Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards, representing East Boston, Charlestown and the North End, was sworn in by city clerk Maureen Feeney on Wednesday to serve on the Boston’s Neighborhood Housing Trust (NHT). The trust, established in 1983 and revamped to suit the city’s growing population in 2001 and 2013, prioritizes funding for affordable and workforce units throughout the City by working with developers on large scale projects.
Overseers of the housing trust directly impact jobs and housing in communities by allocating what’s known as “linkage funds” or funds gathered by commercial real estate projects over 100,000 square feet. The appointment comes at an opportune time as Councilor Edwards will have input into where the Suffolk Downs redevelopment project estimated $3.5 million dollars of linkage funds will be spent.
“As former Deputy Director of the Office of Housing Stability and now chair of the Housing Committee within the City Council, I am honored and excited to be chosen by Council President Andrea Campbell for this opportunity”, said Edwards.
The basis of the Neighborhood Housing Trust is described in a Declaration of Trust which reads:
“This trust is established to promote the public health, safety convenience, and welfare by mitigating the extent to which Boston’s low or moderate income households are unable to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing within the City of Boston.”
“We are at a watershed moment as current real estate development will alter our housing landscape for years to come,” said Edwards. “I look forward to protecting affordable units and creating jobs for all Bostonians.”