Posted on November 10, 2020
MHP wrapped up its seven-part Western Mass. Housing Conference in early November with sessions on rehabilitating distressed properties and how to use federal block grant funds to help lower income residents rehabilitate their homes.
On Nov. 5, MHP brought in two experts to talk about using receivership to rehabilitate problem properties - Maja Kazmierczak from the state Attorney General's Office and Michael Moriarty of OneHolyoke Community Development Corp.
Kazmierczak said the shortage of for-sale homes has resulted in faster-than-usual sales of distressed properties after rehabilitation, usually purchased by the court-appointed receiver. She showed examples of successful rehabilitation of distressed properties in Brockton, Becket, Montague and Monson.
Moriarty explained how OneHolyoke began doing receiverships six years ago, deciding that it was a "mission-based activity." He said his CDC tries to do one project per year. His advice was "never do a receivership unless you can afford to buy the property when you're done."
Don Bianchi of the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations provided an update on legislation that would provide more support for receivership and neighborhood stabilization. Bianchi is an expert on rural housing, having previously worked at the Hilltown CDC.
MHP wrapped up its series on Nov. 9 with a session on how to use federal Community Block Grant Funds to help residents make repairs to their homes. Patricia Mullen of Berkshire Regional Planning Commission moderated. The speakers focused on how to administer the program, how to make it clear what work is permissible, and special situations such as how to manage and confirm work done by contractors, and how to get legal permission and signatures to do work on a property when one of the owners is incarcerated.
The seven-week series was a reimagined version of a conference MHP postponed in the spring due to COVID-19. The planning was done by MHP's Katy Lacy and Katie Bosse. Approximately 25 to 40 attended each session. All were recorded. Links are below.
At the last session, Patricia Mullen thanked MHP for recasting the conference as a seven-part virtual series and urged MHP to do more virtual sessions so people from Western Mass. can learn without having to drive long distances for one-day live workshops. "We appreciate that you adapted and we hope you do more virtual sessions so planners, officials and advocates have an opportunity to share their experiences," she said.
For more information, contact MHP’s Katie Bosse at kbosse@mhp.net or 857-317-8517
Week 1 -- Zoning for Diversity in Small Towns
When: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020
Presenters: Alyssa LaRose, Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG); Walter Ramsey, AICP, Town of Montague; Andrew Groff, Town of Williamstown
Week 2 -- Building Community Support
When: Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020
Presenters: Whitney Demetrius, Citizens' Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) and Courtney Porcella, coUrbanize
Week 3 -- Pathways to Homeownership
When: Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020
Presenters: Isabel Cruz, Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP) and Brendan Bailey, Realtor® Association of Pioneer Valley
Week 4 -- Housing the Chronically Homeless
When: Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020
Presenter: Andrew Winter, Twin Pines Housing Trust
Week 5 -- Affordable Senior Housing
When: Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020
Presenters: Laura Baker, Valley Community Development; Lorin Starr, 120 North Main Street Committee in Sunderland; Paul Lischetti, Hilltown CDC
Week 6 -- Distressed & Abandoned Properties
When: Thursday, Nov. 5 2020
Presenters: Don Bianchi, MACDC; Maja Kazmierczak, Massachusetts Attorney General's Office; Michael Moriarty, OneHolyoke CDC
Week 7 -- Block Grant Housing Rehab 101
When: Monday, Nov. 9, 2020
Presenters: Patricia Mullen, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC); Doug Desmarais, Hilltown CDC; Brian McHugh, Franklin Country Regional Housing & Redevelopment Authority; Christopher Dunphy, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC)
Special thanks to Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC), Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC), Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG), Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC), Central Mass Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC) for help with planning and organizing the workshops.