Growth in 'sub-family' seen, out of necessity
More moving in with relatives
An increasing number of residents in Boston's western suburbs are moving in with relatives because they cannot afford homes of their own, another sign that local housing costs are beyond the reach of many families, according to a new study.
Between 1990 and 2000, the number of people in the Globe West coverage area living in so-called "sub-families" with relatives increased from about 8,500 to 10,400, according to a study released last week by the Donahue Institute at the University of Massachusetts. The designation, as measured by the US Census, includes married couples with or without children and single parents.
"This is not your college graduate son or daughter . . . living in the basement," said Michael Goodman, director of economic and public policy research at the institute. "Escalating housing costs are forcing people to make choices they might not otherwise have to make."
Local communities with the highest numbers of people living in sub-families in 2000 include Newton with 893, Waltham with 1,166, and Framingham with 1,173, according to the study. In communities such as Framingham, Goodman said, the trend might be partially explained by the tendency among immigrant populations to allow relatives from other countries to move in before they set out on their own.
Though some towns saw a decrease in residents living in sub-families -- Weston, Millis, and Sudbury, for example, saw a significant decline from 1990 to 2000 -- many communities in the region saw an increase over the same period: Marlborough's figure climbed by 40 percent, Westborough's by 135 percent, and Plainville's by 226 percent, according to the study.
In Medway, the number of people in sub-families doubled, going from 95 to 185 between 1990 and 2000, the study showed. Helen Luccio, director of the town's housing authority, said she had not noticed an increase in people living with family, but she was not surprised that people were having trouble finding homes."The young people in Medway who are getting married cannot afford to live in Medway," said Luccio.
Charles Gagnon, chief operating officer of the Framingham-based South Middlesex Opportunity Council, said his organization has worked with many families living in overcrowded conditions to make ends meet. He attributes the crunch to the high costs of housing, which he in turn attributes to the high costs of land and construction."The entire bar has gone up," Gagnon said.
Gagnon, like others, believes relief is rooted in local zoning initiatives that would allow for the creation of more affordable housing, such as requirements that all new housing developments include some below-market-rate units.
According to the study, the average sales price in 2002 for homes in the Globe West area was about $460,000, well above the state average of about $318,000. The study suggests that prices throughout Massachusetts have risen because of the state's inability to meet housing demand -- it estimates that 70,000 more housing units would have been needed between 1990 and 2000 to meet demand statewide.
Nicolas Retsinas, director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, said while he was unfamiliar with the UMass study, he believes the continuing emergence of sub-families is a product both of higher housing costs and changes in "salary distribution."
"It's also the fact that people don't make enough," said Retsinas, noting that while the service sector has grown, higher-paying jobs in fields such as manufacturing have been lost.
The Rev. Peter Cook, senior minister at Plymouth Church in Framingham and chairman of the local group Housing for All, said many communities emphasize building a strong base of retail businesses but that local housing can be beyond the means of employees.
"These workers have to live someplace," Cook said.
Even for families that rent or own their own homes, the study suggests that housing costs are still a heavy burden for many. Although about half of the households across the region spend less than 20 percent of their income on housing -- which Goodman attributes to the fact that many residents have lived here for a long time -- about one-quarter spend 30 percent or more.
Rick Brown, director of planning for the town of Wellesley, said his daughter, her husband, and their infant son recently moved in with him and his wife in Holliston while they look for a home they can afford. The young family previously lived in an apartment, Brown said, but moved out when they learned it might have problems with lead paint.
He, too, believes housing costs are prohibitive for many young families, and said local resistance to Chapter 40B, which seeks to increase the affordable housing inventory, makes the problem difficult to solve. The law has been unpopular in part, he said, because it is perceived as usurping local planning initiatives.
"One of the primary things . . . voters hang onto is control over zoning," Brown said.
Aaron Gornstein, executive director of the Citizens' Housing and Planning Association, which commissioned the study along with the Massachusetts Housing Partnership, said communities are often reluctant to build housing for families because they are concerned it will mean a greater burden on local schools. But he believes that to survive communities should find ways to accommodate.
"They're not going to have the property tax base without these families," Gornstein said.
Emily Shartin can be reached at eshartin@globe.com. 