Housing Affordability

With Somerville Community Corporation — building permanently affordable housing

Somerville is one of the most densely populated cities in America. Four square miles. 82,000 people. And two out of every three households rent. The median rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $4,035 per month. That is $48,420 a year — just for a place to live.

The standard is that housing should cost no more than 30% of your income. At $4,035 a month, you need to earn $161,000 a year to hit that mark on a two-bedroom. The median household income in Somerville is $142,553. The math does not work for most families.

Forty percent of Somerville residents — renters and homeowners — spend more than 30% of their income on housing alone. That means less for groceries, for childcare, for the electric bill. For some, it means leaving the neighborhood they grew up in.

A family with two kids needs a two-bedroom minimum. That means earning $161,000 a year just to keep housing costs at 30% of income. A teacher and a nurse living together do not make $161,000. A single parent working full-time does not come close.

Meanwhile, Massachusetts banned rent control in 1994. For thirty years, the legislature chose landlords over tenants. Rents went up 70% in a decade. Entire communities got priced out of the neighborhoods they built.

What we are doing about it

Lift the statewide ban on rent control

Every month, renters across Somerville get the dreaded notice: their rent is going up by several hundred dollars. Some have seen rents double in six years. I support rent stabilization so cities like Somerville have the tools to provide year-to-year stability for residents. The 2026 ballot measure will cap rent increases at cost of living. The real estate lobby is spending millions to kill it. We must make sure they do not.

Build and convert permanently affordable housing

We can increase permanently affordable housing stock by investing in the Somerville Community Land Trust, the Somerville Community Corporation, and expanding social and public housing. One critical vehicle: increasing funding for the Somerville Affordable Housing Trust Fund, created 35 years ago to preserve and create affordable rental and homeownership units. That is why I support the local option transfer fee and the tenants' opportunity to purchase act.

Make every community do its part — MBTA Communities Act

The MBTA Communities Act requires multi-family zoning near public transit. The goal is simple: increase housing density where transit already exists. What happened in Milton — where the town tried to defy the law — showed what happens when good legislation is not enforced. I am committed to further legislative action to ensure that solving the housing crisis is a collective effort across the Commonwealth.

End homelessness with Housing First

I support the Housing First model: permanent supportive housing and services for anyone experiencing homelessness. It is both the right thing to do and the cost-efficient thing to do. Residents access housing faster, stay housed, and can then meet their other needs — finding a job, saving money, addressing mental health and substance use.

"Erika is a persistent and reliable advocate for affordable housing with a focus on equity. She has helped so many of our neighbors with the greatest needs find housing. I trust Erika to advocate for our communities."

— Stacey Borden, Founder of New Beginnings

What we have delivered