Boston needs truly affordable housing that matches residents’ incomes and is in our community’s reach. Here’s why.
New housing doesn’t match our incomes
There’s a drastic mismatch between new housing and community need - only 9% of new housing in Boston is being built for low- and moderate-income residents, who make up almost half of the city. And only 3% of this housing is affordable to the lowest-income households, who make up 27% of Boston residents! More than three-quarters (78%) of these households are housing cost burdened (paying more than 30% of their income on housing), compared to one third (34%) of middle-income households.
That's why we’ve called for inclusionary zoning that requires developers to make 1/3 of new housing truly affordable, and why we continue to advocate for Boston’s lowest-income residents to be centered in the City’s housing and planning policies.
Learn more here about the extreme mismatch between Boston residents’ needs and new housing construction.
“Affordable” housing isn’t always affordable.
Affordable housing programs in Boston, including inclusionary units, are based off of an extremely broken statistic, “area median income” (AMI). Rather than looking at incomes in Boston and in neighborhoods here, the AMI measures a typical household income based on cities all around Boston — including Brookline, Newton, and even part of New Hampshire. Using all these wealthy cities to calculate the AMI gives an income of $163,200 for a household of 4. Most households in Boston make nowhere near that amount!
The City can build housing for different income levels based on a “percentage of AMI”, but City policies often still set housing at a level that’s out of reach for our communities, including most Boston residents of color.
That’s why we’ve called for an inclusionary zoning policy where rental units are set at an average of 40% of AMI ($65,280 for a household of 4) instead of 70% of AMI ($114,240 for a household of 4), and why we continue to advocate for a definition of affordability that matches Bostonians’ actual incomes.
Learn more here about how to understand Area Median Income.
Communities of color are being excluded.
People of color in Boston make much less than white people because of the combined forces of economic inequality and systemic racism. More than half of households of color make less than 50% of AMI, but the current inclusionary zoning policy lets developers build “affordable” inclusionary units that are all for households making more than this amount. This high threshold not only excludes many Boston residents, but it also discriminates against people of color. This is another reason that Boston must redefine affordable housing to truly reach low- and moderate-income households!
Communities of color are also more vulnerable to speculation and displacement. After decades of disinvestment in communities of color, dating back to redlining and blockbusting, developers now want to cash in on luxury rents and condo prices with minimal affordability requirements. The new luxury developments are driving up prices in communities of color, leading to increased land prices, higher rents, and more displacement. And as people of color get displaced, they are unable to afford the units in the new developments going up in their neighborhoods.
This is why it’s so important to have strong affordability requirements in Boston’s inclusionary zoning policy, so more residents can benefit from new development instead of being harmed by it. This goes hand in hand with solutions such as tenant protections; affordable housing on community land trusts and public land; and funding for non-profits to buy land, buy and protect existing housing, and build new affordable housing. Together, these solutions can bring stability to the neighborhoods where low- and moderate-income people of color are being displaced!
Learn more here about racial justice and housing.