Mayor advocates for more affordable housing opportunities for Everett residents

Met with Secretary Ed Augustus at Glendale Towers to discuss affordable housing and more

Special to The Advocate

  Mayor Carlo DeMaria recently met with Secretary Ed Augustus from the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) at Glendale Towers to discuss the importance of creating more affordable housing opportunities for Everett residents. The Mayor, along with State Rep. Joe McGonagle, shared with the Secretary concerns about how units under current affordability programs still require rents that are higher than struggling Everett families can afford and the need to find ways to further reduce the rents in affordability programs. The Mayor also used the opportunity to ask for the Secretary’s support in encouraging his colleagues at MassDOT and the MBTA to expand public transportation options for Everett residents because Everett is creating housing comparable to what other communities with more public transit options are building.

Secretary Augustus’ visit also included a tour of Glendale Towers. The Secretary shared with the Mayor and the Representative provisions of Governor Maura Healey’s Affordable Homes Act bill that would create three times more capital funds for improvements to housing authority properties. The Governor’s bill is still pending in the legislature.

“Representative McGonagle and I are doing what we can to advocate for our residents who are struggling to afford to live and need help,” said Mayor DeMaria. “I’d like to thank Secretary Augustus for taking the time to meet with us to discuss these important issues, and I remain hopeful that we can continue to help address these concerns.”