The mission of the Salisbury Housing Trust is to promote affordable home ownership in the Salisbury towns. In the past 14 years, the Housing Trust has built or renovated 12 homes, now owned and occupied.
We use a threefold strategy: raising funds, primarily through local donors; seeking sites on which to build or homes to renovate; and seeking qualified applicants. The Housing Trust subsidizes the homes, making them affordable, and enters into a contract with buyers to maintain affordability when the homes are resold.
We have been successful in our mission to increase home ownership. But we also recognize the importance and need for additional affordable rental units in Salisbury. Some individuals and families are financially unable or simply don't wish to pursue home ownership. Yet, through work, volunteering or family history, they are an integral part of the Salisbury community.
The Housing Trust does not plan to change its mission, but we strongly support efforts to increase the number of affordable rental properties in Salisbury.
Leo Gafney, President of the Salisbury Housing Trust
This article was published in The Lakeville Journal on 1/14/16.