The Legal Aid Society’s Post

According to Senator Elizabeth Warren up to 200,000 new homes will need to be built over the next six years to address the housing shortage in Massachusetts. We are never going to get there. Why? Because suburban towns across Eastern MA are fighting the state mandate to reform zoning and allow for the construction of higher density housing. And they are fighting it with rhetoric that is deeply racist and xenophobic. Opponents to zoning reform have the following to say: It will “lead to the destruction of the small-town New England charm we’ve come to love”. “It’s an invasion”. At one town meeting there was a debate on whether the mandate is a state scheme to house immigrants. Again, absolutely racist and xenophobic stuff, right here in our bluest of the blue state of Massachusetts. Here’s the thing, opponents of zoning reform are not just hurting the people who desperately need us to create more affordable housing, they’re also hurting themselves. How will their own children be able to afford to live in MA? How will MA thrive if people continue to leave because of our insane housing costs? Proving yet again that racism and hate cause people to vote against their own interests. And more housing in Massachusetts is in the interest of us all. As the leader of a small nonprofit I have a hard time raising enough money to pay staff what they need to live comfortably in MA. My staff are doing the work of safety, and their ability to afford doing so is being compromised by people who do not seem to care about the safety of others. The irony of this is not lost on me. https://lnkd.in/ey9fkvyy

Now more than ever there is an urgency to use our voice to advocate and advise our policymakers for a just economy for all. Yesterday a group of community developers spent time on the Hill meeting with Senate and House members offices to express the importance of supporting legislation that levels the playingfield for low to moderate income households. Advocacy points: - Modernization of the Community Reinvestment Act. This Act created in the 70’s is in need of an update and expansion to respond to change in market conditions. - Support of President Biden’s 2025 budget. The President's budget includes historic investments in housing totaling $258 billion that would build or preserve over 2 million affordable housing units in the midst of a historic housing crisis.

It was a special honor to stand behind Gov. Jared Polis for the signing of two important housing bills in Denver yesterday. They allow ADUs by-right and require local governments to plan and zone for transit-oriented multi-family housing development. These bills--along with others that eliminate parking minimums for multi-family projects, allow unrelated people to live together, invalidate local growth control caps, and allow inclusionary zoning subject to some conditions--make Colorado a national leader in responding to the housing crisis. Legislative victories like these are the product of hard work. Four years ago, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and episodes of police brutality that highlighted the lack of good housing and access to opportunity in Black neighborhoods, a diverse group of smart, hard-working volunteers came together to form the Colorado Housing Affordability Project (https://lnkd.in/eBJH8fgq). Together, we compiled research, worked to educate anyone who would listen, developed an advocacy platform, and pushed for the passage of common-sense zoning reforms to enable the construction of more affordable forms of housing. Several land-use and housing bills passed by the Colorado legislature bear a striking resemblance to our policy platform. It was an honor to help move this conversation forward, and thank you to everyone who worked tirelessly to make these bills a reality. #housing #landuselaw Photo credit: https://lnkd.in/eetyEaqk

Part 1: 7. Changing the Landscape “Changing the Landscape” is an inspiring story that unfolds in the heart of a city marked by its sharp contrasts between affluence and poverty, between towering corporate offices and neglected urban sprawl. The narrative focuses on a dynamic duo: Jordan, a tireless community activist, and Taylor, a lawyer specialized in social justice issues, who embark on a mission to challenge and transform the real estate industry from the ground up, advocating for policy changes to prevent exploitation and protect vulnerable communities. The Awakening Jordan witnesses firsthand the repercussions of predatory real estate practices when a close family friend is evicted from her long-time home due to skyrocketing rents, a consequence of aggressive gentrification. Meanwhile, Taylor encounters numerous legal cases where loopholes in property laws enable exploitation and abuse. Their shared outrage over these injustices ignites a partnership aimed at systemic change. Building the Movement Understanding that true change requires both grassroots support and legal reform, Jordan and Taylor launch a campaign to raise awareness about the exploitative practices plaguing their city. They organize community forums, create informative online content, and collaborate with local media to spotlight stories of those directly affected by unjust housing policies. The Strategy Their strategy involves drafting proposed legislation that would provide greater protections for tenants, ensure affordable housing quotas in new developments, and impose stricter penalties on landlords who exploit vulnerable renters. Taylor’s legal expertise complements Jordan’s community organizing skills, enabling them to craft policies that are both legally sound and deeply rooted in the community’s needs. Facing Opposition As their movement gains momentum, they encounter fierce opposition from powerful real estate developers and lobbyists who stand to lose the most from the proposed changes. Jordan and Taylor face personal and professional attacks aimed at discrediting their campaign, but they remain undeterred, their resolve only strengthened by the broadening support from the community and sympathetic political allies.

