Housing Headlines

SOMERVILLE -- Based on Matthew Desmond’s Pulitzer Prize–winning book of the same name, the traveling exhibit “Evicted” includes eviction data from every state and a section highlighting stories and photos of Somerville residents at risk of eviction. The exhibit is on display at the Somerville Armory through November 4.

EASTHAMPTON --- The City Council has given the go-ahead for Mayor Nicole LaChapelle to prepare a request for proposal that would seek a developer to redevelop three schools near downtown. The vote caps four years of community input and technical planning were guided by the city's new strategic plans for the downtown and affordable housing production. The goal of the RFP is to create affordable housing in one or all the buildings.

Boosting the housing stock with starter homes could ensure that future generations can stay and thrive in Massachusetts, but a bill that would allow starter home zoning districts sits in limbo in the state legislature.

BOSTON -- After a frenzied run-up in demand and prices during the pandemic, Greater Boston’s housing market is slowing down. Homes are selling for a little less. But rising mortgage rates, inflation, and a stark supply shortage have pushed housing even further out of reach for many,

PITTSFIELD --- At a recent public hearing, Berkshire Housing Development Corp. presented plans to create 28 units of permanent supportive housing for the homeless, nine units less than what it originally proposed. In response to concerns from business owners near the proposed site, BHDC CEO Eileen Peltier said, "(This) is not a shelter. It is permanent housing ... that combines affordable housing and support services to address the needs of homeless individuals."

NEW BEDFORD --- At a forum to discuss the city's housing challenges, Michael Goodman, a senior advisor and researcher at UMass Dartmouth, said one cause for rising home prices is the expected arrival of South Coast rail service is causing a rising appetite by investors for multifamily properties. The event, sponsored by the New Bedford Housing Options for Momentum and Equity, was held to focus on the root causes of the city's crisis, in which 23 percent of households pay more than 50 percent of their income on housing.