Affordable Housing In South End Complex To Be Protected: Mayor

SOUTH END, MA — After tenants organized, more than 170 homes at Concord Houses will be protected for at least the next 40 years, preserving income-restricted housing there.

“We’re very elated by this victory,” said Adella Quinn, 76, a retiree from Fidelity Investments and 24-year resident of Concord Houses in a press release. “We’re losing too many people in the South End who are assets to the neighborhood due to rising rents. We need to come up with more ways like this to keep our community affordable.”

The agreement is part of a multi-year effort to establish a new HUD program to protect residents who live in Concord Houses, while providing funds for repairs and upgrades throughout the property, according to the release.

Spanning two buildings located at 705-715 Tremont Street, Concord Houses has served as a source of income-restricted housing in the South End for decades. In 2017, the HUD subsidy provisions governing the property expired, putting it at risk of losing its long-term affordability.

“This is an historic victory,” commented Michael Kane, Director of MAHT, which helped the tenants organize as that income-restriction came up. “Saving affordable housing in the heart of the South End will help maintain the neighborhood's racial and economic diversity well into the future. The 171 tenants who signed up to preserve their apartments are to be commended for making this possible.”

Kane also praised LIHC and the City of Boston for supporting the tenants’ preservation plan and for "working creatively" with Congress and HUD to make it work, the release said.

LIHC pushed for the passing of a key amendment to the FY 2018 HUD Appropriations Bill and securing HUD approval to fully finance the Concord Houses preservation plan.

Of the 181 households at Concord Houses, 171—or 95 percent of households—chose to sign a waiver to convert their Enhanced Vouchers to a new project-based rental assistance contract to make the plan work. The new HUD contract ensures homes at Concord Houses will be reserved for individuals earning no more than 80 percent area median income and is renewable for 40 years.

For some residents it took convincing to sign. But that's where the team of tenant organizers came in.

“It’s a dream to secure permanently affordable housing here -- not just for ourselves, but other people who will be here long after we’re gone,” said Pauline Durant, 85, a 20-year resident of Concord Houses and member of the Concord Houses Tenants Association. “It’s been a long journey. When tenants stay together and fight, we win!”

The agreement also guarantees that tenants pay no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent, which will reduce the rent burden for some 30 households at the property, the press release said. The remaining 10 households will get rent protections in the form of vouchers administered by the Boston Housing Authority.

LIHC Investment Group plans a $7 million repair and capital improvement campaign at the property, which will include a new entry system and security cameras; flooring and ceiling replacement; lighting upgrades in the building’s common areas; and exterior work ranging from masonry repair to new fencing and landscaping.

“As we build more affordable housing, it is critical that we do not lose sight of the need to preserve Boston’s inventory of income-restricted housing,” said Mayor Marty Walsh in the press release. “This agreement marks a positive resolution reached to keep these residents in their homes for decades to come. I thank all the residents for their advocacy in raising this important issue, and all partners involved who helped ensure the long-term affordability and viability of the Concord Houses.”

In 2018, Walsh updated his comprehensive housing strategy, to increase the City's overall housing goal from 53,000 to 69,000 new units by 2030, including 15,820 new income-restricted units, to meet Boston's population growth. The updated plan also set a goal to preserve 85 percent of Boston’s most at-risk privately-owned affordable units, like those at Concord House.

The news was announced jointly by the mayor, LIHC Investment Group, a national investor in affordable housing, and the Boston Housing Authority, Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants, and Greater Boston Legal Services.

Sign up for the free newsletter and get more breaking Boston news and news alerts like this direct to your inbox. Did we mention it was free?

Got something to add?
Sign up to post to Patch and tell your neighbors what's going on in and around Boston. Post anything from calendar events to a column about a need in your neighborhood to a public meeting folks should know about. Our philosophy is the more neighborhood watchers the better.

Photo courtesy LIHC Investment Group.