Housing Headlines

BOSTON --- In what's being hailed as a victory for Gov. Charlie Baker and his administration's efforts to reduce the number of homeless families being placed in motels, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled Thursday that the state can continue to use taxpayer-funded motel rooms solely as housing of last resort, reversing a lower court mandate that expanded the set of circumstances when motel rooms had to be used. A class-action lawsuit brought forth by homeless mothers argued instances where disabled children needlessly suffered when they were placed in housing farther away from hospital care rather than in a motel.

BOSTON --- The research arm of The Boston Foundation has released a report detailing the state of the Greater Boston economy, where it's working well and where it's not delivering for all. Authored by Luc Schuster and Peter Ciurczak of Boston Indicators, the report includes data that points to public policy decisions that have disproportionately harmed communities of color.

SOMERVILLE --- Acknowledging that new housing creation is not keeping up with employment and housing growth, the Metro Mayors Coalition pledged today to produce 185,000 new units by 2030. Since 2010, the 15 cities and towns in the coalition have added nearly 110,000 residents and 148,000 new jobs, while permitting only 32,500 new units, according to the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, which worked with the mayors on creating strategies to address the need for housing. For more on this effort, go to: https://housingtaskforce.mapc.org/.

The Salem News salutes Harborlight Community Partners and the North Shore Community Development Corp. for creating 26 and 16 units of permanent supportive housing for the homeless, lending momentum to the Mayors Regional Task Force on Homelessness, a North Shore effort formed by Beverly and Salem in 2014.

BROCKTON --- Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito visited the downtown recently to celebrate the award of $15 million in state funding and federal tax credits for the revitalization of the former Kresge Department Store into 48 mixed-income apartments and first-floor apartments.

BOSTON --- Dorchester Reporter Editor Bill Forry has the scoop on plans by New York-based Center Court Partners to raze the former Ch. 56 property to make way for two 20-plus story towers with 758 apartments. Center Court Partners bought the property in 2017 for $14.5 million from car dealer Herb Chambers. The site is on Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester, right next to the former Boston Globe HQ.