Housing Greenfield

MISSION STATEMENT:

Housing Greenfield is a group of concerned residents and organizations (see links below*) who aim to find and advocate for creative, affordable solutions to meet the housing needs of people of different incomes, abilities and stages of life.

We are committed to the following: To identify buildings and land in the downtown area and within every neighborhood with the goal of creating community for all people, including those with a physical or mental disability.

Housing Greenfield will seek developers committed to building affordable, lifelong, inclusive housing; and will find or create support for whatever policies, zoning changes and funding will be needed to build and maintain housing.

HISTORY: affordable housing photo for forum

Housing Greenfield grew out of the 2021 forum co-organized by Greening Greenfield and FCCPR. For videos of workshops and more click on Housing is a Human Right: We Can Make it Happen. Nine workshops explored topics including Abandoned Buildings, Community Housing Trusts, and How do We Pay for the Housing We Want?

MEETINGS:

Virtual monthly meetings are held on the 2^nd Monday of the month at 6:30 pm. To receive meeting announcements and minutes please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Meetings focus on updates presented by various people and organizations* on key topics, programs* and issues such as:

Housing the Unhoused - "Housing First" philosophy:
- Winter of 2023 – Shelter services and day-use facilities etc;
- HomeShare program by LifePath;
- 60 Wells Street project: A project of CSO (owner and manager) and RDI (developer) who propose:
  - Increasing shelter beds from 30 to 40;
  - Building 36 new units of supported housing;
  - Building a day-use facility with a cafeteria, showers, laundry, and an outside courtyard area with benches and trees.

Affordable & Market-rate Housing - Build more:
- Unused upper-story space on Main St – Complete Neighborhoods;
- Regional Affordable Housing Trust idea (FRCOG);
- Transfer Fee – working with Sen Comerford on Bill.
  - This "enabling" legislation would allow Massachusetts cities, towns and groups of cities/towns to enact a small fee on high-value real estate sales. The fee would go to funds designated to create and support affordable housing.
- TOPA
  - This "enabling" legislation would let cities and towns adopt a preservation, anti-displacement and tenant empowerment tool that can preserve affordable rental housing stock, provide a mechanism for tenant associations to collectively purchase their buildings, and stabilize low-income households.

Improving Housing to Improve Health (IH2)- a 5-year grant program with (FRCOG)
- Rental Housing Inspection Goals for Renter protection – Peg Hall

Gentrification – Avoid it.

Reports, which are received from many organizations and people who regularly participate, including (in alphabetical order):

- Community Land Trust - Judy Atkins
- Greenfield Community and Economic Development – MJ Adams
- Interfaith Council Housing Assistance – Amy Clarke
- Opioid Task Force – Sober Housing etc. - Debra McLaughlin
- RDI - Alyssa LaRose
- Three County COC - Shaundell Diaz

Green River House Tour 1

PROGRESS IN GREENFIELD WE ARE CELEBRATING

Wilson’s department store will become housing! (sold 2022)
- Community Builders - three upper stories to be renovated into 1, 2, and 3-bedroom units of workforce housing, projected completion date: 2026.
- Green Fields Market – 1^st floor and basement so that the full-service grocery store will remain on Main St. New store targeted to open in 2024.

*ORGANIZATIONS, ABBREVIATIONS, INITIALIZATIONS & LINKS

CAPV: Community Action Pioneer Valley
CHAMP: Common Housing Application for Massachusetts Programs (but best to start with HRA)
CHAPA: Citizens Housing and Planning Association
CHIP: Community Health Improvement Plan Network – a program of FRCOG
CNI: Complete Neighborhoods Initiative – a program of MHP
COC: Continuum of Care, Three County – a program of CAPV
Community Builders, The
Community Legal Aid: anti-housing-discrimination, eviction services and more
CSO: Clinical & Support Options
DHCD: MA Department of Housing and Community Development (but best to start with HRA)
FCCPR: Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution
Franklin County Regional Housing Authority – see HRA
FRCOG: Franklin County Regional Council of Governments
GG: Greening Greenfield – convenor of Housing Greenfield, and more
Green Fields Market: Franklin Community Co-op
Greenfield Community and Economic Development
Greenfield Housing Authority
HomeShare – a program of Lifepath
HRA: Franklin County Regional Housing and Redevelopment Authority
IH2: Improving Housing to Improve Health – a program of FRCOG & others
Interfaith Council of Franklin County Massachusetts Housing Assistance
LifePath runs Homeshare Program
MHC: Massachusetts Housing Coalition
MHP: Massachusetts Housing Partnership
Opioid Task Force and its Housing and Workforce Development Committee
RAFT: Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (but best to start with HRA)
RDI: Rural Development, Inc.
Regional Housing Authority – see HRA
Small Town Housing Workgroup an IH2 project
Three County COC – see COC
TOPA: Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act

Need help knowing where to start to find services? Write This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
with a brief description of what you need, and we'll try to point you in the right direction. Greening Greenfield itself does not provide housing services.