Unlocking Opportunity: An Assessment of Barriers to Fair Housing in Northampton

Northampton has made impressive strides to address fair housing issues in recent years. Two large affordable housing projects were recently completed—Live 155 and The Lumberyard, the City’s zoning code has been updated to make multi-family housing easier to develop, and since 2015 89 households have participated in a Community Housing Support Services Program to help tenants at risk of eviction navigate access to community resources and social services, to name a few. However, there is still more to be done. In the fall of 2018, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) was hired by the City of Northampton and the Northampton Housing Partnership to conduct an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice—a closer look at fair housing issues throughout the city and suggestions for how to address them.