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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) – Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has announced several initiatives aimed at improving affordable housing conditions in the city.
“Today’s news is a major step toward protecting current and future residents’ access to dignified affordable housing,” Wu said Thursday during a press conference. “It’s an investment that speaks to our city’s commitment to this community.”
Wu will be signing an executive order that will help provide safe, sanitary and decent affordable housing to low-to-moderate-income residents. The order will make Boston the first major city in the country to include "affirmatively furthering fair housing requirements" in its zoning code.
“This order would implement the assessment of fair housing,” Wu said. “This is a culmination of multi-year, community-led effort to identify fair housing challenges and priorities as well as action steps to advance a fair housing agenda in Boston.”
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Mayor Wu also announced that the city will be investing $50 million to help improve plumbing, ventilation and other renovations across 526 units at the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments. The funds will come from several sources including Boston’s capital budget and federal funds from the American Rescue Plan.
“We plan to make affordable housing a top priority when it comes to putting federal recovering funding to good use,” Wu said. “That means preserving and improving affordable housing that already exists as well as adding more affordable housing options for residents across the city.”
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Wu also mentioned that these renovations will help improve the quality of life for residents by preventing several environmental hazards like mold and mildew.
“Housing justice is climate justice and with this investment we are proud to be advancing both.”
The Boston Housing Authority will be putting out requests for approvals within the coming weeks for architectural and engineering services to assess the scope of onsite work.
WBZ's Karyn Regal (@Karynregal) has more:
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