Housing key concern for residents across Boston
Michael F. Flaherty, incumbent and candidate for Boston City Council At-Large, highlights his advocacy and legislative efforts to address housing issues as he seeks re-election. Flaherty, who continues to reach out to voters over these next two weeks until polls close on Election Day on Tuesday, November 5th, has heard from residents that housing remains one of their top concerns.
“In this ongoing era of rapid growth and development, I continue to be at the forefront of addressing the housing crisis in our city,” stated Flaherty. “There is no doubt that I share the significant concerns around access to housing and affordability that residents across Boston have – and will continue to work to address housing inequities.”
Flaherty fully acknowledges that too many of our residents are burdened with the fear that they will soon be priced out of their neighborhood – a reality for many already. Those who are priced out struggle to find housing within their financial means. Development is flourishing, he notes, but residents who are looking to remain in the city should be able to do so regardless of the status of development in Boston. This is why over the course of his time as a Boston City Councilor At-Large, Flaherty has worked with communities across Boston on efforts – both legislative and budgetary – to expand access to affordable housing, address the issue of displacement, extend tenant protections, and advocate for resources to stabilize the City of Boston’s residents and their neighborhoods.
These efforts include:
- As the Chair of the City Council’s Committee on Government Operations, Flaherty worked with the City of Boston’s Department of Neighborhood Development, City Council colleagues, and a broad coalition of community and industry stakeholders to pass the Jim Brooks Stabilization Act – a key piece of state legislation that addresses the root of eviction.
- Flaherty also passed legislation via the Government Operations Committee that outlines the framework of regulations for short-term rentals in Boston. A central aspect of these regulations is to help bring back stabilization to the housing market; now that the regulations are in effect, Flaherty requests that residents be on the look-out for short-term rentals that may not be compliant.
- As the lead advocate for updating the City of Boston’s Linkage law, Flaherty continued working with a range of stakeholders to pass legislation that modernizes the City of Boston’s approach to allocate revenue for job training programs and affordable housing, along with our approach to reviewing the Inclusionary Development Policy which mandates affordable units be included in certain new development projects.
- Flaherty is the lead advocate for the Community Preservation Act which passed at the ballot box on election day in November 2016. Since then, 91 community preservation projects have been awarded funding totalling $42 million — approximately $20 million of which has been granted for affordable housing.
- Flaherty is also a strong proponent of public-private partnerships, especially given that federal investments in affordable housing have decreased. As Chair of the Committee on Government Operations, Flaherty has worked with the Boston Housing Authority to revitalize many of the City’s public housing developments so that all residents can live in dignity.
“No matter the zip code, Boston is in a housing crisis. We are living in a time in which the cost of living continues to increase as residents try to maintain their quality of life,” stated Flaherty. “If re-elected as your Boston City Councilor At-Large, I will continue to work on addressing this issue with all of the resources we have.”
As a husband, father, neighbor and proud lifelong Bostonian, Michael Flaherty is committed to ensuring that Boston is an accessible, equitable, and inclusive city for its residents. For more information on his campaign and his work on the Boston City Council, visit www.MichaelFlaherty.com. Boston City Councilor At-Large Michael Flaherty respectfully requests your vote on Tuesday, November 5th, where his name will be the first one on the ballot.
