POR 2024-24
City Manager is hereby directed to confer with the City Manager’s Housing Liaison, Community Development Department, and the Cambridge Housing Authority on the feasibility of municipally-funded housing vouchers
the last “Whereas” by striking the words “of this municipal resource and” and striking the words “pros and cons of adopting a similar program to Boston and Somerville” and adding the words “and evaluate the impact of a voucher program similar to Boston and Somerville as a complement to building affordable house” after the word “feasibility”The clerk's words, from the minutes of Feb 26, 2024, p. 11.
the first “ordered” to add the words “identification of potential existing revenue sources including unallocated ARPA funds, the Affordable Housing Trust and CPA dollars for funding such program, and” after the words “vouchers and”The clerk's words, from the minutes of Feb 26, 2024, p. 11.
View the roll call
Voted yes (8), unanimous
Marc McGovern
Patty Nolan
Joan Pickett
Sumbul Siddiqui
Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler
Paul F. Toner
Ayesha M. Wilson
E. Denise Simmons
Absent (1)
Burhan Azeem
O-5
The City of Boston Voucher Program (“CBVP”) was established with a $2.5m appropriation from the city’s general fund, which was increased to $5m in the FY22 budget and is administered by the Boston Housing Authority (BHA); and
CBVP focuses on Project Based Vouchers tied to a particular site or development and aims to leverage city resources by deepening the affordability of both existing and in- development income-restricted housing; and
The City of Somerville started a new fully municipally funded voucher program with a priority for Somerville families who have kids in the public schools and who are ineligible for federal housing resources; and
Funding for Somerville’s program comes from ARPA dollars to begin with, and likely pivot to funds from the Somerville Affordable Housing Trust when necessary; and
The Cambridge City Council has passed multiple policy orders regarding the use of city financed vouchers, including PO #581 in 2015, PO #78 in 2016; PO #47 in 2023; and
As outlined in the Envision Cambridge report, “both home values and rents nearly doubled between 2000 and 2015,” requiring a household income of $100,000 to rent a 1 bedroom apartment, although the median household income in Cambridge is $75,000, and prices have only risen since the time the report was published; and
The City of Cambridge should explore the feasibility of this municipal resource and pros and cons of adopting a similar program to Boston and Somerville; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and is hereby directed to confer with the City Manager’s
Housing Liaison, Community Development Department, and the Cambridge Housing
Authority on the feasibility of municipally-funded housing vouchers and report back to the City Council in a timely manner; and be it further
ORDERED: That the matter be referred to the Housing Committee for a meeting to discuss.
Public Comment (5)
5 written comments received (2024-03-04 – 2024-05-06). Letter-writers are named in the city's own agenda and are not republished here, by policy.