Upstream Fund

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The ISHI Upstream Fund advances policy and systems-level change efforts that support and promote stable, affordable housing. This fund aims to invest in organizing and coalition building efforts that are geared towards advancing policy and systems change, within and across four areas of focus: anti-displacement; tenant protections; community control of land; and asset building.

Awardees

Greater Boston Land Trust Network, Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative
Focus Area(s): Anti-displacement, Community control of land
Geographic Scope of Project: Chinatown, Dorchester, Mattapan, Roxbury
Collaborative Partners: Chinatown CLT, Boston Neighborhood CLT, Dudley Neighbors Inc., The Comunidades Enraizadas CLT, Highland Park CLT, Somerville CLT
Summary: The Greater Boston Community Land Trust Network (GBCLTN) is a network of seven community land trusts (CLT) working to leverage their power to shift the narrative from housing for profit to one where communities own their own land and property collectively. ISHI funds will be used to expand their model of converting private market properties into permanently affordable housing by advocating for housing policies that would increase affordable housing funds and protect residential properties from speculative transfers, an increased risk due to the COVID19 crisis. The Network has an additional goal of increasing the number of housing units by 15-20 on CLTs in Boston’s communities of color including the target communities of Roxbury and Dorchester.

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Male Engagement Network, fiscally sponsored by LISC Boston
Focus Area(s): Anti-displacement, Tenant protections
Geographic Scope of Project: Dorchester, Mattapan, Roxbury
Collaborative Partners: Codman Square NDC, Union of Minority Neighborhoods, 365 Dad ̧ ABCD, Catalyst IV Change (Breakfast IV Brothers),Fathers' Uplift, Nuestra Comunidad
Summary: The Male Engagement Network (MEN) is a coalition of community organizations and men of color promoting civic engagement, financial stability, access to affordable housing, and criminal justice reform to improve the lives of men of color living and working in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan. ISHI funds will be used to expand their coalition’s housing stability work as MEN@Home, through housing advocacy and coalition building. MEN@Home will coordinate with other anti-displacement advocates, with a particular focus on lifting up the interests of men of color–MEN@Home will also advocate for changes in the practices of public and private landlords to remove the barriers that prevent men of color and those who have been previously incarcerated from returning to the community, particularly where such changes will enable family reunification and/or for parents to gain or regain custody of their children.

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Renters Rising, Right to the City Boston (fiscally sponsored by City Life Vida Urbana)
Focus Area(s): Anti-displacement, Tenant protections
Geographic Scope of Project: Chinatown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Roxbury, Roslindale
Collaborative Partners: City Life/Vida Urbana, Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE), Chinese Progressive Association (CPA), and New England United for Justice (NEU4J).
Summary: Renters Rising is a campaign to restore rent control public policy protections in Boston and build an enduring movement which will sustain tenant protection public policies long term. Right to the City Boston will implement an advanced stage policy change campaign with the end goal to restore rent control protections in Boston, linking grassroots organizing activities with legislative strategy.

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Tenant Empowerment Project, Greater Boston Legal Services
Focus Area(s): Tenant protections
Geographic Scope of Project: East Boston, Jamaica Plain, Roxbury
Collaborative Partners: Greater Boston Legal Services, Boston Housing Authority, and City Life/Vida Urbana
Summary: The Tenant Empowerment Project will advocate for policies that will protect the rights of tenants in public housing developments by organizing, training, and creating a toolkit to protect and sustain their rights as many public housing developments in Boston convert from conventional public housing to project-based-voucher (PBV) subsidy programs, such as Section 8 or HUD’s new Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD).

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The Coalition for a Truly Affordable Boston, Boston Tenant Coalition
Focus Area(s): Anti-displacement
Geographic Scope of Project: Allston, Chinatown, Dorchester, East Boston Fenway-Kenmore, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Roxbury, Roslindale
Collaborative Partners: Dorchester Not 4 Sale, Reclaim Roxbury, Keep it 100% for Real Affordability and Racial Justice
Summary: The Coalition for a Truly Affordable Boston (CTAB)is anchored by the Boston Tenant Coalition and involves over 20 diverse groups across Boston. CTAB organizing resists the siege from developers and works to preserve Boston’s diversity and neighborhood fabric. ISHI funds will be used to continue to implement and expand the coalition’s work, including: (1) win more permanently affordable, deeply affordable, and family-size units in Inclusionary Development (IDP), (2) pass the Home Rule Petition for Linkage & IDP and additional state legislation that strengthens affordability and prevents displacement, (3) incorporate racial/economic equity, fair housing, and anti-displacement into further IDP changes and the zoning code, and (4) secure stronger affordability commitments in the City’s local planning areas, including plans impacting Dorchester (PLAN: Glover’s Corner) and Roxbury (PLAN: Nubian Square and PLAN: JP/Rox).

Idea Incubator

On Saturday, September 28th, residents, organizers, and housing experts gathered at the Bruce Bolling Building to discuss how $900,000 in grants can best support policy and systems change efforts focused on stable housing. The event provided a public space for community to dive deeper into the four priority areas identified from the Inquiry of Ideas.  

Participants developed a shared understanding of inclusionary development policy, land trusts, rent control, linkage fees, and asset building, discussed why these issues were important, considered what it would look like to fund this work over the next three years, and provided feedback on a draft of the RFP. To conclude, key takeaways were shared and there was an open conversation between funders and community about how best to move forward.

INquiry of Ideas

In the summer of 2019, we released a request to gather ideas from the Boston community regarding what housing policies and systems should be changed and how through. The following priority areas were identified from submissions to inform the grantmaking process: anti-displacement, tenant protections, community control of land and asset building.