6 Humphreys Press Event
Jean Paul Doh, 65, talking about his experiences living at 6 Humphreys Place alongside affordable housing advocates
On Thursday April 7th, 2022, The Greater Boston Community Land Trust Network and advocates came together to highlight recent successes and opportunities and called for a $250 M investment to preserve 1000 resident-controlled, permanently affordable homes in gentrifying cities and stabilize working class communities of color. Together, they argued that the strongest housing policy is to keep people in their homes and communities. Multi-generational, multilingual tenants, Greater Boston Community Land Trust Network and housing activists argued that Greater Boston’s communities of color deserve to stay in their homes and neighborhoods and not get pushed out by speculators.
Media coverage of the event:
In First Budget, Wu Prioritizes Affordable Housing - The Boston Globe
A $250m demand for 1000 affordable homes- The Boston Globe
Coalición en Boston pide más viviendas asequibles para la comunidad - Telemundo
Housing Activists Seek to Expand Land Trusts- Bay State Banner, April 14, 2022
Problem:
During the 2008 crash, banks and corporate speculators took trillions of dollars in wealth from working families who lost their homes. Communities of color were the biggest losers, while speculators increased profits.
Now, two years into the worst pandemic in history, we are suffering from both disproportionate health impacts on Black and brown communities and a deepening displacement crisis, with Massachusetts now the third most expensive state for housing and soaring eviction rates. A recent study by real estate database Zumper found that between March 2021 and March 2022 the median rent for a one-bedroom in Boston increased by 27 percent.
Solution:
We need a budgetary commitment from the Commonwealth and our Cities to preserve existing buildings as permanently affordable before we lose all our housing stock to outside investors.
There’s a pretty clear way to stop this problem: Take property out of the speculative market, help people stay and thrive in their neighborhoods. The influx of federal dollars provides a long overdue opportunity to secure permanently affordable housing for communities of color.