Advocacy
"Affordable housing" is often a difficult topic to discuss. While the concept is simple, the reality is not. In Massachusetts, one in seven households spend half or more of their income on housing. A family needs to earn $73,890 annually to afford fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the Bay State. It's just unreasonable.
With the rising cost of lumber and other building supplies, we need your help. Talk to area legislators. Advocate for Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity.
At Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity (GSHFH) our goals are to increase homeownership and housing affordability, create more housing at a time when we are facing an affordable housing shortage, help close the racial wealth gap that exists in our community, and provide home repair assistance to low-income families in order for them to live and age safely in their homes. GSHFH typically builds two to three houses over the course of a year in Hampden County. In the past year, we have been challenged by a number of issues, including:
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an expanding gap between wages and housing costs. Statewide, the numbers show wage increases and housing cost increases have tracked together from 2014-2019, but in our experience that is not the case in Hampden County.
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pandemic job losses. The population we serve is still recovering. Many are just now getting back on their feet, financially, and many will face the consequences of the economic upheaval for a few more years (increased debt, arrearages to clear, etc.). Without stable and steady income, low-income families are simply not in a position to qualify for homeownership, even with an affordable housing program like ours.
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rising materials and labor costs. All construction materials and subcontracted labor that is not donated, we need to purchase.
Without federal funding and grants, GSHFH would struggle to have enough funds for any home construction and home repair projects.
This is where we need your help. Familiarize yourself with the federal programs that matter to Greater Springfield Habitat and let your legislators know we need their support.
Click on the flyers to see more.
Or, educate yourself about the Western Massachusetts Housing Coalition's Housing Bond Bill Priorities. Or, reach out to President Biden and encourage his administration to negotiate a new, long-term softwood lumber agreement with Canada. To learn more, click on the links below.
The upcoming housing bond bill provides a critical opportunity to set priorities in allocating resources for investing in housing. This bill comes at a key moment when more housing development is needed across the Commonwealth, and creates an opportunity for significant, meaningful investment in addressing housing needs in western Massachusetts.