CHAPA Publications CHAPA Briefing Paper: Addressing the Foreclosure Crisis: State and Federal Initiatives in Massachusetts March 2008, 34 pages Massachusetts is experiencing record levels of foreclosures - over 7,500 properties were foreclosed in 2007 and a November 2007 study estimated that another 37,000 loans will begin the foreclosure process in 2008 (including over 10,000 prime loans), absent new interventions. Cities are also struggling to deal with the growing number of vacant, lender-owned properties, many concentrated in a few neighborhoods. Prepared by CHAPA, this briefing paper includes an overview of the background of the subprime and foreclosure crisis and the various local, state, and federal initiatives designed to address it. Click here to download the briefing paper. (PDF file) Building the Stock: Targeted Project-Based Rental Assistance to Create More Deeply Affordable Permanent Housing March 2008, 15 pages Homeless and other low-income families are facing an unprecedented crisis in Masschusetts today. While Massachusetts has a deep committment to, and sophisticated infrastructure for, creating affordable housing, the housing created often fails to reach the most vulnerable, lowest income families. In this report, Home Funders, a collaboration of foundations uning $19.5 million to create more housing for the homeless and extremely low-income, and CHAPA propose that the Commonwealth: increase project-based rental assistance through the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP); develop innovative models of project-based rental assistance for a portion of the funds to create more access to housing for homeless and extremely low-income families; and provide a set-aside of MRVP linked to Home Funders projects to maximize the leverage of this private foundation investment. Click here to download the report. (PDF file) CPA and Affordable Housing: A Guidebook on How Cities and Towns Can Use Community Preservation Act Funds to Support Local Housing Efforts February 2008, 64 pages A joint effort of MHP and CHAPA, The Guidebook for Communities on the Community Preservation Act (CPA) and Affordable Housing is one of the first attempts to round up and explain the various ways in which CPA funds can be used for housing. Since becoming law in 2000, the CPA has proven to be a flexible tool to create affordable housing. Communities have used CPA funds at every stage of the development process, from raising public awareness about housing at the outset to providing funds for specific projects to a host of activities in between. This Guidebook is intended to be a comprehensive resource for Community Preservation Committee (CPC) members and other local decision makers involved in using CPA funds for affordable housing. Click here to download the report. (PDF file) Zoning Litigation and Affordable Housing Production in Massachusetts February 2008, 39 pages Prepared by CHAPA, this study looks at the impact of legal challenges of zoning approvals by abutters, municipal boards or other parties on low and moderate income housing development. Due to data limitations, the study primarily looked at projects that sought zoning approvals under “Chapter 40B”. It summarizes the characteristics of 84 projects with over 2,500 affordable units that have been subject to zoning litigation since 2000 (15% of all 40B projects approved or appealed between 2000 and 2006). It found that of the 51 cases resolved to date, only one succeeded in overturning a local or HAC zoning approval. That is, litigants have been unable to prove that zoning boards or the state Housing Appeals Committee erred in their approvals. However, it also found that the delays created by litigation (over two years on average) impose disproportionate costs on developers, forcing some to postpone construction or reconsider plans. Click here to download the report. (PDF file) The Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2006-2007: An Assessment of Progress on Housing in the Greater Boston Area October 2007, 88 pages The 2006-2007 Greater Boston Housing Report Card is the fifth collaboration between Northeastern University's Center for Urban and Regional Policy (CURP), The Boston Foundation and CHAPA. Each year since its introduction in 2002, the Report Card has examined economic trends and market conditions that affect current and projected housing needs in 161 cities and towns including and surrounding Boston. Click here to download the report. (PDF file) Powerpoint Presentation (PDF file) Developing A New England Regional Agenda: Surging Ahead on Affordable Housing and Community Development September 2007, 20 pages The New England Housing Network is a coalition of affordable housing and community development organizations in the six New England states. The Network works on joint activities to preserve and expand the supply of affordable housing in New England. On September 17, 2007, the Network convened a conference involving close to 400 people, who spent a day key issues in federal housing and community development policy. This document summarizes the results of the conference workshops, and reflects the views of the people that participated in each of the workshops. These are not official opinions of the New England Housing Network, but do represent the thoughts of the people in attendance at the particular workshop sessions. Click here to download the report. (PDF file) Voices From Forgotten Cites: Innovative Revitalization Coalitions in America's Older Small Cities September 2007, 56 pages Though once known as cities with good jobs and places where families can achieve the American Dream, our nation's older smaller cities and the people who live in them are struggling to cope with a changing economy and diminshing resources. We call these communities "forgotten cities" because they have been left behind