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.

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END –

Contact:

Denise Taylor 617-625-6600,
ext. 2103

Jackie Rossetti 617-625-6600,
ext. 2614