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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Interviewees noted that the number of low-income students in the school system has been decreasing, and that
many families are leaving Arlington because they can no longer afford to live in town. They noted several cases
in which families would leave Arlington for housing that was more affordable or more appropriately sized for a
large family, but would try to keep their children enrolled in the Arlington school system. In other cases, two
families might share an apartment after one loses their housing. While federal law enables students who become
homeless to remain enrolled in their school system, the law does not apply to students who are experiencing more
general housing instability but are not homeless. According to the school system’s homeless liaison, affordable

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Arlington Fair Housing Action Plan

housing issues are often at the root of residency investigations, which can result in enrollment issues for students
and disruption in their education.

Interestingly, no interviewee mentioned the presence of lead paint, and the requirement that it be abated if a
child is in residence, as a barrier to obtaining housing.