by the global economy, the media, major foundations, and policy trends. Sometimes they have been marginalized by their surrounding regions - even by the people who once lived there. Prepared by Lorlene Hoyt and Andre Leroux and sponsored by PolicyLink, CHAPA and MIT School of Architecture and Planning, this reports provides a thematic summary of MIT's Forgotten Cities seminars, and a framework and analysis that arose from them. It will take the reader through the arc experienced by forgotten cities as alluded to in its many facets by the seminar participants and in the urban literature. Click here to download the report. (PDF file) Report of the Expiring Use Working Group June 2007, 44 pages This report, prepared for the Joint Committee on Housing, was prepared by a working group convened by CHAPA whose members have an interest and expertise in the area of preservation of affordable housing. The Working Group was convened to consider three bills are before the Joint Committee on Housing (S.782, H.1276, and H.1295) and offer its suggestions and advice on the bills and how they might be altered to better accomplish their purpose. Click here to download the report. (PDF file) Foreclosure Prevention Resources: A Guide for Legislative Offices May 2007, 12 pages This guide offers information on resources for families and individuals who may be having difficulty paying their mortgage, have questions about their mortgage, or may be in danger of foreclosure. Click here to download the guide. (PDF file) The Fiscal Impact of Mixed-Income Housing Developments on Massachusetts Municipalities May 2007, 63 pages The UMass Donahue Institute prepared this study, on behalf of CHAPA, to determine whether mixed-income developments that have been built in the state did, in fact, place burdens on their communities. The report attempts to add to public understanding of two fundamental questions that often confront new construction in municipalities: Does the housing development increase net costs over time? Does the housing development pay its fair share of town costs over time? The UMass Donahue Institute conducted the study over the course of nine months and incorporated extensive field work in seven municipalities with mixed-income, homeownership developments. Click here to download the report. (PDF file) Disability Related Housing Resources: A Guide for Legislative Offices March 2007, 10 pages Prepared by CHAPA's Homelessness Committee Members including HomeStart, Inc, JRI Health, the MA Department of Mental Health, Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership, United Disability Housing Partnership and Vinfen Corporation, this booklet offers information on housing resources for individuals with a disability or families with a household member with a disability by disability type and housing resource type. Click here to download the booklet. (PDF file) Update on 40B Housing Production March 2007, 24 pages The purpose of this document is to provide an update on 40B activity since the publication of the June 2003 report The Record on 40B: The Effectiveness of the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Zoning Law. Some of the key findings of research into recent 40B activity include between 2002 and 2006, an estimated 30 percent of all new housing permitted in Greater Boston area towns was approved under 40B and nearly 80% of the 9,000 new suburban rental units permitted during this period were approved under comprehensive permits. Click here to download the report. (PDF file) Aging in Place Successfully with Affordable Housing and Services March 2007, 37 pages The purpose of this report, by the Coalition for Senior Housing of Massachusetts and funded by The Boston Foundation, is to look at the service needs of elders in affordable, independent elderly housing, which may or may not be service-enriched, and determine the impact of services on the ability of elders to age in place successfully. The hypothesis for the research was that service-enriched housing would experience low turnover rates because the availability of services would allow elders to age in place successfully. Click here to download the report. (PDF file) Housing Poll 2006 February 2007, 23 pages The UMass Donahue Institute/CHAPA Housing Poll explores the housing needs of Massachusetts residents, as well as the views of residents on housing policies and programs at the state and local level. The 2006 Housing Poll continues many of the questions contained in the previous polls and, whenever possible compares the findings of the 2006, 2005 and 2004 polls. In particular, this poll found that residents of Massachusetts statewide are deeply concerned about the cost of housing and its effect on their communities. The poll showed very strong support for the construction of affordable housing with a majority of residents hoping that Governor Deval Patrick will make affordable housing a high priority in his administration. Click here to download the report. (PDF file) The State of the Cities: Revitalization Strategies for Smaller Cities In Massachusetts December 2006, 66 pages Prepared by CHAPA and the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC), this report examines the policies and practices that support 38 small cities as they make the necessary transition to a more diverse economy. Some communities have begun to turn the corner, and we believe that targeted policies and resources can assist struggling communities to rebound without displacing current residents. This report examines recent demographic and economic trends among these cities, and shares lessons and best practices for economic revitalization for six cities in particular: Fitchburg, Lynn, New Bedford, Salem, Springfield and Waltham. Price: $15 for CHAPA members; $20 for non-members Click here to download the report. (PDF file) Click here