this law, passed in response to the foreclosure crisis as a result of the advocacy of MACDC and other organizations, has had such a positive impact.