Study finds increased housing instability in Pioneer Valley, particularly among minorities
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A study by the UMass Donahue Institute has found affordable housing in the Pioneer Valley is increasingly out of reach. (Don Treeger / The Republican file photo)
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SPRINGFIELD A study by the UMass Donahue Institute has found affordable housing in the Pioneer Valley is increasingly out of reach, particularly among minorities, and further impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The 52-page report looks at “housing instability,” which is gauged by various measures of affordability as well as data on foreclosures, vacancy rates and homelessness. It says housing inequities in the region stem from economic pressure “as well as a long history overt and covert racist policies and practices that created and reinforced residential segregation.”
Springfield official, organizations describe deep need for rent and utility assistance during COVID pandemic
Updated Mar 04, 2021;
SPRINGFIELD City officials and organizations that help the homeless and poor said this week there remains a dire need for financial assistance and guidance as families cope with rent arrears and the threat of evictions.
The challenges were discussed during a meeting on Tuesday conducted by the City Council’s COVID-19 Response Committee.
Geraldine McCafferty, the city’s director of housing, said Wednesday in the aftermath of the meeting that thousands of residents are at threat of eviction or foreclosure under the pandemic.
“There is a critical need for rent, mortgage and utility assistance, to fill the lost-income gap and keep people in their homes,” McCafferty said. “Springfield also has many small landlords, who rely on the payments their tenants have been unable to make.”
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