Housing ain’t easy

In this episode of unPlanned, we talk with Sean Hope of Hope Real Estate and Jesse Kanson-Benanav of B’nai B’rith Housing about their experiences as affordable housing developers. Both have connections to Cambridge, MA. Sean grew up here and Jesse lived in Cambridge for many years before getting priced out by the expensive housing market. They both share their candid assessment of the difficulties of doing projects in this progressive city, where all good ideas run into inevitable neighborhood opposition. Jesse also takes us out to the suburbs in his examination of projects both in West Roxbury and in Sudbury.

We also hear about their concerns over the role that Baby Boomers play in such communities. Boomers were once radicals determined to upend the status quo, but in the eyes of younger generations, they now represent the status quo — older, well-heeled and well-housed, comfortable in their surroundings and averse to change. It adds a layer of irony to the discussions.

From another angle, we at unPlanned have avoided the topic of housing until now. Few issues are more emotionally charged than this one. Everyone understands that having a roof over one’s head is a basic human need, but at the same time change for anyone is hard, and new housing means changes in the neighborhood. Also, as Burt Bacharach once wrote, “a house is not a home,” by which he meant that the physical structure of housing does not in and of itself make it a home. That requires people, and connections and emotions and memories. Our connection to our housing is a big part of our identity.

I hope to have these two guys back on to talk about their statewide advocacy work they’ve done.