OBSERVER CORPS REPORT 2022
The Mission Statement of the Affordable Housing Committee:
The Falmouth Affordable Housing Committee assists the Board of Selectmen in its efforts to provide a full range of housing choices for households of all incomes, ages, and abilities. The Committee works to identify our workforce housing needs, to reduce the out-migration of our younger residents, and to minimize the displacement of our elderly on fixed incomes.
The AHC serves in an advisory capacity to support the Board of Selectmen. Its current members are: Edward Curley (Chair), Kerry Walton (Vice Chair), Jordan Frye (Clerk), Pamela Harting-Barrat, Jessica O’Brien, and Stephen Craft. As of July 1, Mr. Curley steps down and Kerry Walton will become Chair. There are also a number of interested housing agency directors as well as devoted citizens who attend the monthly meetings.
I began observing the AHC in December 2021. I readily admit that I am a complete novice, and I expect that it will take me about two years to understand the acronyms that are the basic housing vocabulary, and a further two years to understand how the process works. So please bear this in mind!]
The Committee members are dedicated to their pursuit of reasonable housing in Falmouth. They are respectful of one another and of the visiting public in their discussions. I believe that are about 15 properties that are currently being watched, considered, and monitored by the Committee. The two obstacles to the success of affordable housing are, of course, the cost of building or rehabilitation and the lack of inventory. The Committee is being urged by Mr. Curley to “think outside the box” for new and different revenue streams to finance future endeavors.
As for lack of inventory, I understand that:
- Due to the pandemic, many people with big city incomes relocated here as they chose to work remotely, squeezing out local residents.
- Because of the current seller’s market, landlords are selling their houses instead of renting them, as in the past.
- People who used to rent their houses or rooms to locals now prefer to rent through AirBnB to make more money.
- Developers are buying up the little houses and flipping them to sell at much higher prices.
Consequently, even the well-paid professionals who work in Falmouth are priced out of the local housing market. Then there are those living on a fixed income, those living with only seasonal income, and those with no consistent earning capability…
Moreover, there seems to be very broad stereotyping of the people who need affordable housing which makes finding new solutions very difficult. The Committee understands that educating the citizens of Falmouth is a very important piece of their age
Lynne Rosza, League Observer
