Posted on February 15, 2022
BOSTON --- In its continuing effort to help communities use local funds for affordable housing, the MHP community assistance team has selected three communities to receive support through its intensive technical assistance program for local housing trusts.
Medford, Southampton, and Winchester were selected from a pool of 11 communities that applied for this round of MHP’s program. Each community will receive up to eight months of direct technical assistance from MHP’s community assistance staff.
“In our work with communities on trusts, we sometimes found that more focused support could help move a community along in building its trust capacity,” said MHP Senior Program Manager Shelly Goehring. “The intensive program was created to test a more formal model of supporting communities, in addition to our usual large trainings and workshops.”
Goehring said four of the applications were from communities looking to start a housing trust, five were from existing trusts seeking technical support, and two were related to housing development. After a thorough review, MHP selected two communities trying to start trusts (Medford and Southampton) and one community (Winchester) ready to establish guidelines and structure for the trust.
In addition, MHP will run a spring training series geared toward trusts and Community Preservation Committees, including a Housing Trust 101 for new trustees.
Medford is interested in establishing a housing trust to advance goals and strategies outlined in the city’s recently approved Housing Production Plan, including increasing the supply of affordable housing. This past fall, an analysis conducted in partnership with students from MIT helped to identify city-owned parcels that hold potential for affordable housing development.
With just 1.6 percent of its housing affordable on the state’s Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI), Southampton is motivated to build the town’s housing infrastructure. The creation of a trust will enable the town to respond promptly to opportunities to diversify local housing options.
Winchester established its trust in 2021, funding it with $1 million of accumulated “payments in lieu” from past housing developments. MHP will help the community establish operating practices, guidelines and initial goals to guide the trust’s work moving forward.
Committed to supporting trusts
MHP’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund Technical Assistance Program builds upon MHP’s long history of helping communities start and operate effective affordable housing trusts. This effort began in 2005 when the state legislature passed the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Law, simplifying the process of establishing a local housing trust fund.
Last year, MHP started its technical assistance program, supporting Revere and Wellfleet's efforts to build more affordable housing.
Since then, MHP has published trust guidebooks and reached dozens of communities each year through direct technical assistance, large trainings and targeted local workshops. Today, over 125 communities have adopted municipal trusts.
For more information about MHP's trust technical assistance contact Shelly Goehring at sgoehring@mhp.net.