We have a golden opportunity to meet this ambitious goal. This spring, the Department of Housing and Community Development rolled out the Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC) program, signed into law by Governor Patrick in 2012. This State initiative allots tax credits to certified community development corporations like SCC, to improve economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income households and other residents in our communities.

We are motivated to launch this grand campaign due to the tremendous transformation Somerville will see in the next decade. Just in the next 5 years, Somerville will see 6 new Green Line stations, 6.3 million square feet of development in Assembly and Union Squares, a new community path, and thousands of new jobs and homes. SCC's role in Somerville's expansive transformation is to make sure these new amenities benefit people of all incomes, and that Somerville continues to be a diverse and affordable community. 

These tax credits are issued to public and private entities and individuals who make a financial donation to the organization in order to leverage deeper impact through community development. 

Any individual or entity that donates at least $1000 will be eligible for a tax credit of 50% of their donation. This kind of opportunity does not come often, and we are thrilled by the prospect of leveraging new dollars to significantly expand our impact in Somerville. 

For more information about the campaign, how to get involved, or how to make a donation to be eligible for the tax credit, contact: Meridith Levy, Deputy Director, at [email protected],  or 617.776.5931x242.

Since April, SCC has been participating in Union United - a multi-issue coalition made up of residents, business owners and other stakeholders working to ensure that the Union Square redevelopment process and project results in tangible benefits and not displacement for the Union Square community. 

Over the last few months, we have met to discuss the redevelopment project and begun to craft a community benefits agreement that we hope to negotiate with the City and the master developer. Community benefits agreements, or CBAs, are legally enforceable contracts that have been used across the country to ensure that developments include community amenities like affordable housing, local hiring, and support for small businesses. We hope to complete the CBA by the end of June, and start a negotiating process with the City and the appointed master developer in the next couple of months. 

Fourteen organizations and more than 50 individuals have signed on to take part in the coalition. With the Link Somerville Equity Standards as a reference point, each coalition member has signed a pledge affirming the following equitable outcomes: affordable housing, community space and resources, local jobs and workers' rights, open and green space, public safety, support for small and local businesses, and transparent and participatory planning processes.

We have rallied in support of small business owners facing rent increases, attended multiple community meetings, met with several Aldermen, and sat down with three of the four developer candidates to share our agenda. Our next step is to build alliances with local decision-makers, including City officials and members of the CAC, so that when the master developer is chosen we have many voices in the community contributing to a strong CBA. We have a lot of work to do, but Union United has already come a long way toward creating solidarity, building power, and sharing a narrative of equity and development without displacement.

To get involved, contact Mashael Majid is [email protected] or 617-776-5931 ext. 228. You can also check us out online, on Facebook and Twitter.

Somerville's zoning code is finally changing, bringing with it new opportunities to increase the amount of affordable housing in the city. SCC's Affordable Housing Organizing Committee (AHOC) has been working hard to craft a list of demands for the new inclusionary zoning ordinance, which requires developers to subsidize affordable units as part of new construction. 

AHOC believes that at least 1 out of every 6 new units throughout the city should be affordable, and that proportion should go up to 1 in 5 when new housing is within a half-mile of rapid transit. In May, we presented these demands to the city planners who are writing the new zoning and learned about their plans to simplify the code and make it responsive to community needs. 

On June 12, the Planning Department hosted the first of ten public meetings on the new zoning. These meetings are important opportunities for residents to offer feedback and have a voice in the way Somerville will be developed, and to ensuring that AHOC's demands get incorporated into the new ordinance. 

In addition, we are beginning to look at other ways to increase affordable housing outside of zoning. We need your voice to be part of the conversation! Join us at our next meeting on Thursday, June 19 from 6-8pm at SCC to be part of the movement for affordable housing in Somerville! For more information, email Rene or call 617-776-5931 x226.

If you are interested in getting further involved, there will be a meeting on Community Benefits, including affordable housing, on July 31 at the Public Storage building in Assembly Square. More information about the meetings can be found here.