• Home
• About the Trust
• Affordable Housing Development
• Technical Assistance
• Monitoring Services
• Education and Advocacy
• Calendar
• Join Us
• Resources
• Scrapbook

Education and Advocacy

Did You Know That in Essex County:

• Lower-income families struggle in the third most expensive housing market in the nation? The average price of a single family home rose 41% in the last five years and condominium costs increased by over 63%. In Massachusetts, only Boston and Cape Cod are more expensive.
• Despite an increase in the construction of multifamily housing and a modest rise in the vacancy rate, the housing market in a majority of Essex County communities remains unaffordable to most families with low to moderate incomes?
• Income has not increased in proportion to housing costs? Rather, low-income workers have faced stagnating wages since the 2000-2003 recessions.
• Almost half (or 49%) of lower-income households in the region pay more than 30% of their income for housing? More than 20,000 lower-income households face even more severe housing cost burdens, dedicating more than half of their income to housing cost.
• Homelessness continues to plague the North Shore region. There are insufficient transitional and supportive housing units to meet the need. There is currently a deficit of permanent housing resources for 210 homeless individuals and 185 homeless families across the North Shore.
Facts from North Shore HOME Consortium Five-Year Consolidated Plan FY05-09. For information about affordable housing throughout Massachusetts, download The 2004 Greater Boston Housing Report Card.

Affordable housing education focuses on the issues specific to individual communities. Issues often stem from misconceptions about who lives in affordable housing, who needs affordable housing and what it looks like. Local administration issues and zoning barriers that discourage affordable housing development also complicate the problem. Effective education offers local and regional housing solutions to show communities how they can play a significant role in advocating for affordable housing, creating partnerships, and offering solutions that are sensitive to community needs.

• The Trust is partnering with Citizens Housing and Planning Association on Home@Last, a campaign to promote public awareness and advocacy. The video launch on November 1, 2005 was a great success and showings with discussions are now taking place across Essex County. Check out our Calendar to see when.
• Workshops The Trust co-sponsored a successful workshop last fall on affordable housing. Check back for another workshop soon.
• Presentations The Trust has provided educational information about affordable housing to the North Shore Housing Authority Executive Directors Association, the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission North Shore Task Force, and local community groups throughout Essex County. The Trust also presented at the Local Initatives Support Corporation Affordable Housing in the Suburbs Conference in June 2005.
• Request a Presentation: If you think you and others in your community could benefit by knowing more about affordable housing and how to become an advocate, request or help organize a presentation in your community. You can download and return the response form or contact our office at (978) 499-9500.