While some of what Miriam argues is true (and I'll concede that I am biased), I am going to stick up for the LIHTC investment/ownership model despite its costs. Private, institutional ownership of affordable housing is a good thing that provides a lot of long-term benefit to these projects. Whether you fund it publicly or privately, it is in the taxpayers' interest to have stable owners who have significant skin in the game and want to see these projects succeed over the course of their ownership. And tax credit investors are some of the mostly highly regulated and scrutinized institutions in the country when it comes to these kinds of investments. They have a very strong set of incentives to make their projects successful. The kind of owner you want stewarding what is ultimately taxpayer money. Reputational concerns combined with financial incentives is why you see very little major distress in this space, even in downcycles. I would also take issue with the point about direct funding. I don't believe it to simply be a matter of political will. Wasn't the concept of something like HOPE VI and now something like RAD kind of an admission (at least at the federal level) that private capital might work better than direct public funding/ownership in some cases?

A recent meeting in Rockport sounded like the rumblings of a revolution. Inside a meeting room, residents from all over Cape Ann used words like “sovereignty,” “invasion,” and “blackmail.” This meeting was yet another spark in the fast-growing resistance against the state’s ambitious new housing law, which will require towns like Rockport to find room for waves of new apartments and condos by the end of this year. On the heels of Milton’s vote last month to shoot down that town’s version of the plan, those sparks are multiplying rapidly. The law, known as the MBTA Communities Act, requires cities and towns served by transit to zone for more multifamily housing, in a bid by state lawmakers to tackle the region’s deep housing crisis. But it does so by challenging the state’s long, proud history of letting towns control their own zoning. And some residents are very unhappy. Read the full story:

SB9 has been struck down. It has been thorn in the side of California homeowners. The controversial housing law that abolished single-family zoning and allowed lot splits in California, has been invalidated by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Curtis Kin, deeming SB9 unconstitutional in that it was neither reasonably related to its stated purpose of encouraging affordable housing nor sufficiently narrowly tailored to avoid interference with local government. The CA Legislature is seeing a huge push towards increasing housing density (at a time when we are facing blackouts and water is being reduced to existing homeowners). What's also odd is that the population of California is actually decreasing, so why the push towards increased housing? As @DezMyers, a local powerhouse in Palos Verdes states, "Follow the money." There's also a push to house the vast migration coming in from our Southern borders. (Eg, San Diego just received $40 Million in federal funds to assist in the income "migration.") This may very well be the beginning of courts overturning Sacramento's wide latitude in changing our housing and zoning. See also: https://lnkd.in/gFJ4j3Rm Are you seeing a push towards increased density in your city? What do you think of this? #sb9 #forceddensity #density #housing #singlefamilyzoning

We did it. Massachusetts State Senate passed a $5.4 billion dollar Housing Bond Bill late last night. As our Housing Chair I was honored to meet with all of my colleagues and learn from them and help negotiate and shepard this bill to final passage. Imagine being trusted with the Commonwealth's largest housing bond bill, after being a senator for just 2.5 years!! Along with $2 billion dollars for public housing, $50 millon for rural communities, $50 million for seasonal communities, We passed -Incusionary Zoning -Accesory Dwelling Units as of right -Eviction Record Sealing -Foreclosure Mediation -Wage Theft protections -Broker Fee Restrictions -Seasonal Community Protections -Rural Community Protections -Fair Housing Office to end racial segregation in housing -Crumbling Homes Protection (pyrrhotite) -Community Land Trust funding -Senior Housing Commission -Commission on land and economic democracy -Commission on Disability and Housing and so much more! While we didn't get everything we did set off on a generational course correction in housing policy P.S. this was a unanimous bipartisan passage On to conference...

In the last year, rent has skyrocketed by 15%. As a result, many Victorians are at risk of being evicted from their homes. While ARC Justice’s Housing Justice service – which supports people in public and community housing to sustain their tenancies and vulnerable tenants in private rental properties – helps people in our region every day, there are many self-help tools available too. One such tool is Justice Connect's Dear Landlord, which has been updated this #HomelessnessWeek to help renters understand if their rent increase notice is lawful, write letters to negotiate with their landlords and connect with services. By simply answering a few anonymous questions, Dear Landlord can help renters: 💹 Figure out if a rent increase is valid 👩🏻⚖️ Negotiate with a rental provider 💬 Connect with legal, housing and financial support services Find Dear Landlord here: https://lnkd.in/gabsiPYs #HomelessnessWeek2024 #HomelessnessActionNow Hat tip: Federation of Community Legal Centres

Check out the latest news from CalMatters outlining the housing rollercoaster California’s been riding lately! 🎢🏠 This article unpacks the state’s housing crisis, legislative changes, and what’s on the horizon for 2024. Whether you’re passionate about policy or simply intrigued by housing dynamics, this read is a must! #CaliforniaHousing #LegislativeUpdates #HousingCrisis