By Jordan Pagkalinawan

The Somerville Housing and Community Development Committee met on Tuesday, November 18, to hear from city officials regarding the status of residents facing displacement, updates on inclusive playground design, and plans to support and sustain small businesses.

OHS director talks rental assistance, cuts to Continuum of Care funding

Ellen Shachter, the Director of the Office of Housing and Stability, first addressed the committee by updating them on the city’s efforts to curb displacement and offer rental assistance to affected tenants. She explained that from the beginning of the year through the end of September, the office received 637 referrals seeking housing stability assistance. Of those, 312 of them (nearly 49%) were at “imminent risk of displacement.” 118 of those at-risk households had already received a Notice to Quit, or court summons for evictions.

As for rental assistance, Shachter noted that OHS assisted 102 unique households with applications for city, state, and federal programs. Approximately $42,600 was obtained through the state’s Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program, which offers $7,000 per 12-month period for families to stay in their homes or move to new ones. She added that city-funded rental assistance programs totaled nearly $2.6 million in the first nine months of the year, though it does not include cases served by the Somerville Homeless Coalition or Community Action Agency of Somerville, both of which partner with OHS in their efforts.

Shachter then outlined the office’s eviction data through the end of October, in which 167 cases were filed but only 42 were executed, which is higher than Medford (31) but lower than Waltham (65), Cambridge (70), and Malden (137).

“From my perspective, this is evidence that the programs that we have and the investments we make are worth it,” she said.

However, she also expressed concern over federal cuts to Continuum of Care funding, where only 30% can go toward permanent housing, including Section 8 vouchers. An attached memo to the committee confirmed that the state’s Continuum of Care funding will decrease from roughly $27.3 million to $9.9 million.

“No general Section 8s are being issued by the Somerville Housing Authority,” Shachter’s memo added. “Landlords have been asked not to raise rents. There have been no terminations to date due to funding cuts.”

“They’re not cutting the funding, but they’re redirecting and reorienting so that the funding can really only be used for the other 70% [of] supportive services—mental health treatments, substance abuse, et cetera,” Shachter said. “They also make clear that none of it can be used for homelessness prevention at this time. The pot has really, really changed.”

However, Shachter highlighted the office’s “municipally funded voucher program” that is tied to families with children in public schools that “are not eligible for federal housing due to immigration status.” That program is funded through the fiscal year 2027. Another initiative, Somerville’s Older Adult Bridge Program, has allocated around $220,000 to help senior citizens on a fixed income find subsidized housing. Still, Shachter pointed out that prioritizing funds may come down to tapping into the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

“It’s critical that, as there are populations really impacted, we look together and see if there’s a way to help those families stay in the city,” Shachter said.

Playground accessibility and Kennedy School project

Director of Public Space and Urban Forestry Luisa Oliveira then updated the committee on how accessibility is being considered in future playground plans and redesign projects. She emphasized that complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act is a baseline and minimum for all of the city’s public spaces. Oliveira said that such compliance is met by including accessible routes, surface materials, parking spaces, and facilities within parks and public spaces.

Oliviera also outlined principles of “inclusive play,” where “everyone of all physical abilities is able to participate in play.” She highlighted the inclusive swings recently installed across ten local parks, which include a Y-shaped hard yoke harness and an additional strap for children who may need it.

The Public Spaces and Urban Forestry Division is also working on an inclusive playground at John F. Kennedy School. They have already held several engagement events throughout the school year and are working to put the project out to bid this winter, with the goal of beginning construction in the summer of 2026. According to Oliveira, the project has not been funded yet, though it is part of the Capital Investment Plan.

“We are constantly learning more about what can be done [with inclusive play],” Oliveira said. “It’s sometimes difficult because some of our playgrounds are very small, so it’s hard to do some of the things that require more space.”

She added that the division is considering expanding the Kennedy School playground, though that would require changing the configuration of the nearby parking lot.

“There is a balance here between retaining parking and increasing the schoolyard,” Oliveira said.

A virtual community meeting for the project will take place on December 2nd, where community members can provide input on potential designs for the playground.

Supporting small businesses

Finally, the city’s Director of Economic Development, Rachel Nadkarni, and deputy director Dana Whiteside updated the committee on the financial and technical support of small businesses.

Nadkarni and Whiteside explained that while businesses received help from the COVID Emergency Fund and ARPA funds, they are now only receiving assistance from the Community Development Block Grant (CBDG), a federal funding source through the Somerville Housing Authority, as well as the General Fund. The East Somerville and Union Square Main Streets districts are two of the areas funded by those measures.

The Economic Development Division has also established virtual Small Business Office Hours in an effort to “meet business owners where they are,” Whiteside said. They are held on Thursdays from 4-5 p.m., where owners can meet city staff to gain clarity on licensing and permitting processes. There is also Small Business Block Walking, another weekly initiative where staff members walk in business districts to meet with owners and employees.

“What we’ve found is that the rapport that our team is able to build with owners there has been incredibly impactful,” Whiteside said. “Because it’s providing answers to questions and providing access to resources. It’s not money, but it is access, it is information, and [it is] education.”

Both also championed the Urban Agenda Grant, a $100,000 grant administered by the state’s Executive Office of Economic Development that ran from January to June. As a result, 27 businesses received one-on-one technical assistance and nine Small Business Workshops on several topics, including financial literacy and digital marketing. Additionally, 17 home-based childcare businesses—a “focal group” of the grant, according to Nadkarni—received a $350 stipend and participated in numerous training programs. The grant also offered two Food Safety Certification Courses in Spanish and Portuguese.

Among the department’s latest efforts is a campaign supporting businesses called “Loyal 2 Local.” It’s a social media and marketing initiative aimed at highlighting events around all small business districts, and will run from Small Business Saturday (November 29) through the end of February. Other key dates include the Davis Square Holidate (December 6), Union Square Jingle (December 7), and Wednesdays’ Eat Out on East.

“Businesses hurt in January and February, so our goal here is really to tell folks, ‘What can you be doing to help small businesses throughout this season?’” Nadkarni said.

The department also updated several processes to help small businesses better engage with the city, which include changes to the front page of the permit portal CitizenServe, and improvements to the license renewal process, allowing businesses to simultaneously renew applications for alcohol licenses and fire safety inspections for alcohol, as well as pay for both electronically.