to download the appendices. (PDF file) Housing Costs Continue to Outpace Incomes in Massachusetts and the U.S. October 2006, 4 pages On October 3rd, the U.S. Census Bureau released its 2005 American Community Survey (ACS) data on housing trends across the country. The ACS provides annual estimates of trends between dicennial censuses. The 2005 estimates indicate that median housing costs rose steeply both in Massachusetts and nationally between 2000 and 2005, outpacing income growth for both renters and owners. Click here to download. (PDF file) The Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2005 - 2006: An Assessment of Progress on Housing in the Greater Boston Area September 2006, 79 pages Since 2002, Northeastern University's Center for Urban and Regional Policy (CURP) has collaborated with The Boston Foundation and CHAPA to develop and produce The Greater Boston Housing Report Card, a diagnostic tool that provides an objective assessment of the region's annual progress toward providing housing opportunities for all of its citizens. The Report Card focuses on housing production in 161 cities and towns including and surrounding Boston and examines the trends in housing prices and rents, the preservation of affordable housing, and state and federal funding levels for subsidized housing. Price: $15 for CHAPA members; $20 for non-members Click here to download the report. (PDF file) Principles for Developing Integrated Housing in the Community for Individuals with Disabilities September 2006, 4 pages These principles have been developed to provide a framework for funders and developers to develop appropriate housing for individuals with disabilities who desire to live independently in the community. Click here to download. (PDF file) Mixed-Income Housing in the Suburbs: Lessons from Massachusetts September 2006, 113 pages This study examines the factors behind the rising support for mixed-income development as a model for producing affordable housing. It reviews the efforts of the State of Massachusetts since the 1960s to promote mixed-income housing and how local zoning policies, federal subsidy and tax policies and fluctuating market conditions initially frustrated those efforts but more recently have led to a significant rise in mixed-income housing production statewide and made it the predominant mode of production in suburban communities. It uses statewide data and case studies to examine the extent to which mixed-income housing is achieving some of the varied goals cited by proponents. Click here to download the report. (PDF file) Price: $15 for CHAPA members; $20 for non-members Principles for Redeveloping Former and Current State Hospital and State School Sites June 2006, 5 pages Written by Charleen Regan for CHAPA, this document provides principles for how the disposition of state hospital and state school sites can be used to provide benefits to people with disabilities. This disposition benefits will vary by sites. Some sites will include affordable community-based supported housing; others will generate a sales value that should be captured to support DMH and DMR housing and employment initiatives in the region. Click here to download the document. (PDF file) Transcript of the Gubernatorial Candidates’ Forum on Affordable Housing, Homelessness, and Community Development June, 22 2006, 74 pages This document contains a complete transcript of the Gubernatorial Candidates’ Forum on Affordable Housing. This forum was held on June 22, 2006 at Faneuil Hall in Boston. The candidates in attendance were Democrat Christopher Gabrieli, Independent Christy Mihos, Democrat Deval Patrick, Democrat Tom Reilly, and Grace Ross, candidate of the Green Rainbow Party. Click here to download the transcript. (PDF file) CHAPA Position Paper on State Housing Policy for the Gubernatorial Candidates July 2006, 19 pages Solving the affordable housing crisis in Massachusetts requires strong executive leadership that makes affordable housing one of the top public policy priorities in a new administration. It also requires multiple strategies that meet a range of needs and include both new production and preservation of existing housing. The new administration must make a commitment to educating the general public about the needs and strategies for addressing the problem. The next Governor should adopt a comprehensive state housing policy with a combination of strategies. CHAPA's recommendations are included in this report. Click here to download the report. (PDF file) Housing Poll 2005 March 2006, 19 pages In November 2005, the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute conducted its second annual housing poll in collaborative with Citizens' Housing and Planning Association. The purpose of the poll is to explore the housing needs of Massachusetts residents, as well as the views of residents on housing policies and programs at the state and local level. The 2005 Housing Poll includes many of the same questions as the 2004 Poll, allowing for comparisons between the statewide results for each year. In addition, the UMass Donahue Institute and CHAPA asked a few new questions and explored the experience and opinions of residents in Essex County. Price: $15 for CHAPA members; $20 for non-members Click here to download the report. (PDF file) Housing Search Guide for People with Disabilities in Massachusetts February 2006, 28 pages This book provides information about searching for rental housing in Massachusetts for people who have one or more disabilities. Most of the information is also helpful to people who are low-income. Funding for this project was provided by the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council. Click here to download the Guidebook. (PDF file) Click here for CHAPA Publications from 2000 - 2005. |
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