Guaranteeing people’s right to housing is a public health issue. All our neighbors deserve affordable, safe, and stable homes. We face a housing challenge that cuts across race and class, with particular implications for people of color who are disproportionately likely to be rent-burdened, evicted, and to face discrimination in accessing safe, affordable housing. These realities have been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, with thousands of families at risk for eviction. As the chair of the Committee on Housing and Community Development, I will advocate for housing justice during and after the pandemic so that our neighborhoods and families can thrive without the threat of displacement.

  • Protecting the Forbes Building

    Councilor Flaherty and I sponsored legislation to protect residents in governmentally-involved housing, including the Forbes Building in Jamaica Plain. The Home Rule Petition was passed unanimously by the Boston City Council and will be sponsored by our newly elected State Representative and State Senator Sam Montano and Liz Miranda.

  • Implementing Anti-Displacement Zones

    In collaboration with Councilor Coletta and Action4Equity, I held a hearing to discuss the creation of Special Protection Zones to decrease the displacement of people of color and low-income residents. Anti-Displacement Zones will designate a new type of zoning district with unique standards and programs to give current residents a meaningful role in shaping their neighborhood’s future.

  • Championing Rent Control

    Mayor Wu has created a Rent Stabilization Advisory Committee to provide recommendations on a policy that would stabilize rents by capping annual rent increases (City of Boston). The committee has been meeting through 2022. As the Housing and Community Development Chair on the City Council, we’ll continue to work closely with the Mayor’s Office of Housing to move this work forward.

  • Revising Our Inclusionary Development Policy

    In 2022, I filed a hearing order to discuss changing our Inclusionary Development Policy which requires new housing projects to create affordable units and developers to pay linkage fees to create affordable housing and workforce development. Later in the year, I filed a resolution alongside my colleagues, calling on the Administration to make immediate changes to IDP and AMI standards.

    In response, Mayor Wu presented her plan to expand the City’s Inclusionary Development Policy. Previously, housing developers were required to set aside 13% of units in new projects (with nine units or more) as affordable. The new proposed policy will increase the requirement to 17% and lower the project threshold to seven units or more. The City is recommending changes to who is eligible for the reserved, affordable units. Units will be reserved for residents whose incomes do not exceed 60% of the area median income (AMI) ($84,100 for a family of 4). Developers will also be required to set aside 3% of the building space for Section 8 holders and other rental vouchers. Linkage fees will also be increased.

  • Scaled Up Community Land Trusts

    Councilor Coletta and I secured $1 million in ARPA funds to help the East Boston Community Development Corporation acquire 114 units of housing in East Boston. The units in triple-decker buildings called the Blue Line Portfolio are now owned by the community-governed institution, the East Boston Neighborhood Trust, the first mixed-income housing trust in the state.

    The goal is to ensure families occupy these larger units in future leases. 60% of the units will be affordable to those earning 60% AMI or below. The community-led model will permanently preserve affordable housing in East Boston, build community ownership, and remove housing from the speculative market.