Salem Pours $400K In ARPA Funds Into Affordable Housing Fund

SALEM, MA — Salem's latest initiative to try to address the affordable housing crisis in the city includes $400,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to support housing projects and services that address housing needs.

Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo said this week that the money will be distributed through the city's Affordable Housing Trust Board to projects that serve very low-income individuals and households.

"One of the leading challenges facing Salem and our entire Commonwealth right now is the need for affordable housing," Pangallo said. "This new grant program is one more important step toward addressing this complex need."

According to the mayor's office, Salem housing costs rose 49 percent between 2010 and 2019, while average incomes rose just 8 percent. The mayor's office said 42 percent of low- to moderate-income residents in the city spend more than half of their take-home income on housing costs.

This funding source can be utilized to assist in the creation and preservation of affordable housing units in the city, as well as to offer critical housing services, including housing stability for current tenants and homeowners and assistance to unhoused individuals.

Qualifying applications must be able to commit the funds no later than June 30, 2024.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)