The action of many individuals led to that day.  A subcommittee of the Waltham Concerned Citizens peace and justice organization began focusing on Waltham’s affordable housing and neighborhood deterioration.  Speculation and mass evictions were devastating the Charles and Myrtle Street areas, and arson seemed to be rampant in the city.  Members of this subcommittee met with the local group TUFFH (Tenants United for Fair Housing) and conducted research on how to create a community development corporation or CDC.

Another key influence was the early members' desire to preserve and promote diversity in Waltham.  In an editorial submitted to the News Tribune, Board members write, "…there is much work to be done to develop a city proud of its diversity and interested in collaborating across cultural boundaries.  If you'd like to help break through these barriers, please join WATCH.  We are working daily to build the cross-cultural ties essential to achieve our mission of empowering low income residents of Waltham."

Early Actions

WATCH members had been active even before the organization’s official creation. In early fall of 1988, the city's largest rooming house, The Golden Maple Lodge, was purchased by a developer and tenants were given eviction  notices asking them to leave by Thanksgiving. WATCH became involved to delay the evictions, and relocate the 236 low income and elderly tenants, WATCH helped by locating housing, offering funds for a security deposit, finding furniture and providing temporary housing.

By the summer of 1989, WATCH was well into its Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) project.  After conducting extensive research, WATCH  members found that  local Sterling Bank’s performance did not meet CRA requirements to invest in the community in which the bank was located. WATCH filed a CRA challenge to the merger of Sterling Bank and Lexington Savings Bank.  As a result, the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) required Sterling Bank to act in ways in order to meet its CRA obligations. The FDIC ruling validated WATCH’s concerns and lead to greater involvement by local banks to invest in local communities.

A major effort in the early 1990's involved a campaign over the Riverfront Overlay District, a zoning proposal designed to encourage the redevelopment of Waltham's downtown area along the Charles River. WATCH was concerned that the district would only further fuel speculation and displace local residents.

Over sixty WATCH members and supporters attended the public hearing regarding the Riverfront Overlay District.  WATCH introduced five amendments to ensure that affordable housing was a component of the District, including a suggestion for the city to create an inclusionary zoning law to promote more affordable housing development in the area, and WATCH’s efforts paid off! In 1991 the City Council passed an Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance, requiring affordable housing to be included when new housing was built.

Building capacity

Community organizing has always been a critical component of WATCH’s work and mission. In 1991, WATCH grew by adding professional community organizers to the staff in order to maintain the capacity to engage our members in making the kinds of changes that they wanted in their community.

Also in the mid to late 1990’s WATCH also began providing numerous services to Waltham's low-income community including:

• English as a Second Language (still offered!)
• Nursing Assistant Training
• Health education on lead paint
• Tenants' Rights education and assistance (still offered!)
• First Time Homebuyer classes (still offered!)

Learn about WATCH’s more recent affordable housing development and community organizing work over the years on those issue pages on the website!