AFFORDABLE HOUSING INITIATIVES

• AFFORDABLE HOUSING INITIATIVES

• WHAT IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING?

• HOUSING DEVELOPED BY JPNDC

• APPLYING FOR JPNDC HOUSING

AFFORDABLE HOUSING INITIATIVES

Affordable housing is central to our vision of a revitalized community enjoyed by people of all income levels.

The JPNDC’s commitment to creating new affordable housing, and preserving the affordable housing that exists, is rooted in the belief that decent, secure housing is a basic human right.

Affordable housing also helps keep our community stable.  Attractive homes that blend into the community, while providing secure housing for low- and moderate-income families and seniors, have improved the quality of life on dozens of streets in Jamaica Plain.  Housing that is affordable – whether homeownership, rental, or cooperative housing – allows its residents to be active members of their community because they are not burdened by excessive, unpredictable rents.

WHAT IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING?

"Affordable housing" includes many kinds of housing: rental, cooperative, homeownership, and supportive housing for seniors and persons with disabilities. Commonly, housing is considered "affordable" for a low- and moderate-income household when the household pays no more than 30 percent of its gross (pre-tax) income for rent or mortgage payments.

The JPNDC develops affordable housing at a range of affordability levels to meet different needs - from the needs of formerly homeless individuals and very low-income families for whom decent, secure housing is essential to health and stability, to the needs of moderate income people who are priced out of our country's eighth most expensive housing market.

We use Area Median Income (AMI) as our measurement tool, which allows us to meet requirements for public financing and project-based subsidies. AMI is defined by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. Specific units within each of our projects are designated to be rented or sold to households that fall under different percentages of AMI. Households that earn up to 80% of AMI may qualify for a mortgage and can therefore participate in first-time homebuyer programs.

According to HUD, the current AMI for the Greater Boston area (including suburbs) is slightly under $81,000 for a family of four. The homes that the JPNDC has developed over the past ten years illustrate how affordable housing benefits people across a range of incomes. These have included:

• 54 apartments, cooperative units and units for first-time homebuyer purchase for households with income less than 80% AMI ($64,800 family of four).

• 43 apartments and cooperative units for households earning less than 60% AMI ($48,600 family of four)

• 69 apartments and cooperative units for households earning less than 50% AMI ($40,500 family of four)

• 44 apartments and cooperative units for formerly homeless people, including seniors, and families with income less than 30% AMI ($24,300 family of four).

HOUSING DEVELOPED BY JPNDC

We have developed more than 480 new affordable homes, including first-time homebuyer housing, senior apartments, and resident-run cooperatives.

Over the next five years, we will be developing more than 250 more units. See the difference we've made as well as affordable housing under development.

APPLYING FOR JPNDC HOUSING

For housing assistance info click here or to put your name on the waiting list:

For the Hyde Square Cooperative, JP Scattered Site Cooperative, Julia Martin House, Forest Glen Cooperative, Rockvale Circle Cooperative or Catherine Gallagher Cooperative, contact Peabody Properties at 781-794-1000.

For the Angela Westover House, Nate Smith House, or Pondview Apartments, call Maloney Properties at 781-943-0200 ext. 300.

Contact us or call us at 617-522-2424 ext. 277.