Concerned Residents Launch "Homes On Hancock" To Promote Safe, Dignified Affordable Housing On Beacon Hill

Lists Five Key Criteria For Construction of Affordable Housing

BOSTON, June 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today a group of concerned Beacon Hill residents announced the successful formation of a new 501(c)(3) non-profit organization called "Homes On Hancock" to support high-quality, safe and affordable housing on Hancock Street and the North Slope.

Their first priority is 27-29 Hancock Street in Boston, properties that have sat empty and in a state of disrepair for 30 years and are now owned by a New-York based luxury developer with the financial backing of a large hedge fund investor.

Homes on Hancock launched a web site and a petition expressing support for a modern apartment-based solution for affordable housing at 27-29 Hancock Street. To date, the petition has gained over 300 signatures.

Currently, the City is exploring a plan to create a new women-only Single Room Occupancy (SRO) facility with 36 units that at just 125 and 150-square-feet, resemble boarding houses and lack private bathrooms or kitchens. Homes on Hancock and petition supporters believe that Boston and Beacon Hill can do better and are prepared to work with the City of Boston on an alternative proposal to develop 27-29 Hancock Street into new apartments for low-income women and families.

"Beacon Hill has a proud history of developing safe, high-quality and affordable housing through close neighborhood involvement, and this project should be no exception," said Victoria Kinnealey, spokesperson for Homes on Hancock. "As residents and taxpayers, we support dignified affordable housing and transparency for the planning and development process of these properties. Launching Homes on Hancock provides a new platform for our neighborhood to constructively engage with elected officials, the City of Boston and other decision makers to ensure that these properties will be utilized for safe affordable housing units and meet the needs of vulnerable populations while complying with applicable laws."

Homes on Hancock is advocating for affordable housing at 27-29 Hancock that meet the following five criteria:

• Adequately sized apartments that provide private kitchenettes and bathrooms.
• Ability to accommodate low-income women with children.
• A community that is appropriately sized for on-site support (10 units); as Mayor Wu has said "the only way to truly help someone stabilize is to address their individual needs, person by person." - Boston Globe
• Compliance with all zoning, fire and other applicable building codes.
• Drug-free with zero tolerance policies strongly enforced.

"As you can learn from our new website, cities like Philadelphia, New York City, Los Angeles and even Cambridge have modernized their affordable housing options to transition away from boarding houses with shared bathrooms and kitchens and towards apartment-based living for families, women and single mothers," concluded Kinnealey. "Homes on Hancock is here to work with the City of Boston and help find a path forward that gives low-income Bostonians the best opportunity to rise up."

Additionally, Homes on Hancock today published an editorial in the Beacon Hill Times.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE Homes on Hancock

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