Surplus Properties

2006 Race for State Senate in Berkshire County:
United Candidate Questionnaire

In early August, the United Disability Housing Partnership sent each of the declared candidates in the race for State Senator in Berkshire County a questionnaire focusing on major housing issues for persons living with disabilities. All candidates were given the opportunity to respond. Below you will find the answers we received from those candidates who responded to the questionnaire. The responses of the candidates who will appear on the general election ballot are listed first.

The questionnaire covered four issues vital to the disability community: funding of rental assistance programs; proposed restrictions to the siting of disability housing programs; implementation of universal design and visitibility regulations; and the disposition of former state school and state hospital properties.

Below, you will find links to each of the questions as well as all of the responses we received. Please note that the responses are taken verbatim from correspondence with the candidates. No attempt has been made to edit the answers in any way.

Read the candidates' responses on:

  1. Rental Assistance
  2. Civil Rights
  3. Physical Accessibility
  4. State Schools and State Hospitals

Or view responses by candidate:

Read the questionnaire and candidates' responses in PDF
(Opens in new window) →

  1. Housing costs in Massachusetts are among the highest in the country. A disproportionate number of persons with disabilities are low income, with many relying almost exclusively on Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSI provides monthly payments that are wholly inadequate to afford fair market rent in any region of the Commonwealth. The only way these individuals can afford a home is with some sort of assistance, often times a rental voucher. Unfortunately, current funding levels for state rental assistance programs are so low as to only serve a small fraction of the total population in need.
    • If elected, will you increase funding for state rental assistance programs such as the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) and the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) to more adequately address the housing needs of low-income and homeless persons with disabilities?

      Ben Downing: "Yes. As senior advisor to Rep. John W. Olver, I helped fight against to the federal housing budget - specifically to the Section 8 voucher program - and I will maintain that same commitment as State Senator."

      Dion Robbins-Zust: "Yes."

      Christopher Hodgkins: "Yes."

      Helen Sharron: "Yes, housing is a primary humanitarian need. It would be a disgrace not to help persons with disabilities to afford housing. I support the assistance for housing need of low-income and homeless persons with disabilities, and would point out that women, the elderly and veterans are especially at need."

    • What other housing policies will you propose to address the specific needs of the disability community?

      Dion Robbins-Zust: "We need to make housing less dependent on whether you have kids or not and more about need."

      Ben Downing: "I will support increased resources for supportive services housing to meet and address the specific needs of the disability community. Services should be located on site and should accessible to those who need them. Also, I will ensure that local housing agencies and other regulators are enforcing and implementing all codes to ensure access for disabled persons to housing and other establishments."

      Christopher Hodgkins: "I will find funding for more community housing."

      Helen Sharron: "I would support legislation that uphold former President Bill Clinton's lead in ensuring this discrimination is seen as illegal and intolerable. One proposal would be to update zoning bylaws for developers to ensure all new development includes disabled housing and incorporate the concept of visitability. I would support funding the outreach to communities to educate regional and town planning boards, ZBA, and building inspectors know about this concept and program."

      Jump to Question 2 →

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  2. Recently, the communities of Worcester and Framingham have proposed regulations that would restrict the siting of residences offering supportive services to individuals with disabilities. These regulations are in direct violation of existing federal and state law including the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Dover Amendment, and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. If enacted, they would establish troubling precedents for the entire state.
     
    If elected, will you publicly support the right of persons with disabilities to live in any community and speak against discriminatory local proposals that seek to limit housing choice?

    Ben Downing: "Absolutely."

    Dion Robbins-Zust: "Yes. The rights of the handicapped must be protected."

    Christopher Hodgkins: "Yes."

    Helen Sharron: "Yes, I would. This type of discrimination is particularly troubling."

    Jump to Question 3 →

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  3. Over the past several decades, the environmental community has advocated successfully for State legislation that provides tax incentives for developers who build housing under the "green model."
     
    For persons with mobility impairments, particularly those who use wheelchairs, physical accessibility is a vitally important issue. If included during the initial construction phase, principles of universal design and visitability would add a negligible sum to total development costs and would allow new housing units to be easily modified for persons with disabilities. Additionally, implementing these design principles would allow residents to age in place, which would permit residents to remain in their homes rather than move to more expensive skilled nursing facilities.
    • If elected, what incentives would you offer to developers to incorporate principles of universal design and visitability into new housing?

      Dion Robbins-Zust: "As a licensed contractor, I have come to appreciate the value of educating others on the economic benefit of making new construction meet the needs of all possible inhabitants."

      Ben Downing: "As State Senator, I would fight to see that any incentives offered by the state - tax credits, tax increment financing offered by cities, etc. - would only be made available to developers who promise to incorporate principles of universal design and visitability."

      Helen Sharron: "Quite frankly I don't think we should be incenting developers to include these design principles, I think they should be mandatory and part of zoning bylaws and the building code for all new construction unless extenuating conditions make it impossible."

      Christopher Hodgkins: "I would support efforts to encourage developers to incorporate principles of universal design and visitability into new housing."

    • Will you commit to helping strengthen the Architectural Access Board's (AAB) regulations to improve access to newly constructed housing units for persons living with disabilities?

      Ben Downing: "Yes."

      Dion Robbins-Zust: "Yes."

      Helen Sharron: "Absolutely without I doubt I would commit to strengthening these regulations."

      Christopher Hodgkins: "Yes."

