JALSA in The Boston Globe on Affordable Housing and ADUs

Full letter to the editor of The Boston Globe at this link.

No Mass. boom yet in ADUs, but the potential is there

Backyard dwelling units could address the shared needs of seniors, caregivers

Thank you to reporter Andrew Brinker and the Globe for calling attention to the potential that accessory dwelling units hold for significantly increasing our state’s housing supply (“Much ADU about ... not much: Despite fanfare, Mass. program to boost affordable units lags other states,” Business, Dec. 3). At a time when our state needs about 220,000 new homes in the next 10 years just to keep pace with our economy’s needs, ADUs by right are a welcome addition to the Massachusetts housing portfolio.

ADUs can help us unleash innovative solutions that tackle several challenges facing our communities. For instance, our two organizations have developed a partnership to work with aging homeowners who want to stay in the places where they have lived for decades but need caregiver assistance. Right now, caregivers simply cannot afford to live in the MetroWest area, where rents for a two-bedroom apartment can be $3,200 a month. With an ADU in the backyard, there would be greater opportunities for both caregivers (and possibly family members) and homeowners to live on-site.

With ADUs, we could start chipping away at the 500-plus waiting list for caregivers in the MetroWest area, which is due primarily to housing costs. At the same time we could satisfy both the housing and health care needs of elderly homeowners.

The state’s Affordable Homes Act of 2024 has provided us with this new tool. We look forward to making it work for seniors, home health care aides, and the many others who will benefit from being able to live in our communities.

Lino Covarrubias
CEO, Jewish Family Service of Metrowest
Framingham

Cindy Rowe
CEO, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action
Boston