Citizens Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) is pleased to announce that they are now accepting applications for 2-3 new communities to join their Municipal Engagement Initiative. To obtain an application, please go to this website to start the process. Complete applications must be submitted via email to Dana LeWinter, Municipal Engagement Director, at dlewinter@chapa.org by 5 PM on Thursday, August 8, 2019.

CHAPA’s Municipal Engagement Initiative seeks to help communities to build support for affordable housing production in cities and towns across the Commonwealth. CHAPA’s Municipal Engagement staff works with local municipalities and community groups to conduct public education efforts in support of their housing production efforts, with an emphasis on increasing affordable housing. Strategies will be developed to work within the context and goals of each community.

While all communities will benefit from public education and community discussions about the need for housing development and how it benefits communities economically, each community is unique in its character, land, zoning, and housing stock. CHAPA strives to develop a community engagement model that will broadly work in all communities while allowing for flexibility in the model to work within each unique environment. The Municipal Engagement Initiative is based on the collaborative model CHAPA uses at the state level, focusing on building coalitions that work together to address each community’s housing challenges. Coalition building at the local level will bring together stakeholders representing local businesses, civic groups, houses of worship, and other groups and individuals that are active in each community.

In addition to meeting the required criteria outlined below, all applications should align with CHAPA’s mission to encourage the production and preservation of housing that is affordable to low and moderate income families and individuals and to foster diverse and sustainable communities through planning and community development.

Both Municipal Governments and Community Organizations are encouraged to apply.

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Required:

1. Market Conditions to support Housing Production and Affordable Housing
2. Additional Conditions needed to build support. Examples of conditions that indicate need may include, but are not limited to:
   • Municipal staff seeking assistance to engage community around housing production and affordable housing,
   • Local advocacy or community group seeking assistance to engage community,
   • No existing coalition,
   • High level of organized opposition preventing municipality from moving forward with efforts to produce housing,
   • Close votes on zoning and development proposals, or
   • Missed opportunities identified
3. Welcomed by Municipality at some level (Mayor, Town Manager, ZBA, Planning Staff, Fair Housing Commission, etc.)

Additional Considerations:

1. Trigger: New Zoning proposal, specific site changing hands, public site available for affordable housing, new leadership, new regulation or policy being explored
2. Past Effort: Consideration will be gievn to past efforts, barriers, challenges, and potential for impact
3. Collaboration with other Technical Assistance efforts: The MEI seeks to coordinate efforts with other technical assistance providers to maximize impact

Note: Attention will be paid to reaching communities of different sizes, geographies and stages of housing production activity, but this will not be the only criteria.

To obtain an application, please go to this website to start the process. For more information, please visit the CHAPA Municipal Engagement Initiative webpage or contact Dana LeWinter, Director of Municipal Engagement, at dlewinter@chapa.org or 617-701-7479.