Housing
ALL HOUSING REPORTS
Affordable Rent for All: Massachusetts is on a Slow Road to Universal Housing Vouchers
Programs which help people afford their rent are a critical tool in addressing the housing affordability crisis. How can Massachusetts, which has long been a national leader on housing voucher policy, move towards a universal solution?
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The Fair Share Millionaire Tax and Home Sales: What 2021 Data Shows
Based on industry data from the Warren Group on home sales in Massachusetts, previous analysis has shown how rare it is that a sale might generate taxable capital gains of $1 million or more. But what does the data say about home sales that might have created taxable income over $1 million in 2021?
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Where Might Home Sales Be Subject to the Fair Share Amendment? A Local Breakdown
In the majority of Massachusetts cities and towns, no homes sold for a net gain of $1 million or more, meaning they wouldn't be subject to any additional taxes under the Fair Share Amendment.
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Interactive Map: Most Home Sales Will Not Likely Lead to Fair Share Tax Payments
Even in Massachusetts’ hot housing market with many homes selling for over $1 million, the vast majority of all home sales will not subject the home sellers to a proposed “millionaire’s tax.”
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A Look at Funding: The Emergency Rental Assistance Program in Massachusetts
The Emergency Rental Assistance Program is not the only way to ensure adequate rental assistance support in the Commonwealth, other ARPA funding or state dollars could be utilized to encourage housing security.
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Housing Funding: ARPA in Massachusetts
The fight for using ARPA dollars for housing is not over! Dollars from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund – the most flexible pot of COVID relief money provided by the U.S. government – are still available and provide an opportunity to fund housing initiatives that foster a more equitable recovery.
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MassBudget in Partnership: Housing Justice Beyond the Emergency
MassBudget analyst La-Brina Almeida co-authored a groundbreaking report, “Housing Justice Beyond the Emergency: An Analysis of Racial Inequity in Eviction Filings Across Massachusetts,” in collaboration with local partners, Homes for All Massachusetts.
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A False Sense of Housing Security
Maria has been living in fear. Her landlord has been rapping on her door, harassing her and her children for the rent. But, since both Maria and her husband have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 crisis, they can’t pay rent. “We cannot pay the rent if we don’t have jobs,” Maria said through an interpreter at an Oct. 21 rally to pass the Housing Equity Bill. “This is so scary and this bill… is the only solution to protect us from being evicted, from going to the streets.” The eviction crisis in Massachusetts has been a tale of two ...
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Statement on the Expired CDC Eviction Moratorium
Photo via Getty Images Friend, Nobody deserves to wonder if one Supreme Court decision is the difference between keeping their family safely housed or becoming homeless. The Supreme Court’s recent decision lacks acknowledgment of the ongoing public health crisis and the role housing provides in ensuring our collective health and safety. Both the federal and state governments have an opportunity to do right by those in precarious housing situations right now. MassBudget’s recent release, Piecemeal Progress: An Exploration of Massachusetts Housing Investments, highlights the long-standing relationship between state and federal policies impacting the day-to-day lives and housing options people ...
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Piecemeal Progress: An Exploration of Massachusetts Housing Investments
There is a housing crisis in Massachusetts — pre-dating the pandemic and worsened by it. This paper explores the role the state budget plays in addressing the current housing crisis, and considers how the budget itself exacerbates the impacts of racist housing policies leaving thousands – particularly Black, Latinx and low-income households – with inadequate or unstable housing. The state budget lays out the Commonwealth’s values. A look at how the budget funds housing programs and initiatives can demonstrate the state’s priorities and help identify gaps to address the affordable housing crisis. In Massachusetts, the statewide approach to the current ...
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A History of Racist Federal Housing Policies
Image transcription: A History of Racist Federal Housing Policies La-Brina Almeida, Policy Analyst 1933 The Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) was established to assist homeowners who were in default on their mortgages and in foreclosure. HOLC created “Residential Security” maps, which documented how various professionals evaluated mortgage lending risk, systematically grading neighborhoods. The grading included (among other criteria) the economic class and employment status of residents, and the race/ethnicity of residents in the area. Neighborhoods were color-coded on maps ranging from green for “Best” to red for “Hazardous,” this came to be known as “redlining.” Redlining reinforced negative stereotypes about ...
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Municipal Budgets, Local Aid, and Property Taxes Amid COVID-19
As a result of the pandemic, municipalities face increased spending needs and declining revenues. Many have the ability to raise property taxes, though others are constrained by Proposition 2 1/2. Moreover, property taxes tend to fall hardest on those with lower incomes. Without sufficient municipal aid, cities and towns may be forced to make public cuts which would slow the economic recovery.
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MA Property Taxes: Who Pays? Recommendations for More Progressive Policies
Cities and towns rely on property taxes as their chief source of revenue to provide vital public services and infrastructure. Low- and moderate-income households tend to pay a larger portion of income in property taxes than those with high incomes, especially considering how some taxes get passed on from owners to renters. This paper examines why this is the case and what existing policies help make property taxes more progressive.Finally seven kids of state and local policy reforms are discussed that would redirect responsibility for property taxes towards those most able to pay.
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