Low Income Households growing at Fastest Rate in Boston (health insurance, house)

[jpdivola]

I suspect 4 major factors that have driven changes since 1990 are:

1) more immigration- immigrants tend to be both better educated and less educated than the native born population
2) missing middle housing policies- rising market rate housing prices pushing out middle class residents, while subsidized housing helps keep lower people in the city.
3) household composition change- higher ratio of single parent households to 2-parent households.
4) fewer middle skilled jobs

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by jpdivola

I suspect 4 major factors that have driven changes since 1990 are:

1) more immigration- immigrants tend to be both better educated and less educated than the native born population
2) missing middle housing policies- rising market rate housing prices pushing out middle class residents, while subsidized housing helps keep lower people in the city.
3) household composition change- higher ratio of single parent households to 2-parent households.
4) fewer middle skilled jobs

I agree with this a lot. Id just adjust point 2. I think there "affordable housing" policies is mostly aimed at the middle class in Boston for sure. Its usually for people making 70-110k. So there is a good mix of middle class people in even poor parts of Boston.

For many decades Boston and some communities like Lynn and Chelsea relied on low income and moderate income people just to keep their populations afloat and neighborhoods populated. Once those units and policies become entrenched they're hard to get rid of.

I think its moreso that surrounding towns and cities dont do there share in creating new units that low income people can move into. So the typical displacement gentrification you see in most of the country is harder to do in New England due to local control. Other towns simply dont have the rental stock to take in poor people-and wont build it- so the burden remains with Boston.

[yesmaybe]

Originally Posted by KoNgFooCj

I say that's a good thing. Well specifically what would be great is low income housing units. A city loses its soul when only the rich are allowed to live there. Some would probably say that's a bad sign and the healthiest, most successful city is one which has priced out anyone making less than 100k. Everyone has their own opinion.

But they aren't rich. What's going on is that you have is plenty of single people living with roomates, way, way more than in the past. 3 single adults making 40k each in a 2 bdr, that's technically a 120k household.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by yesmaybe

But they aren't rich. What's going on is that you have is plenty of single people living with roomates, way, way more than in the past. 3 single adults making 40k each in a 2 bdr, that's technically a 120k household.

Agreed, i think most data reports tend to support this hypothesis.

[missionhill]

How can the numbers of people in poverty be increasing in Boston-- Where do they live? As you say most "affordable" housing is middle income. Housing Authority projects and low-income subsidized units have waiting lists. There are no cheap apartments on the private market.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by missionhill

How can the numbers of people in poverty be increasing in Boston-- Where do they live? As you say most "affordable" housing is middle income. Housing Authority projects and low-income subsidized units have waiting lists. There are no cheap apartments on the private market.

Multiple people (and sometimes multiple families) piling up into a single home/apartment. That has already been covered in this thread.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by missionhill

How can the numbers of people in poverty be increasing in Boston-- Where do they live? As you say most "affordable" housing is middle income. Housing Authority projects and low-income subsidized units have waiting lists. There are no cheap apartments on the private market.

People just pile in. I think most people born and raised in Boston in the 1990s still live with their parents. The low-incomepeople that were here in the past are largely still here. There’s no where else for them to go. There are not enough units in MA for them to move into. You don’t see any vacant or abandoned buildings even in the poorest cities in Greater Boston. PoorLow-income

Throughtout the 1990s and 2000s lots of of low income and moderate income infill and community land trust housing was built by non-profits on vacant lots in Boston. It was about 35% of all housing built during that time compare to less than 20% today. So I’d imagine lots of poor people moved in our were able to remain due to the policies of the 1990s and 2000s.

Also Boston is expensive due to demand. that demand is due to practical reasons , work and school. Lots of work opportunities here that dont pay well and low income people have to go to school too. Or want to.

Boston neighborhoods that arent near transit or things to doand have street crime have been getting passed over and still are because theyre simply not very desirable places to live. Theyre just necessary and functional. So low-income people pile in them and people with a bit more money spend the extra 100 per month and pile in somewhere sexier than walk hill road- allston , jp maybe.

Also were talking low income not neccesarily poor..

[mdovell]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

People just pile in. I think most people born and raised in Boston in the 1990s still live with their parents. The low-incomepeople that were here in the past are largely still here. There’s no where else for them to go. There are not enough units in MA for them to move into. You don’t see any vacant or abandoned buildings even in the poorest cities in Greater Boston. PoorLow-income

Throughtout the 1990s and 2000s lots of of low income and moderate income infill and community land trust housing was built by non-profits on vacant lots in Boston. It was about 35% of all housing built during that time compare to less than 20% today. So I’d imagine lots of poor people moved in our were able to remain due to the policies of the 1990s and 2000s.

Also Boston is expensive due to demand. that demand is due to practical reasons , work and school. Lots of work opportunities here that dont pay well and low income people have to go to school too. Or want to.

Boston neighborhoods that arent near transit or things to doand have street crime have been getting passed over and still are because theyre simply not very desirable places to live. Theyre just necessary and functional. So low-income people pile in them and people with a bit more money spend the extra 100 per month and pile in somewhere sexier than walk hill road- allston , jp maybe.

Also were talking low income not neccesarily poor..

Bing Bing bing

You also have to note that student housing is a constant. It's not like students stay after graduation. So like forms of public housing if assured the flow keeps coming

[BostonBornMassMade]

A study by. Mass inc confirms what we already suspected. Displacing people to gateway cities isn’t a realistic cure because the Commuter rail is far to expensive for low-income folks.

https://www.wbur.org/bostonomix/2019...gateway-cities

“The study finds that commuter rail fares make up a larger percent of median household incomes in gateway cities than in more affluent suburbs closer to Boston. For example, the cost of traveling to Boston from Fall River is $4,656 yearly — about 15% of the city's median household income — compared to Winchester, where the cost of riding the commuter rail yearly amounts to just 2% of the city's median household income.

These costs put the commuter rail out of reach for many lower income residents in gateway cities, the study noted. For example, just 7% of those who board the Lynn commuter rail station are low-income residents, even though they make up two-thirds of the residents in the area, the study found.”

[Bridge781]

Why are people on this board so obsessed with social class? Boston sure as hell is a classist city.