Officials Approve Hike In Affordable Rent At Serenity: What Constitutes ‘Affordable?’

BREWSTER – Affordable housing in Brewster might be a little less affordable.

The select board last week approved a slate of rent increases for 27 affordable units at the Serenity at Brewster apartments developed in what was formerly the Wingate nursing facility on Route 124.

The top affordable rents have gone up each year since Serenity opened in August 2022, rising from $1,261 to $1,311 a month in 2022 to the new rates of just under $1,978 per month for a studio or one-bedroom apartment.

Serenity has 132 apartments for residents aged 55 and over. The 27 affordable units (20 percent of the total) are affordable for those earning 80 percent of the area median income determined by the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. The regulatory agreement is overseen by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, the town of Brewster and Elevation at Brewster (the legal entity that owns Serenity).

“The rents that are set by HUD, they are based on Barnstable County [AMI of $98,900 for one person], and since 2021 there has been a significant increase,” Brewster Assistant Town Administrator Donna Kalinick said at the Aug. 24 select board meeting. “And that, to us in the housing world, is a systematic issue. For anyone looking at these it’s hard to understand how these rents are considered affordable, particularly when you are talking about people who are reliant on social security or young people in entry level jobs including some entry level municipal jobs that are available.”

Serenity is actually undershooting the rates they are allowed to set.

“Serenity has been a great partner for the town and has created a community out of a building that had a very uncertain future at the time,” Town Administrator Peter Lombardi said. “And they’ve done so largely without public funding support until the third phase.” 

“We have historically tried to put most of the burden on a new person moving in,” said Ben Friedman, vice president of public affairs and business development for Elevation Financial Group. “And to reduce pressure on people already living there to not unhouse them. There is a limit to our ability to do that.”

Serenity also had to have compliance with the affordable rules certified by the select board.

The requirements for compliance are that the units are rented to those at or below 80 percent of AMI, that the rents are consistent with that and approved by the select board and operated in a manner consistent with the agreement. Elevation provides a compliance agreement with the town each year to confirm they are abiding by the rules. Jill Scalise, the town’s housing coordinator, will review that with her staff and do a walk-through at Serenity. The select board approved the compliance report 5-0.

“There is a requirement for the town to confirm the rents meet the definition in the regulatory agreement,” Scalise told the board. “What that means is that the rent is affordable to a resident at 80 percent of the area median income.”

Each year that number is set for Barnstable County by the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“This year that is $79,100 for one individual, and the rents need to be at 30 percent of that,” Scalise said. 

Friedman was up from Florida to present the rent increase request.

“All of these units are at or below the 80 percent AMI,” Friedman said. “Technically they are all below, but some are only a few dollars below. All of the units, whether they are one-bedroom or studios, can be at 80 percent. We choose, in an effort to work with the town, to maintain as much affordability as possible to have the one-bedrooms at the 80 percent rate and the studios below that (at about $100 less).”

He noted that Elevation also does not use a two-person AMI standard if two people are using a unit, although they could under HUD rules.

“Each year things do get more expensive,” he added. “Along with that the AMI goes up so we come before you to request an adjustment based on that AMI.”

The increase amounts to 8 percent or about $150 a month. Last year the top affordable rents approached $1,870. The new move-in rate will be $1,975 a month.

Select board member Amanda Bebrin noted that for residents who moved in in 2022 when Serenity opened, the rent increase since then has been significant and many in the 55 and over category are on fixed incomes.

Kalinick added that Barnstable County has a fair number of wealthy residents that skews the AMI higher, thus allowing higher affordable rents.

“Because of the increases that have been set at the state and federal level, these rents are not affordable and it’s OK to say that,” Kalinick said. “That is part of the reason why we have a rental assistance program at the local level. It would be nice if it stayed the same and wouldn’t go up so significantly year after year. It’s a real challenge for people to stay in the community.”

The board approved the increase unanimously.