Housing Roundtable Discussions Start Feb. 4

PUBLIC INVITED TO HOUSING ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION SERIES TO

HELP SHAPE CITY’S HOUSING AGENDA

Three public forums will

explore housing needs, affordability, gentrification and strategies for an effective housing agenda to promote housing for all in

Somerville

SOMERVILLE

– As more families and individuals seek to remain in Somerville amid market

forces that are creating a crunch of affordable and moderate-priced housing

across the metro area and in Somerville, the City of Somerville, Somerville Community Corporation (SCC)

and Metropolitan Area Planning Council

(MAPC) invite the community to three public forums starting the first week of

February to discuss housing issues in the city and to help inform and shape

future housing policy.

The

forums, titled Housing Roundtables: A Discussion Series on Housing for

Families and Individuals in Somerville, will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 4;

Tuesday, Feb. 11; and Tuesday, March 4, with each forum starting with

registration and refreshments at 5:30 and discussion running from 6 to 8:30

p.m. All meetings will be held at the Argenziano School, 290 Washington St. in

Somerville, and will include childcare and interpretation services.

Community

members are encouraged to attend any or all of these forums to contribute their

thoughts and experiences around housing issues in Somerville and to share their

goals for future City housing policy. Staff members from the City, SCC and MAPC

will guide the strategy sessions, which will build upon the community’s vision

for housing diversity as laid out in SomerVision, the

city’s 20-year comprehensive plan.

“Housing costs are rising across

the metro area, but in Somerville we will not stand by and let our lower-income

families or our working middle class get pushed out. As Somerville’s appeal

grows and more people seek to live or stay here, we must protect those who

chose Somerville years ago while we also welcome new families who want to plant

roots in our community—and to make that happen, we need forward-thinking

housing policy,” said Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone.

“We’ve been addressing the

challenge of keeping housing affordable through a number of initiatives

including passage of the Community

Preservation Act, the establishment of our Affordable

Housing Trust Fund, and by setting our affordable

housing requirements far above the state’s benchmark. And currently, we are

also working on new initiatives to expand our affordable housing program to

working, middle-class families and to create artist and maker districts through

zoning that will protect affordable live/work spaces. But we need to do more,”

added Mayor Curtatone. “Through these forums, we will tap the wisdom of the

community to ensure we continue to pursue bold, effective strategies for

addressing the city’s housing needs. Somerville’s diversity is one of its

greatest strengths, and we will ensure that we retain that diversity and that

Somerville remains a home for all.”

The

first meeting on Feb. 4 will feature special guest Rachel Bratt,

Professor in the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at

Tufts University and Senior Fellow at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of

Harvard University. At this forum, the community will discuss what exactly

family friendly housing is; what kind of housing does the community need to be

able to raise a family in Somerville; how the community can work together to

meet those needs; and how to best ensure affordable options for a range of

incomes.

The

second meeting on Feb. 11 will feature special guest Tim Reardon, MAPC

Assistant Director of Data Services and a newly released MAPC report “The

Dimensions of Displacement,” developed in partnership with SCC and the City of

Somerville over the past two years, which delves into gentrification and

displacement in Somerville, particularly along the Green Line corridor. At this

forum, the community will discuss what gentrification is and why it happens;

how displacement resulting from gentrification has shaped Somerville’s history;

and how the community can work together to ensure changes coming to Somerville

benefit all segments of the city’s population.

At

the third and final meeting on March 4, the analysis and discussion from the

first two forums will be used by participants to develop concrete strategies

and tools for moving forward with a strong and effective housing agenda for

Somerville.

Funding

for this project is provided in part by the U.S. Department of Housing and

Urban Development Sustainable Communities Program.

–

END –

Contact:

Denise Taylor 617-625-6600,

ext. 2103

Jackie Rossetti 617-625-6600,

ext. 2614