As Fall River and the rest of the country recover from the pandemic and face financial struggles due to rising inflation, finding and maintaining affordable housing is a growing problem. United Interfaith Action (UIA) of Southeastern Massachusetts held a community meeting last week to seek solutions to improving affordable housing in Fall River.
UIA member and pastor of First Baptist Church Reverend Jamie Spriggs says in the past year she has seen a marked increase in those seeking housing assistance.
Longtime Fall River resident Dwayne Dean shared his story of soon becoming housing insecure.
UIA members cited long wait times for public housing, the high number of eviction proceedings and not enough homeless beds in seeking help from the city to spend more on affordable housing. The UIA proposal calls for Fall River to spend an additional $10 million dollars in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Community Development Block Grant funds on the following initiatives:
- $1.5 million in housing stabilization funds for renters;
- $5 million for the creation or substantial renovation of more affordable housing;
- $1 million for homeownership opportunities for low-to-moderate income families;
- $2.5 million to address homelessness.
Mayor Paul Coogan took questions from the group, saying that the influx of new federal money came at a big cost– 400 city residents dead and over 30,000 sick caused by the pandemic. He also said the city is currently spending ARPA funds on addressing the housing issue.
The mayor went on to say that Fall River has stepped up to help produce affordable housing while neighboring towns have not.
Comments are closed.