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Waltham Community Housing Facts
What is affordable?
- The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines "affordable housing" as housing where the rent (or mortgage) plus utilities, cost no more than 30% of the monthly income of families at or below 80% of the area median income.
- 80% of the area median income for a family of four in Waltham is $66,150. The maximum affordable housing cost for this family is $1,654 a month. The average three bedroom rent in Waltham is around $2,000 a month.
And unfortunately, the story gets worse.
- 31% of Waltham families (7,300 families) earn less than $35,000.
- 20% (over 4,700 households) earn less than $25,000.
- The average income of the nearly 100 tenants that WATCH serves annually through our Tenant Training Program is around $18,500 and their rent increases average about $275. Around 20% every year are homeless.
- There are approximately 140 shelter beds in Waltham and they are all full all of the time.
- There are over 6,000 jobs in Waltham that pay less than $10 per hour. At that income these individuals can afford no more than $600 for their housing costs.
So, how much housing do we need?
- Waltham has over 22,000 housing units. Nearly 12,000 (54%) are occupied by tenants. The rest are owner occupied.
- There are approximately 1,200 affordable units as determined by the State Department of Housing and Community Development.
- To meet the State established goal of 10% of our housing stock being affordable we would need a total of 2,200 units or around 1,000 more units.
- To house all of the families needing affordable housing in Waltham we would need to over 9,000 units.
And the wait is long…
- Over 3,000 people are on the Section 8 waiting list.
- There is a two - three year wait for public housing.
What can we do?
- Encourage local and state officials to invest more public funds in the preservation and creation of affordable housing.
- Support good landlords and tenants who are trying to do the right thing.
- Encourage local businesses to support the production of housing for their workers.
- Spread the word — tell your story! The more people who talk about housing, the more community support we can generate to get something done!
- Join WATCH — the Waltham Alliance To Create Housing — which is currently working with local residents like yourself to secure new sites for the development of permanently affordable housing.
[ Data above from the 2000 Census and from the City of Waltham's 2003 Housing Plan]
Get involved!
Call WATCH at (781) 891-6689 to find out how.
You can also Become a WATCH Member!
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