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New SouthCoast partnership tackles dual crises: Affordable housing and workforce training

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New SouthCoast partnership tackles dual crises: Affordable housing and workforce training

It’s no surprise that the SouthCoast is in a housing crisis, real estate and business leaders acknowledged, but a new partnership has been established to help residents find affordable housing and address an ongoing staffing crisis. 

The new SouthCoast Workforce Housing Coalition is a partnership between the One SouthCoast Chamber of Commerce, led by co-chair and CEO Mike O’Sullivan, and REALTOR® Association of Southeastern Massachusetts, led by co-chair and CEO Paul Chasse. 

O’Sullivan said the business community is facing a staffing crisis, and a huge piece of the puzzle is the cost of housing. He said they want to be a new voice to help lead the housing discussion. 

“People who cannot afford to live here simply can’t work, and our goal here is to add a new voice to the housing discussion and the voice of business to shine the light on how housing is impacting the local economy,” he said. 

The coalition invited the state’s Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities Edward M. Augustus and Secretary of Labor Lauren Jones to be part of a discussion led by Chasse and O’Sullivan at the Century House in Acushnet on Wednesday. 

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Increasing the workforce pipeline 

Jones said during the first year of the Healey Administration she has been engaging in discussions with the business community and other workforce partners, and released a workforce agenda to help support talent attraction and retention. 

Jones said she has been focusing on connecting job-seekers to training programs and employment opportunities by overcoming challenges, including childcare, transportation and language barriers. 

One pilot program uses American Rescue Plan Act funds to deliver stipends for training grant programs that incentivize workers to return to the labor market and pursue meaningful job training with the certifications and credentials they would need for continued employment. 

Jones said MassHire, which has offices in New Bedford, is a place for job-seekers and employers to connect, and a new program called MassTalent provides employers with the opportunity to search for talent and training programs. 

“It brings you to the job quest portal to search for skilled talent graduating from our training programs,” she said.  

She said $7 million has been invested in this region in three grant programs alone, creating a pipeline of 2,500 people being trained to join the workforce in different industries. 

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She said caregivers face challenges, too, and the state is committed to creating a network of organizations around caregivers and promoting healthy workplaces. 

She said with housing going hand-in-hand with a strong workforce, she and Augustus have been working collaboratively to provide affordable opportunities for housing and jobs in Massachusetts. 

High demand and limited supply 

Augustus said the housing crisis manifests itself in so many ways, and has become an existential threat to the state’s growth and competitiveness. He said employers cannot grow or retain the talent that they need.  

He said he supports the Affordable Homes Act, which will spend $5.1 billion over the next five years and make 49 policy changes to build or subsidize the creation of housing of all types, using housing tax credits. 

He also addressed the importance of accessory dwelling units, or in-law apartments, to bring in additional income, saying local communities should restore property rights and not put up unnecessary barriers. 

“Those things combined, I think, are going to help us really move the needle on housing production to take some of the pressure off and create some movement that we need to see, that people want to see. And hopefully interest rates will come down as well,” he said. 

In an interview, Augustus said the two organizations coming together as the SouthCoast Workforce Housing Coalition makes sense because their members look to them address their housing and workforce concerns.  

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“The level of severity is different in different places, but it just keeps bubbling up as a top concern for employers of any kind, whether it’s not-for-profits, hospitals or colleges,” he said. 

He has been touring the state from the Berkshires to the SouthCoast addressing concerns about housing and stopped by the Acushnet Housing Authority to meet with people there while in town. 

Chasse addresses housing production 

In an interview, Chasse said the whole goal is to increase housing production any way they can to drive competition, so combining the two organizations to achieve common goals makes sense.   

“I think this is important because we both bring expertise in different areas that are mutually needed,” he said. “The Realtor Association has worked with the governor on the Affordable Homes Act, and there’s an area of interest there, and the Chamber has the workforce piece. So I think this is going to bring some unique perspective to this particular coalition.” 

Chasse said it was important to have the opportunity to be involved in some of the Affordable Homes Act conversations with Augustus, particularly when it comes to the accessory dwelling units, and said he thinks they are in tune with what Augustus is looking to accomplish. 

“We’re very appreciative of the increase in the Housing Development Incentive Program money because that is huge right now,” he said. “Construction costs are so expensive and having that increase from $10 million to $57 million is going to allow for construction of more projects, specifically in the SouthCoast area because construction costs are so expensive.” 

Standard-Times staff writer Kathryn Gallerani can be reached at kgallerani@gannett.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today. 

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