Goal: To connect individuals and families with the essential services and information needed to support their well-being and mobility.
Strategies include conducting in-depth resident needs assessments to collect data and identify needs and solutions, designing and piloting innovative program models, and serving as a local resource on national best practices on supportive services in mixed-income communities with policymakers, housing authorities, developers, service providers, and property management companies.
Current and Recent Projects
WATERWAYS: CONNECTING RESIDENTS OF ROXBURY AND DORCHESTER TO BOSTON’S WATERFRONT
In 2018 with support from the Barr Foundation, TACC launched Waterways: Connecting Residents of Roxbury and Dorchester to Boston’s Waterfront, an equity initiative to increase access and utilization of Boston’s waterfront for recreation, culture, and employment.
Initially, Waterways aimed to identify barriers to access and catalyze sustained engagement so that more Roxbury and Dorchester residents are invested in and feel connected to the waterfront.
Ultimately, the goal is to give voice to a broader group of residents from Roxbury and Dorchester to impact programs, policies, and accessibility so that as the waterfront continues to evolve, it does so more equitably with the needs and interests of the Roxbury and Dorchester communities actively considered and implemented.
Between January 2018 and June 2019 and in partnership with Kelley Chunn & Associates and Denterlein, TACC collaborated with residents of public and subsidized housing in Roxbury and Dorchester and community groups to document resident-identified barriers and resident-identified solutions to accessing and utilizing Boston’s waterfront.
The project took a “doing is planning” approach; multi-generational family/friends groups engaged in activities (waterfront trips, neighborhood events) and participated in formal data collection (focus groups, pre- and post-surveys, data walks).
Focus Groups: Together with its partners, Kelley Chunn & Associates and Denterlein, TACC conducted seven focus groups to identify current perceptions of, experiences on, interests in, and barriers to accessing Boston’s waterfront. Four focus groups were held with residents of public and subsidized housing communities in Roxbury and Dorchester. Two additional focus groups were held; one with neighborhood stakeholders from Roxbury and Dorchester and the second with downtown Boston waterfront stakeholders. Waterways also engaged large, waterfront employers. The focus group findings can be downloaded here.
Resident-Identified Barriers and Resident-Identified Solutions to Accessing Boston’s Waterfront: Through focus groups, pre-trip and post-trip surveys, and data walks, TACC heard from residents of Roxbury and Dorchester about barriers to accessing Boston’s waterfront and, importantly, about solutions. The barriers and solutions findings can be downloaded here.
Housing Mobility: Increasing Residential Choice for Voucher Holders
HOUSING MOBILITY: INCREASING RESIDENTIAL CHOICE FOR VOUCHER HOLDERS
During the physical redevelopment of the Whittier Street public housing in Roxbury, 200 households needed to relocate, and some selected a housing voucher.
TACC launched a housing mobility strategy to help increase housing options for families using vouchers by providing them with the resources, information, and coaching necessary to make fully informed choices for their families.
TACC’s work at Whittier matured into the Mass Housing Tool; the project also informed the ECHOLocator developed by MIT, the Boston Housing Authority, and Conveyal.
Aging in Place: Building a Supportive Housing Model for Older Residents
AGING IN PLACE
As residents age, there is a need for enhanced supportive housing and services models to allow older adults to age in place in Roxbury.
TACC designed and conducted an assets and needs assessment to understand the unique needs of the 300 older adults (age 55 and older) living in the Madison Park Village community.