To the editor:
Massachusetts' housing costs place among the top three most expensive in the nation. Here on the North Shore, fair market rents increased by more than 40 percent over the last decade. A family earning the area median income cannot afford to buy a median-priced home in Essex County.
Access to affordable housing is no longer purely a low-income issue, it's also a middle-class issue that particularly impacts young adults whose parents easily afforded homes on the North Shore just a few decades ago.
The North Shore's high-school graduates go on to some of the nation's best colleges and universities, yet they can't afford to move back and give back to their hometowns. This must be reversed in order to produce return on our past investments — and in turn, ensure the future economic viability and overall health of the North Shore's cities and towns.
There is good news, however, which we at Habitat for Humanity — North Shore appreciate the paper calling attention to in its April 6 editorial headlined, "New housing is a milestone for downtown Peabody."
We do not need to look beyond our own communities to begin to take action today. Habitat's Park Street project speaks to the power of innovative community partnerships.
With grants from the city of Peabody, HFHNS will continue to harness the talents, knowledge, compassion and will of our citizens to complete the construction of eight units of affordable housing in Peabody, bringing us eight steps and eight families closer to addressing the problem.
As president of the local nonprofit, and a longtime affordable-housing advocate, I urge other towns and cities to follow Peabody's lead and find similar ways to provide broader access to affordable housing. Habitat for Humanity — North Shore stands ready to help.
Don Preston
President
Habitat for Humanity — North Shore
Beverly
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