Senator Kennedy supports policies to augment affordable housing options in Massachusetts and is an advocate for programs that allow future generations of young adults to be able to afford to live in the community where they grew up. The importance of improving and expanding the Commonwealth’s housing stock is evident in cities and towns across the Commonwealth. Senator Kennedy recently secured a bond authorization of $8 million for the Lowell Housing Authority in the Senate’s version of the Affordable Homes Act which will be used for an affordable housing project and housing units for veterans. Senator Kennedy has also secured funding for the first-ever Affordable Housing Plan in the Town of Pepperell.
In this legislative session, Senator Kennedy has proposed legislation aimed at protecting the Commonwealth’s affordable housing stock from inadvertent or statutory scenarios where a property’s affordable housing restriction may not be honored. His bill would provide mechanisms to the holder of an affordable housing restriction to protect the public subsidies that make homes affordable. He is also the sponsor of legislation that would ensure fairness in foreclosure proceedings by establishing a Foreclosure Review Division within the court system, a measure experts believe would help revitalize our real estate markets and strengthen the constitutional rights of homeowners.