League of Woman Voters of Northampton Area

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Northampton Area League Annual Meeting June 6, 2023

ANNUAL MEETING

Annual Meeting Minutes

Guest speaker Keith Fairey, CEO of Way Finders, spoke about “Our Housing Crisis and the Way Forward.”  He described the scope of the crisis, which is dire, and described changes needed to alleviate the shortage of affordable housing. 

The affordable housing crisis is severe. The projected need in 2025 in our region = 19,000 additional housing units. The current number of housing units planned = 1,300 units. Only 18 (out of 101) communities in Western Massachusetts now have dedicated affordable housing.

Increasing housing will depend on systemic changes:

  1. Municipal zoning and planning changes, with greater uniformity
  2. Legislation: View League-Supported/Opposed Legislation 2023 – 2024 Scroll to Affordable Housing section to find 7 bills supported by the state League – links to the bills, bill summaries and testimonies.
  3. Increased funding:

             A new commonwealth bond bill is in planning stage

            Increase MA rental voucher program to $3.5billion/year, which is currently underfunded.              

            Increase federal funding, which has declined for the past 40 years

Mr. Fairey’s talk was related to the on-going local study by our local League on homelessness and housing.

A Northampton Area League-sponsored proposal at the state Convention in June 2023 to update the LWVMA affordable housing policy was approved by a near unanimous vote.

Text of adopted policy: A review and update of the LWVMA policy on Affordable Housing/Homelessness.

This review and update was proposed by the LWV of the Northampton Area. The LWVMA has established positions on Affordable Housing, including a section on homelessness (p. 51-53 in Where We Stand), but the included data is based on information from the 1970’s and 1980’s, and has limited information on homelessness specifically.

Information from documents from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, the UMass Donahue Institute, and The Center for American Progress, indicates that the supply of affordable housing is shrinking relative to the need, and that the definitions of “market value,” “affordable housing” and “median income” among other terms are not necessarily reflective of current economic situations.

A review and update of LWVMA’s Affordable Housing position would serve to reflect current data and specifically focus on homelessness, better advocate for local and state policies that will address an acknowledged problem in housing, and address the need for representation and resources for the under-housed and unhoused people in our communities.     

Act today to protect climate programs in the US Farm Bill 2023

Thank you to everyone who attended our education event, Act for Change: US Farm Bill 2023, Farming, Climate and You. In case you missed it, view the recording here.

Farm Bill 2023 hearings are underway now. Please contact our Massachusetts Congressional delegation this week and urge them to protect climate-smart agriculture and conservation technical assistance using the sample script below. These investments will enable farmers, especially those with small to mid-size farms, to thrive and transition to climate-friendly practices. 

Sample script

Dear Senator/Representative [Insert Name],

As a member of the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, I urge you to ensure that the conservation and climate-smart programs in the 2023 Farm Bill are fully funded, so that all farmers – not just a few – will have access to the resources and technical support they need to transition their practices to both adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Dedicated funds must be protected from being diverted to other programs.       

Scientists warn that to limit average global temperature rise to 1.50C, fossil fuel emissions reductions must be made and our agricultural practices must evolve. Conservation funding can help Massachusetts farmers implement the Massachusetts Healthy Soils Action Plan, enabling them to increase soil carbon, build resistance to drought and flood, and create habitat for fish and wildlife – good for Massachusetts, good for the planet.

Be sure to include your name and complete street address in your signature

Additional Talking Points from the coalition letter to Congress:

USDA’s voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs:

● Enable producers to adopt practices that build soil health, sequester carbon, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, 

●  Improve surface and ground water quality,

●  Increase water efficiency, building resilience to drought and flood,

●  Create habitat for fish and wildlife.

Adequately funding these programs in the 2023 Farm Bill will help to:

●  Energize rural economies,

●  Improve climate resilience, and

●  Ensure that our nation’s farmers, ranchers, and foresters are part of the solution to climate change. Currently farms are part of the climate problem, responsible for 11% of total  greenhouse gas emissions.Additional talking points, see Farm Bill Fact Sheet

US Congressional delegation contact information:

● US Senator Ed Markey 

Email: Use the “Share Your Opinion” form at  markey.senate.gov

​​Phone: (202) 224-4543

● US Senator Elizabeth Warren

Email: Use the “Share Your Opinion” form at  warren.senate.gov

Phone: (202) 224-4543

● US Representative Jim McGovern [Rep. McGovern serves on the US House Committee on Agriculture and is a lifelong champion of farmers and of fighting climate change.]

Email: mcgovern.house.gov 

Phone: (202) 224-4543

● Your Representative

Annual Meeting Northampton Area LWV

Florence Civic Center, 90 Park St., Florence

Agenda and Annual Meeting Packet coming in mid-May.

We hope many of you can attend as this is a great time to see other league members, hear a great speaker, share some food and vote on our local program, slate of officers and the budget for 2023-2024.