Will New Affordable Housing Units Help Latinos in Boston?

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Close to 40% of Americans struggle to meet rising costs of housing, and Latinos face hardship in affording at least one basic need.

To tackle a “housing crisis” in Boston (19.4% Latino), the city’s Mayor, Marty Walsh, announced $26 million in funding for affordable housing units, MassLive reports.

Their plan? To convert previously used apartment buildings into income-restricted units available for low-income families.

“We have no problem building high end housing in Boston. It is pretty easy and we see it every day,” Walsh said in a press conference earlier this week. “The question is how can we make sure we can have it affordable and built in our city and targeted correctly.”

Boston’s New Affordable Housing Plans

Boston’s ongoing growth, especially among Latinos, is challenging its housing sector.

Affordable housing developments, which will be funded though the city’s Community Preservation Act, will target a mix of incomes. There will be units designed to house the homeless and those that will be affordable for incomes representative of Boston’s workforce.

Affordable housing developments will also serve the disabled community, vulnerable or special needs populations, older Bostonians, veterans, artists, and/or aging out foster-care youth.

The city’s community preservation committee has recommended 56 housing projects, to be included in the Community Preservation Act’s fall funding round, according to the Boston Business Journal.

Impact on Boston Latinos

The city aims to fund $850,000 to Sociedad Latina to restore exterior features, bay windows, masonry, and roofing for early 1900s townhomes, which will serve thousands of Latino youth.

Massachusetts is one of six states in the country that can attribute nearly all of its growth from 2000 to 2010 to the Hispanic population. About 41% of their Latino youth were in poverty, compared to 8% of non-Hispanic White youths and 26% of non-Hispanic Black youths, according to pew research report.

Since 1968, Sociedad Latina has been working in partnership with Latino youth and families to end the destructive cycle of poverty, inequality to access of health services, and lack of educational and professional opportunities in Massachusetts Latino community.

Not only will their work help Latinos have basic housing needs, but they also focus on identity and heritage development. Sociedad Latina’s approach celebrates Latino tradition and enables young people to forge identities with deep roots in Latino culture. Their model supports the positive youth development from 11 to 21 years of age, creating a community that values young people and enables them to be the defenders of their rights and those of their community.

See How Major Cities Are Encouraging Affordable Housing with an aim to help Latinos

Check out these stories about how cities and programs are finding unique ways to boost affordable housing for Latino and all people:

• The Epic Revitalization of a Latino Neighborhood from Housing to Social Change
• Helping Latinos with Affordable Housing
• Major steps toward Affordable housing in Austin, Texas
• San Antonio’s Daring New Polices for Affordable housing

Improving “healthy” housing efforts have been most effective when there are intentional commitments to addressing disparities and eliminating root causes of housing hazards.

Learn more about the link between health and housing among Latinos by following our work on healthy communities and housing.

Healthy Communities & Housing

Editor’s Note: main photo via Jesse Costa/WBUR.