Massachusetts REALTORS® Win Campaign to Protect Affordable Housing Law

The Massachusetts association used NAR’s Ira Gribin Workforce Housing Grant in 2011 to help fund an advocacy campaign to sustain the Commonwealth’s Affordable/Workforce Housing Statute.  The REALTOR^®-supported statute enables local zoning boards of appeals to approve affordable housing developments under flexible rules. The Massachusetts association and a diverse coalition of housing groups successfully beat opponents who had obtained sufficient signatures for a recall referendum. Had it passed, this referendum would have repealed a law that helped to create more than 56,000 homes across Massachusetts for low- and middle-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities over its 40-year history. (Note:  While this particular grant is no longer available from NAR, Housing Opportunity Grants and Issues Mobilization funds could be used for programs like this one.)

• Check out the Massachusetts Association campaign website
• Read MAR Election Day Blog Post
• Hear Campaign Podcast by MAR President Kevin Sears
• View PowerPoint Presentation on the campaign (6.4M PDF)