ImpedimentsFairHousingActionSteps20191
Action Plan from "Unlocking Opportunity: An Assessment of Barriers to Fair
Housing"
Action Timeline Responsible Party
Identify funding sources to continue
Community Housing Support Services Program
Short Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Center for Human Development,
Community Legal Aid, Northampton Housing Authority
Conduct Landlord and Property Management
Training on Reasonable Accommodation
Short Northampton Housing Partnership, Community Legal Aid, Stavros Center for
Independent Living, Northampton Housing Authority, Mass Fair Housing
Center
Host a Social Service Presentation for
Landlords
Encourage “Conditional” Tenancies
Short Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing Partnership,
community social service providers
Host a Meet and Greet
Landlord/ Tenant Day
Encourage “Conditional” Tenancies
Short Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing Partnership,
Landlord community, Hampshire County Resource Center, Hampshire County
House of Corrections, Northampton Veteran’s Services Office, other housing
search organizations
Ensure Service Providers are Aware of
CHAMP/ Common Housing Application for
Massachusetts Public Housing
Short Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing Partnership,
Northampton Housing Authority, Western Mass Network to End
Homelessness
Encourage Trauma Informed Property
Management/ Identify Trainers, Conduct
Sessions
Short Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing
Partnership, area property managers and housing providers
Create Northampton Housing Authority
Website With Language Options
Short Northampton Housing Authority
2
Translate all Housing Authority Materials into
Multiple Languages & Provide on website and
at office locations
Short Northampton Housing Authority, area property managers and housing
providers
Investigate Adoption of Small Area FMR’s at
Northampton Housing Authority
Short Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing Partnership,
Northampton Housing Authority
Identify Procedure for Utilizing Air B and B
Community Impact fees for affordable housing
Short Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing Partnership
Participate in SNO Housing Mobility Pilot
Program/ Include Language Access
Component
Short Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing Partnership, Way
Finders, Center for New Americans, International Language Institute
Encourage Housing Developers to Work with
Stavros when accessible units are created
Short Northampton Office of Planning and Sustainability, Stavros Center for
Independent Living, Northampton Disability Commission
Support Legislation:
No Fault Eviction for Older Adults, Rent
Arrearage Programs, Tenants' Right to
Counsel, Increased Community Preservation
Act Funding, Local Option Transfer Fee to Fund
Affordable Housing, Regional Ballot Initiatives
Short
On-going
Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing Partnership, Western
Mass Network to End Homelessness, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission,
State Legislative Delegation
Address Barrier Created for Tenants by Rental
Agency Finder’s Fee Requirement
Short Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing
Partnership, Rent NOHO
3
Examine CDBG set aside fund for landlords to
cover unit damage / Incentive to accept
Section 8 vouchers
Medium Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing Partnership,
Landlord community
Consider tax abatement for private landlords
to accept tenants with Rental Vouchers
Medium Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Assessor’s Office, Northampton
Housing Partnership
Consider CDBG set aside in Housing Rehab
Program for Landlords to Accomplish
Reasonable Accommodation
Medium Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing Partnership, Pioneer
Valley Planning Commission, Northampton Disability Commission, Stavros
Support Creation of Full Time ADA Coordinator
Position / locally or regionally based
Medium Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Disability Commission
Schedule and Participate in Anti-Racism or
Undoing Racism Trainings/Workshop
Medium Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, City Departments, Northampton Housing
Partnership, Northampton Human Rights Commission, Northampton Housing
Authority, community partners
Create a Housing Navigator Position Medium Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing
Partnership, community partners
Provide Resources to Help Repair/Improve
Credit
Medium Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing Partnership Way
Finders, Valley CDC, Community Action Pioneer Valley, area banking
institutions
Increase Career Center Presence in
Northampton & Remove Language barriers
Medium Mayor’s Office, MassHire
Implement an Award Program for Businesses
that Hire local
Medium Mayor’s Office, Northampton Chamber of Commerce
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4
Implement a Visitability Ordinance Medium Planning & Sustainability, Northampton Housing
Partnership, Stavros, Local American Institute of Architects Chapter
List Inventory of Local Handicap Accessible
Units and Vacancies on Line
Encourage Housing Providers to use Mass
Access Registry
Medium Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Housing Partnership, Northampton
Housing Authority, Stavros, Northampton Disability Commission, Affordable
Housing Providers
Support On-going Housing Mobility
Programming
Medium Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing Partnership, Mass
Fair Housing Center, Way Finders - Supporting Neighborhood Opportunity
Project (SNO)
Identify & Adopt Regulatory Land Use
Improvements to Facilitate Family Housing
Medium Mayor’s Office, Northampton Housing Partnership, Northampton Office of
Planning and Sustainability, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
Increase Housing Resources for Post-
Incarcerated Individuals (Returning Citizens)
Medium Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing Partnership,
Hampshire County House of Corrections
Provide Lead Paint Remediation Programming Medium Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing
Partnership, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission/Northampton Housing
Rehabilitation Program, City Health Department
Research Refugee Placement Circles of Care
model to mentor/assist people
Medium Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing Partnership, Next
Step Collaborative, Catholic Charities
Examine (Re)Creation of Community Land
Trust
Medium/Long Northampton Housing Partnership, Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's
Office, CDC, Massachusetts Housing Partnership
Encourage the Creation of Local Landlord
Association for Information Dissemination and
Support
Medium/Long Northampton Housing Partnership, Northampton Chamber of Commerce,
Way Finders
Continue Production of Affordable Housing
-Housing First Units/Low Barrier
-Housing and Support Services for
Women
Short/Medium/Long Mayor’ Office, Planning & Sustainability Pioneer Valley Habitat for
Humanity, Way Finders, Valley CDC, Home City Housing, Friends of
Hampshire County Homeless Individuals, Safe Passage, State Department of
Housing and Community Development, Dept. of Mental Health, other public
and private housing developers
5
Encourage Regional Participation in Regional
Housing Production
On-going Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing Partnership, Pioneer
Valley Planning Commission, Western Mass Network to End Homelessness,
Three County Continuum of Care/Community Action of Pioneer Valley
Continue to Assist Households in Becoming
Homeowners
On-going Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Valley Community Development
Corporation, Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity Community Action
Pioneer Valley,
Encourage On Site Workshops on Financial
Literacy, Eviction Prevention, Orientations to
Promote Successful Tenancies for tenants
where they live
On-going Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Community Housing Support Services
Program, Community Legal Aid, area housing property managers
Require On Site Resident Service
Coordinators/ Support Services for all new
affordable housing developments and
advocate for funding to ensure
On-going Planning & Sustainability, Mayor's Office, Northampton Housing
Partnership, Affordable Housing Developers
Increase Transportation Options Ongoing PVTA, Northampton Planning and Sustainability, ValleyBike, PVPC, MassDOT,
FTA, USDOT, State and federal elected officials
Short = within one year
Medium = Between 1-3 years
Long = 3+ years