Boston, MA: Union, city start worker housing
fund
The Boston Globe
By Madison Park, Globe Correspondent
Originally published April 20, 2005
Mayor Thomas M. Menino and a major city workers union yesterday launched a relief fund to help Boston employees pay for the high cost of housing in the city they are required to live in.
The Affordable Housing Trust Fund, believed to be the first of its kind in the country, will give money to qualifying members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees to supplement first-time home purchases, rent, and mortgage payments, or emergency housing needs. Many city employees are required to live in Boston, where housing costs are often higher than in suburban communities.
Officials yesterday said the city is initially pitching in $525,000 and has agreed to contribute a nickel for every hour worked by a Boston member of AFSCME.
Menino praised the Housing Trust Fund, describing it as a trailblazer.
''Boston is the first city in the country to have a housing trust with the union," Menino said. ''We want to help our employees purchase homes or pay rent for their apartments."
Boston's residency requirement has long been controversial. It has been a cornerstone of Menino's administration, which has said employees should live in the city they serve. But many employees have fought it.
In May 2004, the mayor resolved contract disputes with the union by agreeing to 10 percent raises over four years, loosening residency requirements for more than 500 union members, and pledging to launch an affordable housing fund.
''I live in the city and I cherish the city, but the high cost of rentals and owning a home is well-known," said AFSCME's executive director, Anthony Caso, who joined the mayor in yesterday's announcement. ''The effort put into this housing trust is going to help a lot of people that we represent."