After the meeting, then-Mayor David P. Maher sat down for tea and a conversation with the residents in his office, Allosso says. Maher gave them hope, informing them that he was going to lunch with “someone from Harvard.”
Later that summer, Harvard and the Cambridge Department of Housing and Community teamed up to preserve the mixed-income apartments. They sought the help of Homeowner’s Rehab, Inc.
The three hammered out a deal and finalized their plans late last month. Harvard extended its ground lease—requiring affordable housing be preserved for at least 50 more years—and facilitated HRI’s purchase of the building.
Cotter says Harvard was “instrumental in coming to the table.”
“They could have said no,” Allosso says. Still, she thinks Chapman Arms’ physical proximity to the University made the affordable housing debacle a problem hard for Harvard to ignore. “We’re a feather in their cap, we’re in their neighborhood. How could they turn us out?”
PAYING THE RENT
Allosso estimates that if Chapman Arms had not preserved its affordable housing units, it would have taken four or five years for her to be placed in a new affordable housing unit.
The housing prices are, in part, due to the fact that Harvard—the wealthiest University in the world—makes Cambridge its home, creating high demand for apartments.
“The demand is incredibly strong,” Cotter says. “The waiting list is well over 10,000 folks.”
A Cantabridgian working for minimum wage would need to work 120 hours a week to affordable a rentable apartment in Cambridge, according to a study done by Homeowner’s Rehab, Inc.
But over the past century, Harvard has played a big role in enabling and funding affordable housing in Cambridge.
Over the course of the 1900s, Harvard sold 100 housing units for one-third of the market rate to Cambridge for affordable housing. In 2000, the University created the 20/20/2000 program that designated $20 million for a 20-year affordable housing low-interest revolving loan. This program has helped to finance one out of every six units built in Cambridge and Boston. Harvard is also adding additional affordable housing units in Charlesview Apartments in Allston.
Harvard says their involvement in preserving Chapman Arms signifies a deep commitment to the community.
“The preservation of twenty-five affordable units at the Chapman Arms is an example of Harvard’s significant commitment to support affordable housing and the quality of life in Cambridge and Boston,” wrote Christine Heenan, the University vice president for public affairs and communication. “Harvard strives to be a supportive partner to local leaders who are champions of a diverse and healthy community.”
—Staff writer Kerry M. Flynn can be reached at kflynn@college.harvard.edu. —Staff writer Caroline M. McKay can be reached at carolinemckay@college.harvard.edu.