East Gables Supportive Studios Near Full Occupancy

Laura Baker of Valley Community Development Corporation announced at the December 14 meeting of the Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust that the East Gables supportive studio apartments at 132 Northampton Road were almost fully occupied. Twenty tenants have moved into the facility, and the remaining eight units are due to be filled in the next month.

Baker said that there were 501 applicants for the 26 available units. Two units were reserved for clients of the Department of Mental Health. The lottery for applicants was held in June, 2023. Of the applicants, 52% were unhoused. She was surprised that even some of the applicants earning 80% of area mean income were in unstable housing arrangements and unable to afford apartments in the area. Forty-seven percent of the applicants were people of color. 

One hundred forty-one applicants qualified for the 19 units reserved for local preference, in that they either lived or worked in Amherst or had children in the Amherst schools. There were 66 applicants for the two accessible units. 

Baker said the new tenants were provided with vouchers to purchase furniture and housewares for the 30 square foot units. She noted the positive energy around the opening of the building, and said that the robust applicant pool pointed to the dire need for more projects such as this one.