Boston’s Mayor’s Office of Housing is working to close the wealth gap through multiple strategies, including creating and preserving affordable housing, supporting homeowners and renters, providing housing services to homeless individuals, and developing city-owned property. The City has adopted several approaches to help low and moderate-income families become homeowners, including financial assistance programs and transferring vacant lots to diverse and community-based developers who create homes to sell below market rates. The FUSE Executive Fellow will begin by developing relationships with key stakeholders and reviewing the Office’s assessment of current and potential housing and homeownership policies and programs.
The Fellow will identify two or three priority projects from this assessment to advance during their fellowship year. This work includes engaging with members of the public, collaborating with the City Council on necessary ordinances, and building infrastructure to facilitate ongoing discussions. The initiative acknowledges that many of Boston’s vacant lots came into its possession due to policies that disproportionately caused certain communities to default on loans or tax debts, and aims to incorporate principles of equal access into decision-making about those properties. Beyond implementing specific projects, the Fellow will develop toolkits and guidance so that at the end of the year, staff have replicable approaches to pilot and develop new programs, ensuring the long-term sustainability of inclusive housing initiatives.