MASHPEE – State housing secretary Edward Augustus recently visited Mashpee’s LeClair Village, an affordable housing community being developed by Housing Assistance and Preservation of Affordable Housing as part of a visit to the Cape and Islands.
During the visit, he and elected officials from the region discussed the work needed to improve housing in the region, which has struggled with diminished inventories and rising costs that have left many residents at risk of homelessness.
Offering 39 units ranging from one to three bedrooms for applicants with an income at or below 60 percent of area median income, LeClair Village is one of many projects in the effort to alleviate the burdens on housing.
The visit came on the same day Augustus visited Cape Cod Community College to hear public input as part of a state-wide listening tour discussing the Healey administration’s five-year strategic housing plan.
“It really takes everybody working together, problem-solving,” said Augustus, acknowledging the difficulties facing the Cape & Islands.
“We want to do everything we can to make it quicker and easier, but in the meantime, it is all about partnership,” he said. “If we sit and reason together and we bring facts to the conversation, we can strike the right balance, protecting our environment and providing housing that people need. That’s what I’m taking away from today’s conversation.”
The state announced its Affordable Homes Act in October of last year, which includes $4 billion in capital spending authorizations to promote new housing for state residents.
Regional officials also recently released a Regional Housing Strategy, emphasizing redevelopment of existing housing stocks and wide-scale alterations to municipal coding laws to support increased production of multi-family and mixed-use residential properties.
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