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Housing advocates this week urged city leaders to move more quickly on measures that encourage home ownership and reduce the cost of housing in the city.
Haverhill Homes 4 All, a coalition of business owners, social service agencies, home builders and faith groups put the spotlight on how the national housing shortage is playing out in Haverhill during a forum Monday night. Some 50 people attended including Mayor Melinda E. Barrett and several members of the Haverhill City Council.
Nate Robertson, a member of the Haverhill Planning Board, moderated the forum. He started out by noting that not long ago, Haverhill was considered an affordable community. However, the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission study found that since 2000 rents have increased by 86% and house prices have gone up 101%. The report also found that 82% of Haverhill homeowners would not have the income to qualify for mortgages on their home today.
“When I see housing costs go up, when I see rents go up and I see Haverhill lose it affordability, it breaks my heart because I know what that struggle is like. We hear stories about it all the time with people in our community and our loved ones. Really that’s why we started Haverhill Homes 4 all. We kept having these same conversations. We really wanted to shed some light on it,” he explained.
Robertson argued high housing costs have a ripple effect on everyone in the city because if residents are straining to pay their mortgage or rent, they are not shopping at city businesses.
The event was timed with the release of a draft Housing Production Plan by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission which explains why demand for housing is exceeding supply. The report proposes several initiatives the city could take in the next five years to expand housing opportunities.
Among those in the audience struggling to find a home she can afford was Katherine Hailson. Hailson said she and her husband moved to Haverhill following college because they found a good apartment that two young people starting out could afford. Now they want to buy their own home, but the dream of homeownership seems out of reach.
“Especially year after year when the prices keep going it feels like you have to make a bigger lump sum of that down payment and it’s really discouraging. It gets to the point where owning a home sort of feels like a fantasy and is really should be attainable.”
Keith Boucher, a panelist, said he was among the many older residents of the city who live in larger homes and who would benefit from a greater offering of smaller homes and apartments so they could downsize and leave their larger houses available to families. He also warned unless the city provides more affordable housing options, young people will leave and the city’s workforce will suffer.
“What’s going to happen when people just can’t afford that anymore. Who’s going to make the coffee? Who’s going to serve you a cocktail when you go out to dinner? Who’s going to bag your groceries?”
Ian Burns, a planner with the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, walked the audience through the housing plan noting places where subtle changes in Haverhill’s housing policies could have a big impact.
“Housing is a very unique commodity where it is necessary to live and everybody needs it. But we live in a capitalist society and everything is market-based and housing is funny because when a new thing is built, everyone demands it be the cheapest thing,” he said.
The report suggests creating a “starter home” zoning overlay district to make it easier for developers to build smaller homes for first-time homebuyers. It also encourages city leaders to activate an Affordable Housing Trust, which would make the city eligible for additional state housing assistance. Another idea is encouraging the construction of more triple-deckers which often support multigenerational housing.
The state paid and required report notes Haverhill added 6,900 residents between 2010 and 2020 and 60% of its units are owner-occupied. Between 2020 and 2050, Haverhill is expected to see a demographic shift with an 11% increase in residents above age 65. Census data show that incomes have increased 39% between 2000 and 2020, but rents have increased by 86%. While 60% of Haverhill’s households are one- and two-person, 49% of the housing stock is one and two bedrooms.
Robertson said his group supports the overall goals of the housing production plan, but is concerned about the timelines. The group would also like the city to hire a housing czar to keep focus on the plan’s goals.
“We think these is a real opportunity to cut down on the time from 12 months to three months to really speed up how quickly we are addressing some of these strategies,” he said.
City councilors must approve the formal Housing Production Plan and send it to the state for certification.
