DMH Site Board

Welcome to the Southwest Suburban Site Board

This site board is comprised of volunteers who share a common concern for the mentally ill. We meet on the third Thursday of the month (except July and August) at 5 Randolph Road in Canton, MA. Our meetings are open to the public and encourage all to attend. Please contact Peter Angelos at (781) 401-9700 for more information.  The Southwest Suburban Site Board is one of four Site Boards in the Metro Suburban area of Boston, MA.  

OPINION:

HOUSING FOR THE MENTALLY ILL: STATE HOSPITAL LAND REUSE

By Marie Hermann
Site Board Member

Ted Kirousis, Metro Suburban Area Director, met with the Southwest Suburban Site Board for an update on DMH and Area initiatives including state hospital land re-use issues. He reminded the Board of the successful passage of a legislative resolution that set aside 10% of housing units built at the former site of Metropolitan State Hospital for people with mental illness. This set aside legislation resulted in 29 units on the site and 10 more offsite. Now advocates hope to succeed in getting the same 10% of the units to be created on Medfield State hospital lands. At this time the 10% is not certain. Supporters of creating housing for people with mental illness on this land, which had long been used to house and care for a population with mental illness, should let their state representatives know of their support for a required set aside such as provided in the development of Metropolitan State lands. Since the state of Massachusetts had long ago set this land aside for those with mental illness and since this population has a great need for housing, the fair and just thing to do is to set aside as many units as possible for them. In considering the hoped for addition of these units, the Board turned to the remaining large and continual need for housing, given that each generation of young people adds to the needy population. There has never been enough housing to meet current needs, nor planning for future needs. Once the last state hospital lands have been developed, where might units come from? Across the state, cities and towns have started to see the appearance of 40B developments. 40B is a chapter of state legislation that says that in any community whose affordable housing units number less than 10% of total units, a developer may bypass the zoning board when he develops a site as long as 10% of units built are designated affordable. Of those 10%, 3% are supposed to be for the disabled. Success in capturing a portion of this 3% set aside for people with mental illness could happen with information gathering about 40B projects and the process of obtaining units. For the moment, fighting for the set aside at Medfield takes priority. Representative Angelo Scaccia is the chairperson of the Housing and Development Committee. He needs to hear from us.   Go to: http://www.mass.gov/legis/member/ams1.htm for contact information about  Representative Scaccia.