Institute will assist municipal leaders in boosting the development of affordable housing in their communities
Next month, Housing Assistance Corporation (HAC) and Community Development Partnership (CDP) will launch the Cape Housing Institute, a collaborative effort between the two nonprofits to provide municipal officials with the resources needed to boost the production of affordable housing throughout the region.
“We want to expand the capacity of the region so that town municipal leaders have the tools and language they need to be able to create housing for the workforce and all residents of their community at all income levels,” HAC CEO Alisa Galazzi said.
The institute will begin on Wednesday, October 11, taking place over the course of six weekly sessions, ending on Thursday, November 16. The sessions are free and open to elected and appointed officials throughout Cape Cod and the Islands as well as town housing and planning staff.
In order to attend the institute, participants must pre-register. They can do so at www.haconcapecod.org. Priority deadline for registration is Thursday, October 5.
Participants will have the opportunity to attend sessions on the Upper Cape, Mid-Cape, Lower Cape, and Outer Cape. Each session will last two hours and will take place on the following days and locations, starting on October 11: Wednesdays, from 2-4 pm, at the Cape Cod & Islands Association of REALTORS at 22 Mid-Tech Drive, West Yarmouth; Wednesdays, from 6-8 pm, at the Mashpee Public Library at 64 Steeple Street; Thursdays, from 2-4 pm, at the Wellfleet Preservation Hall at 335 Main Street; and Thursdays, from 7-9 pm, at the Harwich Community Center at 100 Oak Street.
Each week, the institute will focus on a separate topic related to developing affordable housing. The topics, in order, will include: an introduction to housing; developing a housing supply strategy, building community support, and funding sources; zoning and site selection; financing and phasing options; making the case for affordable housing and the Request For Proposals (RFP) process; and next steps, including how towns can work together to solve their affordable housing problems.
Those who attend all six sessions will receive a certificate of completion.
The institute will feature 11 speakers from throughout Massachusetts who are experts in the field of affordable housing development. The speakers are Judi Barrett, economic development director for the Plymouth Regional Economic Development Foundation; attorney Peter Freeman, a partner at the Freeman Law Group in Yarmouth Port; Cape Cod Commission Affordable Housing Specialist Heather Harper; Jennifer Goldson, a certified professional planner and founder of JM Goldson in Boston; Laura Shufelt, assistant director of community assistance for Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP); Kevin Maguire, a development consultant and co-founder of Oxbow Partners; architect Richard Fenuccio, president of Brown, Lindquist, Fenuccio & Raber Architects, Inc. in Yarmouth Port; Susan Connelly, director of community assistance at MHP; Maura Tsongas, director of real estate development at Neighborhood of Affordable Housing in Boston; Shelly Goehring, program manager at MHP; and Paula Schnepp, executive director at the Sandwich Housing Authority.
Presenting sponsors for the Cape Housing Institute are Cape & Islands License Plate Fund; Cape & Islands United Way; Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank Charitable Trust; Cape Cod Foundation; the Estate of Bernard Kaplan; and Shepley Wood Products. The Cape Cod & Islands Association of REALTORS is serving as a location host for the institute.
The institute is tied to a larger initiative, the Cape Community Housing Partnership, which HAC and CDP are undertaking together to address the region’s housing needs. In 2018, the two agencies will offer Advocacy Training for anyone interested in serving as a champion for more affordable housing on Cape Cod and the Islands. They will also introduce a public education campaign focused on the need for more affordable housing in the region.
About Housing Assistance Corporation
HAC is a 43-year-old nonprofit based in Hyannis, whose mission is to ensure that all on Cape Cod and the Islands have a safe, stable, decent place to live. HAC operates four homeless shelters on Cape Cod; develops affordable housing; oversees Section 8 vouchers for the region; conducts foreclosure counseling; holds educational workshops for first-time homebuyers and those looking to rebuild their credit; and keeps residents in their homes through its homelessness prevention program. To learn more about HAC’s programs and services visit www.HAConCapeCod.org.
