By Carol Britton Meyer

The Affordable Housing Committee has spent the last two years seeking ways to develop low-cost housing in Hull while getting the word out to the community about the importance of these efforts.

CLICK HERE FOR THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSING PARTNERSHIP’S GUIDE TO TRUST FUNDS

The committee’s latest project is the formation of an affordable housing trust fund, and the group is planning information sessions during the next two months to outline the town’s affordability issues and discuss the mechanics of how a trust fund works.

Many residents are struggling to make ends meet, while others who grew up in town cannot afford to live here now with increasing housing and rental costs.

AHC members point out that when costs are high and supply is limited – which is the current scenario – seniors wanting to downsize and stay in town have nowhere else to go that they can afford; young couples looking to start a family can’t find affordable homes; college graduates can’t afford to return to their hometown to live; and local businesses struggle to find employees.

Ideally, no more than 30% of an individual’s or family’s income should be spent on housing costs, leaving the remaining 70% to take care of other necessities and for savings.

According to a recent study, AHC Chair Cynthia Koebert noted, roughly 20% of renters and 22% of homeowners in Hull are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent or mortgage payments.

About 27.7% of Hull renters and 11% of homeowners are severely cost-burdened, spending more than 50% of their household income on housing, according to the Massachusetts Housing Partnership’s DataTown, an online collection of housing, demographic, and census statistics.

Hull residents who are “severely cost-burdened” have to choose between “lifesaving medications, food, clothing, and other necessary expenses and paying their rent,” select board liaison to the AHC Irwin Nesoff told The Hull Times recently. Nesoff noted that if affordable housing isn’t available in Hull for young families, enrollments in the Hull Public Schools will continue to decline.

Community outreach

The mission of the AHC is “to create and maintain a vibrant, economically diverse community through community engagement, advocacy, and education about the need for and the benefits of preserving and developing affordable housing.”

Hull was one of two municipalities chosen to participate in the Citizens Housing and Planning Association’s Municipal Engagement Initiative to support outreach and education about the importance of preserving and creating affordable housing.

Through another technical assistance grant, the AHC is working with the Massachusetts Housing Partnership to create a municipal affordable housing trust.

Select board supports creation of trust

At the AHC’s request in December, the select board supported forming an affordable housing trust fund. The trust would help create and preserve below-market-rate housing for low- and moderate-income households and fund community housing, whereas the AHC doesn’t have the authority to develop housing, but rather can educate citizens and advocate for it.

“The creation of such a trust fund would not change the protocol of having to bring the proposed disposal of public property before town meeting,” Koebert told the Hull Times.

Contingent on town meeting approval, a trust would bring additional expertise and timely decision-making to the utilization of Community Preservation Act funds for affordable housing. The Community Preservation Committee has approximately $500,000 available from the annual required 10% allocation of funds, plus reserves, to support community housing.

AHC revitalized

The AHC was created years ago. Following a period of inactivity, the committee was revitalized in 2023. Koebert, who had a career in the non-profit affordable housing field before retiring, was named chair. Other committee members were also appointed based on their backgrounds, and besides Koebert and Nesoff, include Ed Parsons, Katie Barclay, Bob Pahl, Bob Pezzini, Nancy Boyce, Kathie Bogdan, and Vinny Harte.

“We were able to recruit skilled members who brought areas of expertise that the committee needed in order to get to this point,” Nesoff said.

AHC successes so far include working with the planning department to secure state funding for consultants to survey town-owned parcels of a half-acre or more to determine which may be appropriate for affordable housing development. This report is available on the committee’s page on the town’s website.

The AHC also has examined the town’s inventory of smaller, infill parcels for potential disposition for affordable homeownership. Town counsel is currently researching the title history of some of these properties.

Upcoming community meetings

The AHC is hosting two meetings, in partnership with CHAPA, at the Memorial School, 81 Central Ave.:

⦁ Thursday, March 6, 6:30-8:30 p. m., “Affordable Housing 101” will consider the questions, “What is affordable housing?” “Why is it important?” and “What can be done to create and preserve affordable housing in Hull?”

⦁ Thursday, April 10, 6:30-8:30 p.m., “What is a municipal housing trust fund?” will discuss how a community housing trust fund would help create, preserve, and support affordable housing in town.

Both meetings will be recorded by Hull Community Television. An RSVP is requested for planning purposes at HullAHC@outlook.com, but is not required to attend.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to share information about affordable housing and to have productive community conversations,” Koebert said.

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