THE BRIGHTON OF TOMORROW BUILDING FOR INCLUSION “Affordable housing brings stability, economic diversity, and improves the physical quality of the neighborhood.” ~ John Woods Our mission at the Gardens in relation to our future residents is two-fold: 1) Affordable access and 2) Inclusion. Affordable Access: How do we improve the lives of our existing 641 residents and ensure that they continue to have access to the growing opportunities in the Allston-Brighton area while living in quality affordable housing Inclusion: How can we go above and beyond to extend more housing to a diverse range of households so that families are included— rather than excluded—from the benefits of vibrant development? Through our community engagement process, we found the following four target demographics that align with our two-fold mission of affordable access and inclusion.
TARGET DEMOGRAPHICS Low-income Families: One of our most important populations that the Gardens will be serving is the existing community of extremely low- and low-income families that currently reside at our site. We have explicitly prioritized one-to-one replacement of units at their current levels of affordability to ensure that residents who currently reside at the site can continue to have access to the opportunities that the Gardens provide. We also include in these units a 10 percent set-aside for individuals and families transitioning from homelessness.
“My two boys are all grown up now and have tried going out into the world—but they came back to live with me because they can’t afford to live [in Boston] with the rents this high.” – A resident at the Gardens Seniors Aging in Place: Similar to other statefunded public housing, the Gardens currently have a small but growing senior population who have lived in this community for decades. Often having successfully raised children and becoming one or two-person households, these residents look for a future Gardens where they can age in place with the community
that they have known for most of their lives. Additionally, with the Gardens’ role as a transportation hub, senior residents can benefit from nearby resources and amenities that are readily accessible from the Gardens. Providing affordable units designed for smaller, childless households will be critical for our residents seeking to age in place. Workforce Families: In our mission to expand access to opportunities for a diverse range of families, we seek to also attract workforce families for the new 80% AMI units that we plan to add with the expansion of the Gardens. As a transportation hub with bus and rail connections to key urban centers such as Boston Downtown and Cambridge, the Gardens can ensure that workforce families who may be otherwise priced out of the Brighton neighborhood can have affordable options for raising children while engaging in the vibrant economic growth of Allston and downtown Boston. Opportunity locations such as the Gardens’ neighborhood should be accessible to a diverse range of families from all backgrounds, and our future vision of the Gardens hopes to achieve that vision.
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