Cambridge Ordinance Committee Leaves Affordable Housing Trust Petition in Committee

CAMBRIDGE — May 21, 2024 — Cambridge's Ordinance Committee heard but did not advance a zoning petition that would allow the Affordable Housing Trust to fund municipal rental vouchers, expand board membership, and require quarterly financial reports. The Griffin petition, presented by the Cambridge Housing Justice Coalition, calls on the trust to add vouchers and projects for unhoused residents as explicit spending categories, expand its board from nine to 13 members with at least six drawn from populations experiencing housing instability, and pay member stipends. Acting City Solicitor Megan Bear told the committee that individual rental vouchers are not an authorized use under the trust's existing state special act, though project-based vouchers tied to specific units may be permissible; she said switching to the statewide enabling legislation under Chapter 44, Section 55C — the route Somerville used to fund a $3.6 million voucher pilot serving about 30 undocumented households — has never been studied and could carry unintended consequences. Chris Cotter, director of housing for the community development department, said the city is preparing a comprehensive trust fund-balance report for June and noted that $16 million in city funds was committed to programs for unhoused residents in fiscal year 2025. With no motion to advance it, the petition remains in committee and expires August 19, 2024.