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Dear Sir,

Inequality is the root cause of the region wide affordable housing crisis. The efforts by Somerville to remedy the affordable housing is like whack-a-mole, it just keeps coming. We will never be able to build enough affordable housing to satisfy the demand. That’s because we are addressing the symptom and not the cause of the problem. There are two obvious major issues that impact affordable housing that are not being addressed.

Firstly, we have wage inequity. That so many are deprived of a living wage keeps people in poverty and in life sustaining mode preventing them from moving forward out of their critical situation. Their need for inexpensive housing is substantial. The answer is to pay everyone a living wage and this is something the state must address because it is a state issue and not something Somerville can address.

Secondly, we have expensive, outdated, non-integrated public transit. This forces people into pollution generating cars creating traffic jams if they need to commute. Boston has some of the worst congestion in the US. If commuters pick public transit then the fares are too high, the trains too crowded and outdated and prone to failure. Commuting from the north shore or south coast into Boston means a painful $100 a week+ drain on finances. That is not sustainable on a less than living wage.

People want to be close to their work and entertainment and now that cities have become less industrial and more service oriented they are cleaner and more desirable. Remember the shift from the cities to the suburbs post WW2 was a function of wanting a green space to raise a family. Now cities are cleaner people want to live in them, especially the greater Boston area inside Rte. 128.

So what is the answer? Both these issues have been addressed overseas and are known solutions. Europe, Australia/New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, Canada and others pay a living wage and have realistic, affordable public transit. Some European cities have free public transit. Mexico City has the Metro – rail and bus that costs about 25 cents regardless of distance. So how do they do it?

The argument posited by commerce is that higher wages would make them uncompetitive, but a Big Mac costs about the same in Germany or Australia as it does in the US but the staff are paid a living wage. Their corporate taxes are higher too. In many countries the cost to eat out is comparable or less than in the US but without the tip. Mexico used the funds from a toll road outsourced to private interests to subsidize the Metro. Most cities consider public transit an expense item and don’t even contemplate it making money or breaking even. It is a service to enable business and reduce pollution.

None of the other developed countries have the crushing demand for affordable housing we see here in New England. They have worked out that if they solve the living wage and public transit issues then suddenly the root causes of the affordable housing problem fade.

We can build more affordable housing, and we should. But we need direct the focus at a regional solution not a local one if we truly want and outcome that solves the problem. We need the state to step up, fix the public transport system, especially fix the fare structure to be affordable and also legislate for a living wage. $15 is not enough, to catch up with the past 3 decades of real wage slide we need look to $20/hour.

But then again, do we really want to solve this problem or just apply yet another band-aid on a few more local affordable units? It’s time for Somerville and Massachusetts to lead in the elimination of the affordable housing crisis.

Alan Bingham
Somerville