Town of Arlington, Fair Housing Action Plan (July 2021)

Citation: Town of Arlington, Fair Housing Action Plan (July 2021)
Jurisdiction: Arlington (municipal)
Source: Official source
Original Source: https://www.arlingtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/57214/637641171662530000 ↗

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Correspondingly, of the total population in Arlington living below the poverty level in the past 12 months, 5%
(±3%) are veterans, placing Arlington again in the middle of the range of municipalities. The highest rate of
veterans in poverty is in Chelsea at 14% (±10%) and the lowest is in Belmont at 0.1% (±1%). The high share of
veterans in poverty in Chelsea is likely due in part to the state-funded Chelsea Soldiers’ Home, which provides
veterans with health care services and full-time residential accommodation including a 174-bed long-term care
facility and 305 dormitory beds.
Figure 14: Percentage of Veteran Population

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Arlington Fair Housing Action Plan

Affordability
The fundamental question this part of the plan asks is whether members of protected classes can access housing
in Arlington. So far, the analysis has been limited to whether protected classes currently live in Arlington, and in
some cases, a brief look into protected classes’ finances. This latter financial element points to an important part
of access: can members of protected classes afford to live in Arlington? For a thorough analysis of housing costs
and housing cost burdens, see Appendix B: Housing Characteristics and Costs on page 108.
This section compares the median household income for households in Arlington and the comparison region to
median home costs for newly rented or purchased housing in Arlington. This measure illustrates whether a
household making the median amount of money within a protected class could afford to move to the median
Arlington home. Though this analysis does not cover the needs or abilities of all household wishing to move to
Arlington, it illustrates the racial gap in access to Arlington’s housing experienced by households in the region.