DEEP DIVE INTO NEEDHAM:
Housing and Public Health
On Thursday, February 2nd, the Needham Resilience Network met in Powers Hall at the Needham Town Hall. As the year begins, NRN continues to immerse in learning about both "The State of Needham" and member sub-networks.
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
The evening started in pairs. Members were asked to consider ONE word that summed up their experience in 2022 and ONE word that summed up their hopes and aspirations for 2023. Back in a large group, members shared their words for 2023 (several of these were shared out more than once):
Calm
No words
Good health
Adventure
Hopeful
Growth
Peace
More kindness
Better
More thoughtful
LIAISION EXPERIENCE
As the newest member of NRN, Tom Denton shared his approach to creating a mental health provider subgroup. He is building an email listserv which includes his current contacts (i.e. schools, town officials, clinicians) as well as new mental health clinicians in the area. In his outreach, he introduces the NRN and asks if they would like to be connected to the network, which would include regular updates of the Network News, and a chance to provide input on Network-related topics.
Other members also shared examples of how they’re utilizing liaison roles. One member noted that it has been helpful to share data and findings from the NRN’s ‘State of Needham’ sessions during conversations with their subnetwork, and that this has fueled conversations and prompted ideas for action.
SKILL BUILDING: Identifying Assumptions, Reframing Them as Questions
A key part of good communication and conflict transformation is to examine assumptions, perceptions and expectations (our own and others’), and understand how they’re impacting a relationship. Assumptions are necessary and normal; they are a way to make sense of the world. However, when we make assumptions about another’s intentions or reasons for action, we might lay a flawed foundation for understanding the relationship. Identifying and checking out our assumptions—and giving other people the opportunity to do so, is crucial to developing a common understanding of the problem.
Breaking into groups of 3, NRN members received a series of statements. The groups identified the assumption(s) in each statement, then considered what sort of questions could be asked in order to check out each assumption.
Questions might address information, intentions, expectations, or time frames.
Reflecting on the exercise within a large group share out, members noted:
- The practice prompted them to imagine more compassionate, thoughtful, deeper questions that could be used in an exchange with someone else
- Participating in small groups highlighted various perspectives that they would not have been able to generate themselves in terms of identifying assumptions and shaping helpful questions
STATE of NEEDHAM: HOUSING & PUBLIC HEALTH
Tim McDonald, Needham’s Director of Public Health, shared data on public health and housing accessibility and affordability.
According to the American Community Survey, 44% percent of Needham residents experience monthly housing costs of $3000 or more. As a result of the high cost of housing here, a notable portion of Needham residents are "rent burdened", meaning they are paying more than 30% of their income for housing and likely experiencing difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation and medical care. Specifically, over three quarters of residents earning $20,000 - $50,000 annually fall into this category.
In terms of Needham’s senior residents, 80% report being concerned about the cost of living in Needham, and 50% report concern about the lack of affordable housing available in Needham. Specifically, many Needham housing options lack amenities needed by seniors, such as covered garages, grab bars in bathrooms, accessible laundry, and bedrooms on the first floor. When compared to the 2016 Needham Senior Survey, the 2022 survey suggests that seniors have not made a lot of progress on home modifications, possibly because the cost of modifications is growing.
A last area of focus was on mental health, and specifically hoarding. Hoarders experience ongoing difficulty throwing away or parting with possessions, and this can cause lack of living space, a fire hazard, unsanitary conditions, and obstruction of entryways into public spaces. Hoarding is not an issue of “rich or poor” - hoarders can come from any socioeconomic status.
A discussant, Jessica Reese, inquired about the intersection of housing and mental health, and it was confirmed that a significant multidisciplinary effort to support residents is synchronized by public health clinicians and public safety. The town has hired additional social workers (focused on youth and aging) and has the great advantage of partnering with Riverside Community Cares.
Tim also shared that in response to insufficient affordable housing, the Select and Planning Boards launched a formal “affordable housing study.” After more than a year of research, a thorough report was recently released. It is posted on the town website.
GROUP BREAK-OUTS and SHARE OUT
Breaking into groups of five, NRN members were asked to reflect on: 1) What surprised them from the data review; 2) What community strengths/assets/resources they saw in the data; and 3) What themes stood out as potential growth edges or areas of inequity?
In the large group share-out, members highlighted some potential strategies to support greater accessibility and affordability in Needham’s housing:
- educate Needham residents about the percentage of people facing housing challenges in our town
- find ways to socialize the housing study that is available on the website
- find ways to support the construction of Accessible Dwelling Units (ADUs), which can facilitate Needham’s seniors as they seek to “age in place” (rather than have to move outside their hometown due to lack of ADUs)
As always, the meeting adjourned by taking a CLOSING PULSE on how people were feeling:
Ambitious
Hopeful
Appreciative of everything lifted up tonight
Heartened by people’s interest and smart questions
Connected
Hopeful
Helpful
Not surprised
More aware of housing
Aware of the need for strong community
Interested
Helpful – housing is always so BIG that it is hard to get your head around it
Sad that there are people in Needham that can’t afford a roof over their heard
Good to be here and talking
Sense of common concern
Desperate need to compel our community to action
NEXT UP
The “State of Needham” reports will continue and conclude over the next two months with the following data presentations and discussion:
March: Needham Police / Public Safety
April: Needham Public Schools
Onward!
Beth and Nichole (NRN Co-Directors)
