Preserving Community Through Affordable Housing

AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEFINED

(Information presented here is subject to change)

If a household is paying 30% or less of their household income on housing cost (including utilities) then that housing is considered "affordable".  The same housing cost therefore may be "affordable" to one household, but unaffordable to a lower income household.

So, "affordable housing" is a relative term, depending on the income of the household.

Until recently in Massachusetts, "affordable housing" was targeted solely to low-income and moderate-income households.  Presently, as the market price of housing has increased beyond the reach of "median-income" and even "middle-income" households, towns are also targeting those median and middle income groups as well, encouraging "community housing" to maintain the stability of the community.

To determine eligibility for "affordable housing" and "community housing" opportunities, a household's total income must be below certain limits, defined in terms of percentages of the "median income" for the area based on population statistics collected and published annually by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  The income limits are adjusted annually and consider the size of the household.  The chart below lists the Income Limit in a Category then the household is considered "income-eligible" in that category.

Barnstable County Non-Metropolitan Income as defined by HUD, February 2007

The charts below describe the rental rates and ownership sale prices that are considered "affordable" for each of the Low, Moderate, Median, and Middle Income Categories, based on total housing expenses not to exceed 30% of household income.