On December of 2014, Boston Globe published an article about the Boston Housing Lottery. The sign at the front door says " Ink Block Rental Lottery, please do NOT ring the doorbell. Just open the door and drop your application inside."
People from all walks of life came to the small office in Brighton carrying big envelopes. They have only one the same goal, to live on one of Boston's gleaming new luxury buildings, but on workaday salaries.
Ink Block apartments and other high-end developments costs thousands of dollars a month. With the demand so strong, a housing program had to be drafted for the property. A few lucky people could get the chance to live large at a low cost. All it takes is to win the so called city lottery.
In almost 15 years, Boston has constructed 1,163 affordable on-site condos and apartments in some luxurious buildings that include the Mandarin Oriental. Later on, 555 additional units have been approved and under construction. People were not aware that a few moderate earners live in this place. The catch is, winning a spot begins with the lucky name drawn out of the box. This is called a housing version of Mega Millions, Boston Globe reported.
The latest update regarding the lottery was published yesterday stating that cities are struggling to provide affordable housing. Boston has reconsidered the policy requiring developers to accept lower-income residents. Even the most expensive buildings are being examined.
According to the article published by Bloomberg, Carolyn Lane, who has an annual salary of less than $50,000, moved into one of the most luxurious rental complexes in Boston. The rental complex has 2 gyms, an indoor dog-relieving station and a rooftop pool but only pays a third of what are her neighbors are paying.
"It's a slice of heaven," said Lane. She has a monthly rent of $1,190 after she won an affordable-housing lottery at the 315-unit Ink Block apartments. She is working as an administrative assistant and was one of the 544 entrants for just 41 discounted residences.
"It's a nice gesture but it does virtually nothing to solve the housing crisis," said Bluestone, founding director of Northeastern's Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy in Boston. "There are a lot of areas where it would be cheaper to build middle-income housing," Bloomberg reported.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh considers changes to the city's policy mandating that 13% of units in new rental and condominium buildings should go to moderate-income residents.