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The availability of affordable housing is
critically important to maintaining a stable work force, yet an
alarming number of low-income families do not have access to
affordable housing. High housing costs can rob low-wage workers of a
majority of their income, leaving insufficient funds for child care,
food, transportation, and other basic necessities. Yet there are over
9,000 affordable housing units in the district currently threatened by
expiring federal grants. As senator, I will work hard toward
reauthorization of affordable housing and making sure our state
protects affordable housing.
I oppose the recent move by towns to
eliminate Stat. 40B requirement that 10% of housing be affordable. I
strongly support creative solutions to housing problems, such as mixed
housing programs. At the same time, I support requiring towns that
convert low-rent housing into mixed housing to devote empty land for
development for additional low-rent and mixed housing. Every town in
Massachusetts needs to pull its weight.
I am also highly
concerned about recent studies showing that higher-cost home loans are
concentrated disproportionately in areas where the percentage of
minority residents is high and where income levels are low. African
American and Latino borrowers more than 4.4 times as likely to receive
a higher-cost home purchase loan as were their white counterparts in
the Greater Boston area, which is worse than the national averages.
As your Senator, I will work with public officials, prime lenders and
community leaders to develop services to ensure that homebuyers and
homeowners are obtaining accurate information while availing
themselves of competitively priced loans. |
