Finding a Balance?
The next step is figuring out how to find a balance in housing resources which will create the largest benefit to the Melrose community as a whole. By adding additional affordable housing there’s benefits and drawbacks to each one and it raises a lot of very important questions.
Currently the affordable housing policies prohibit people such as Yolanda who are already living in public housing from “moving up” and into new buildings under affordable housing programs like the 80/20 program or even housing made specifically reserved for public school teachers. These new buildings have nicer, more attractive amenities than her current Melrose Projects apartment and given the opportunity, she would love to move.
We must figure out how to balance addressing the needs of those in the surrounding areas who are in need of stable housing and those of the current, longtime residents of Melrose who have all aspects of their lives centered in the community. How do we balance investment from outside companies into the area without pushing those who are already living there out? How do we ensure that both the homeless and those living in shelters —from the area or not— are given access to a steady home without taking away all opportunity from those living in Melrose. Can we even find a solution?
How can we keep people like Maria and Yolanda, who have built their lives in Melrose from being kicked out because of real estate greed? There is no magic number of how many of each types of housing opportunities should be built; there’s always going to be some drawback for each group. However, through groups like Nos Quedamos and WHEDco working with people with attitudes towards better their own community like Maria and Yolanda, there’s certainly going to be progress towards building a better Melrose.