New Visions for Social Housing in Massachusetts

The course will have students develop a proposal for Massachusetts state officials for public action to support a new (or re-invigorated) form of social housing in Massachusetts as a response to the persistent and growing housing affordability challenges in the state. The precise definition of social housing will be developed as part of the course but will have at its foundation the notion of housing that is owned by public or nonprofit organizations that is permanent affordability and has a strong element of resident control.

Students will learn about the rationale for an expanding social housing sector; investigate alternative formulations of social housing through the examination of social housing models from other countries and proposals and pilots in the US; assess the current landscape of public and nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts and their capacity for taking on new roles that could form the foundation of a new form of social housing; and engage with public, nonprofit and for profit representatives in Massachusetts to help inform the development of a proposal for policies that would enable a new form of social housing in the state.

The course would be expected to be primarily of interest to students in urban planning and real estate at the GSD and in public policy at HKS. Students would ideally have a background in affordable housing policy and/or affordable housing development although students without this background will be considered for admission to the course.

The class will often feature guests with experience in each of the domains identified above (including experts in international social housing models, defining and developing proposals and pilot programs for social housing in the US, current public and nonprofit housing providers in Massachusetts, and policy makers and advocates who would lead efforts to introduce social legislation in the state).

Students will work individually or in small groups to develop a proposed model for a new form of social housing in Massachusetts. The proposals will provide a definition and rationale for social housing, specify the role for different public, nonprofit and for profit organizations in the new model, identify the public resources that would required to support the sector (eg, sources of development capital, land for siting housing, support for operating costs of both social housing organizations and their housing developments, and technical assistance to support the field), and the form of governance and oversight of the social housing organizations. Students may select a client for the project, drawing from a range of interested parties such as CHAPA, the Mass Association of CDCs (or a large CDC), local public housing authorities, MassHousing, the Department of Housing and Livable Communities, or state senators or representatives.  Students will be required to present their proposals in a final review to a panel of experts and interested parties from Massachusetts drawing from the organizations identified as clients (who will likely have been guests who visited the course during the semester).