The third annual Housing to Protect Cape Cod (HPCC) Summit on Thursday (Oct. 17) focused on ways Cape Codders can leverage the new policies in the historic Affordable Homes Act signed this summer by Gov. Maura Healey.
The passage of the act created a range of resources to create more attainable year-round housing across our region, said Housing Assistance CEO Alisa Magnotta. “All of us here today are very excited to keep this momentum going and to take this historic legislation and figure out how to make it implantable in our towns,” she said. “We’re not here to talk about the problem, but to commit to action.”
Edward Augustus, Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities, referred to the adage that the world is run by those who show up. “That’s literally true in New England where we have a town meeting where whoever shows up that night gets to decide,” he said. “We know in the housing space, with that kind of instinctive nimbyism that we see in so many places, there is always going to be somebody who shows up and says, ‘Not here, not now. It’s a good idea, but it doesn’t belong here.’ The question is, are the rest of us going to show up and give voice for those DPW workers who are living on the beach or in a shack or the other folks who are making that trip every day over the bridge to plow your roads, to clean those hotel rooms, work in those restaurants, and keep the economy of Cape Cod running?”
State Senator Julian Cyr said he was grateful to the community housing advocates who put in time and effort to help shape and pass the housing act. “I don’t talk to a leader in the region on any issue who doesn’t bring up housing as the number one issue,” he said. “Whether you’re an employer in our healthcare sector or human services sector, whether you’re trying to figure out how you make a town run or keep a restaurant open, the biggest challenge is finding a workforce – and that challenge is directly tied to housing.”
More than 300 people, including local officials, business leaders and community advocates, attended the summit. Panel discussions focused on ways the region and individual towns can implement key elements of the act, including the Seasonal Communities Designation and the loosened restrictions on the construction of ADUs (accessory dwelling units).
The event concluded with recognition of three local housing champions: affordable housing developer Michael Galasso; Lynne Rhodes, president of the Cape Cod chapter of the NAACP; and Tara Vargas Wallace, CEO of Amplify POC.
To learn more about HPCC, visit housingtoprotectcapecod.org.
About Housing to Protect Cape Cod (HPCC)
Housing to Protect Cape Cod was formed in 2022 to turn the tide on the housing crisis. Its mission is to empower Cape residents to speak up for housing in towns across the region. HPCC members are Housing Assistance, the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, the Cape Cod & Islands Association of REALTORS®, and the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Cape Cod.
About Housing Assistance Corporation (HAC)
Housing Assistance has provided a spectrum of services to help our homeless and vulnerable neighbors secure a safe, stable place to call home since 1974. These programs and services include homeless outreach, family shelters, rental vouchers, affordable housing development, energy efficiency programs, and first-time homebuyer support. Housing Assistance also works to address the root causes of housing instability – lack of inventory and lack of affordability – that affect almost all income levels in our region. To learn more, visit www.haconcapecod.org.
