The City of Quincy and adjacent Town of Weymouth 1995 Consolidated plan constitutes a strategic vision and community development for the two communities. This document summarized the plan so that citizens in both communities can have a quick overview housing and community development problems; the 5-year broad goals, strategies, and actions proposed to deal with those problems; and specific projects for carrying out this strategy during 1995.
The Consolidated also includes an action plan constituting an application for funds under three different HUD formula programs for a grand total of $4,239,000:
| City of Quincy | $2,639,000 | Town of Weymouth | 859,000 | Total | $3,498,000 | |
| City of Quincy | $ 446,586 | Town of Weymouth | 204,414 | Total | $ 651,000 | |
| City of Quincy | $ 90,000 | Total | $ 90,000 | |
Elements of the plan were developed with active community and citizen
participation in both communities. Four public hearings were conducted in
Quincy and two were held in Weymouth. Citizen participation process is an
integral part of the consolidated plan process.
The Quincy-Weymouth Consortium is composed of two suburban Boston municipalities having a combined population of approximately 139,000 people. Quincy has a population of 84,900 persons of which almost 34% have incomes below 80% of the median family income of $44,184. Approximately 7% of the City's residents live below the poverty line.
Weymouth's population has declined by three per cent during the past decade
to approximately 54,000 people.
The regional recession of the early 1990's resulted in a weak housing market characterized by falling rents and sales prices, and higher vacancy rates. These conditions resulted in some affordable housing opportunities for moderate income families. Lower home prices and interest rates enabled a number of families priced out of the housing market to purchase homes utilizing the Consortium's first time homebuyer programs. However, within the past two years, the local housing market has experienced renewed rent/sales price increases and a tighter supply of affordable units.
The Quincy-Weymouth Consortium had a combined year-round housing stock of 59,869 units. Of this total, 3,362 were vacant with an overall vacancy rate of 5.6% This consists of 25,339 renter-occupied units (44.8%) and 31,168 owner-occupied units (55.2). The overall rental vacancy rate in the Consortium for 1990 was 7.2%, while owner units had an overall vacancy of 1.2%
A recent survey revealed a total of 142 homeless individuals and 61 homeless families (representing 171 persons) exist in the Consortium. Due to the small size of this population, assessment and outreach are no the greatest needs, and local shelters respond to specific situations when necessary. Emergency Shelter continues to be a great need because a fully-developed "Continuum of Care" does not currently exist. The greatest need after emergency shelter is Permanent Supportive Housing. The availability of affordable and appropriate units makes housing search and rental assistance programs for the working homelesss a serious challenge. For recovering substance abusers and battered women, there is also a need for more transitional group facilities to assist with education, job placement, and permanent housing search. Homeless children are also in need of pre-school and after-school care for their safety, education and recreation.
The City of Quincy manages 616 family public housing units and 941 units of low-income elderly housing funded by HUD's 202 program and the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency. In addition, there are some 909 rental voucher units. The Town of Weymouth has encouraged barrier free housing for elderly and handicapped persons, additional public housing is provided through the Joseph Crehen Housing for the Elderly complex which consists of 156 units and the Pleasantville family complex which is currently being renovated through a $1.9 million CIAP grant. There are a total of 1,716 assisted housing units (HUD section 8 or state voucher housing) in the community. The waiting list for these units currently stands at some 800 households.
The Consortium communities are densely-developed and high-priced housing sub-markets within the Boston metropolitan area. The lack of sites suitable for development,; and the high cost of land and improvements in the area, act as major constraints to affordable housing production. With an average single family home price of $150,000 in the Consortium, homeownership is often far beyond the means of a low-income family.
Approximately 33,000 of Quincy's housing units built before 1980 contain
lead paint. Based on national statistics, 17% of these or 5,772 units can be
assumed to house children under age seven. The Town of Weymouth has 14,219
suspect units. Of these, it is estimated that 2,651 rental units and 533 owner
units are occupied by low and extremely low-income households.
During the five-year Strategic Plan period, the Consortium will be addressing identified housing, homeless, and special needs according to the following priorities and relative need:
The Consortium has adopted a multi-faceted approach to address its affordable housing needs. The Quincy and Weymouth CDBG programs will offer housing rehabilitation loans at below-market interest rates to all income-eligible low and moderate-income homeowners. Through the CDBG and HOME programs, the Consortium will also target these households for support services such as day care, general education equivalency training, drug/alcohol counseling, and support services for elderly renters and homeowners. The Consortium will also offer assistance programs to low and moderate-income first-time homebuyers seeking to purchase homes in the Consortium communities. Private resources to help achieve this will be actively sought.
The Consortium will continue to provide technical and financial assistance to community based, nonprofit organizations such as the Quincy Community Action Program and Quincy Neighborhood Housing Services.
The Quincy Department of Planning and Community Development (PCD) and Weymouth Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) will continue to be assisted by local banks and the Massachusetts Housing Partnership for the Consortium's first-time homebuyer programs, and will continue to work with private banks to maximize community lending for both owner and rental housing
The Consortium will utilize a partnership approach to join local public-sector agencies and departments, nonprofit service providers, and other advocacy groups in addressing its affordable housing, homelessness, and special needs.
Responsibility for administering the CDBG program will be vested within the
respective Planning Departments and elected officials of each Consortium
community. In Quincy, the PCD administers all housing and community development
programs. In Weymouth, the principal agency to implement housing and community
development policies on a Town-wide basis will continue to be OPCD.
Responsibility for coordinating HOME funding for the Consortium is assumed by
the Quincy PCD.
The following actions will be undertaken during 1995:
| Program | City of Quincy | Town of Weymouth |
|---|---|---|
| CDBG | Housing Rehabilitation Handicap Access Code Enforcement Fair Housing Counseling Flood-prone Retrofitting | Housing Rehabilitation Targeted Neighborhood Rehabilitation Fair Housing Counseling Housing Rehab Counseling |
| HOME | First-Time Homebuyer
Homeowner Rehab CHDO Rental Develop CHDO Operating | First-time Homebuyer
Moderate Rehab-Special Needs CHDO Rental Development CHDO Operating |
| Section 8 | Rent Subsidies/Support Services | |
| ESG | Homeless Shelter Operating Costs | |
| Shelter Plus Care | Rent Subsidies/Support Services | |
| FEMA | Flood-prone retrofitting |
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.
MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
TABLE (without associated map) provides information about the project(s).
