Medford Housing Trust outlines five-year plan to expand affordable housing

Juliana Pinto is a student at Endicott College studying journalism.

The Medford Affordable Housing Trust Fund convened March 12 to discuss its official action plan, which includes zoning amendments, city-owned lot developments, and nonprofit partnerships aimed at expanding affordable housing opportunities.

Established in 2024, the trust was created through collaboration between the Mayor’s Office, the Office of Planning, Development and Sustainability, and the City Council. The initiative serves as “a tool that enables the city to aggregate funding from different sources to dedicate to affordable housing,” said Roberta Cameron, a board member who led Wednesday’s meeting.

Board members in attendance included Lisa Anne Davidson, Penelope Taylor, Kayla Lessin, Lisa Sun, and Kerri Weaver. Medford residents also participated, offering input as the trust developed its long-term housing strategies.

“That’s what we’re here for today, which is kind of a business plan” said Davidson, “which is setting goals and guiding what the trust focuses on in the next five years.”

Cameron outlined key strategies under consideration, including amending zoning regulations, developing city-owned lots, partnering with nonprofits, supporting rental assistance programs, and advocating for broader housing affordability.

“We’re facilitating affordable housing development by looking to partner with nonprofit organizations and partner with the Medford Housing Authority,” said Cameron. “We’re looking to support low and moderate income households in the community, through housing stability programs and through advocating to help them access housing if they’re voucher holders, or low income tenants.”

The board also reviewed Medford’s shifting housing demographics. Between 2010 and 2020, the city saw an influx of over 4,000 young adults and a rise in non-family households, leading to more shared rentals. Additionally, Medford’s population of people of color and immigrants has increased.

One priority for the trust is creating what Cameron called “Capital A Affordable Housing.”

“Affordable housing should cost less than 30% of the income of households who earn below a specific level, and the capital A affordable housing has protection to ensure that it stays affordable to households below that specific level,” Cameron said.

Medford currently has approximately 8.12% of its housing stock classified as affordable, below the state’s target of 10% for communities. This includes 1,090 public housing units, 924 units in mixed-income developments, 26 units managed by affordable housing organizations, and 49 units administered by the Department of Developmental Services and the Department of Mental Health.

The meeting also addressed existing funding sources for affordable housing.

The primary funding resources include the Community Preservation Act, which generates $2 million annually, and the Community Development Block Grant, which provides approximately $1.4 million a year. Medford also participates in the North Suburban Home Consortium, a regional program that distributes $2.3 million among eight communities.

The meeting concluded with a public Q&A session covering topics such as housing vouchers, rental costs, zoning possibilities, and potential development sites in Medford.

Adithi Moogoor, staff planner for the trust, also detailed efforts to engage the community in the planning process.

“We worked with the city’s community liaison to reach out to harder to reach populations,” said Moogor. “We’ve used the city’s communication channels like emails and newsletters and through the city councilors as well.”

Moogor also added that engagement efforts have included outreach at senior centers and collaboration with advocacy groups like Safe Medford, Housing Medford, and Our Revolution Medford.

The MAHT plans to release a draft of its official Action Plan in June for public comment, with a final version set to be presented at a public meeting on July 16.

The Medford Affordable Housing Trust meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 6 p.m. in person at 85 George P. Hassett Drive Medford, MA, 02155, and via Zoom through this link on their website.