      Jump to Question 4 →

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  4. With the advent of more cost-effective, humane, community-based services, it is now possible to consolidate former and current state hospital and state school sites, which saves valuable tax dollars and frees the sites for new uses. However, with large unmet housing needs for Department of Mental Health (DMH) and Department of Mental Retardation (DMR) clients, any state hospital or state school property that closes and is sold must provide benefits for the people with disabilities that once used such facility.
    • If elected, will you support the timely disposition of these surplus state properties and the use of a portion of the land where housing is to be developed on site, or the use of proceeds from these sales to address housing needs of DMH and DMR clients?

      Dion Robbins-Zust: "Yes."

      Ben Downing: "Yes."

      Christopher Hodgkins: "Yes."

      Helen Sharron: "Many of these former state hospitals and school properties include beautiful buildings in lovely settings. Subjecting them to creative reuse would be wonderful for the entire community. Having just about completed a creative reuse of a historic building that I own in Pittsfield, I understand how difficult and expensive it is to make older buildings stand up to new building codes. Selling the properties outright and providing proceeds to the DMH or DMR make sense. Encouraging any new development on the site to use the principles of visitability should be required."

    • How will you accomplish this?

      Ben Downing: "I will support and promote legislation, or amendments to DMH and DMR's budgets, which mandates use of surplus state properties or proceeds derived from sale of lands to be used to create housing specifically for DMH/DMR clients."

      Dion Robbins-Zust: "By legislating mandated timetables."

      Christopher Hodgkins: "I will fully fund such projects so disabled persons. I will also fight to make sure these sites and buildings are not sold to private developers."

      Helen Sharron: "This could be accomplished by first and foremost changing the current zoning and building codes for new construction in Massachusetts to support housing of the disabled and to support the concept of visitibility. Putting such properties up for auction with caveats on their use, ie to ensure new development incorporates special needs housing, could be mandated. Since restoration projects can be quite expensive, I would propose allowing some leeway with developers in renovating old buildings if the whole of the project fits stated community needs."

    In answering United Housing's questionnaire, Matt Kinnaman submitted the following response: "As state senator from the Berkshire, Hampshire, and Franklin District, I will do all that I can to advocate for people with disabilities, including improved access to housing, public accommodations, and the workplace. I will take all of the positions advocated by the United Disability Housing Partnership / AIDS Housing Corporation under consideration, and look forward to discussing the pertinent legislation with representatives of the organization."

    Return to the top of the page ↑

    Return to Surplus Properties →

    Here are Ben Downing's answers
    to United's questionnaire.
  1. Housing costs in Massachusetts are among the highest in the country. A disproportionate number of persons with disabilities are low income, with many relying almost exclusively on Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSI provides monthly payments that are wholly inadequate to afford fair market rent in any region of the Commonwealth. The only way these individuals can afford a home is with some sort of assistance, often times a rental voucher. Unfortunately, current funding levels for state rental assistance programs are so low as to only serve a small fraction of the total population in need.
    • If elected, will you increase funding for state rental assistance programs such as the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) and the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) to more adequately address the housing needs of low-income and homeless persons with disabilities?

      Ben Downing: "Yes. As senior advisor to Rep. John W. Olver, I helped fight against to the federal housing budget - specifically to the Section 8 voucher program - and I will maintain that same commitment as State Senator."

    • What other housing policies will you propose to address the specific needs of the disability community?

      Ben Downing: "I will support increased resources for supportive services housing to meet and address the specific needs of the disability community. Services should be located on site and should accessible to those who need them. Also, I will ensure that local housing agencies and other regulators are enforcing and implementing all codes to ensure access for disabled persons to housing and other establishments."

  2. Recently, the communities of Worcester and Framingham have proposed regulations that would restrict the siting of residences offering supportive services to individuals with disabilities. These regulations are in direct violation of existing federal and state law including the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Dover Amendment, and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. If enacted, they would establish troubling precedents for the entire state.
     
    If elected, will you publicly support the right of persons with disabilities to live in any community and speak against discriminatory local proposals that seek to limit housing choice?

    Ben Downing: "Absolutely."

  3. Over the past several decades, the environmental community has advocated successfully for State legislation that provides tax incentives for developers who build housing under the "green model."
     
    For persons with mobility impairments, particularly those who use wheelchairs, physical accessibility is a vitally important issue. If included during the initial construction phase, principles of universal design and visitability would add a negligible sum to total development costs and would allow new housing units to be easily modified for persons with disabilities. Additionally, implementing these design principles would allow residents to age in place, which would permit residents to remain in their homes rather than move to more expensive skilled nursing facilities.
    • If elected, what incentives would you offer to developers to incorporate principles of universal design and visitability into new housing?

      Ben Downing: "As State Senator, I would fight to see that any incentives offered by the state - tax credits, tax increment financing offered by cities, etc. - would only be made available to developers who promise to incorporate principles of universal design and visitability."

    • Will you commit to helping strengthen the Architectural Access Board's (AAB) regulations to improve access to newly constructed housing units for persons living with disabilities?

      Ben Downing: "Yes."

  4. With the advent of more cost-effective, humane, community-based services, it is now possible to consolidate former and current state hospital and state school sites, which saves valuable tax dollars and frees the sites for new uses. However, with large unmet housing needs for Department of Mental Health (DMH) and Department of Mental Retardation (DMR) clients, any state hospital or state school property that closes and is sold must provide benefits for the people with disabilities that once used such facility.
    • If elected, will you support the timely disposition of these surplus state properties and the use of a portion of the land where housing is to be developed on site, or the use of proceeds from these sales to address housing needs of DMH and DMR clients?

      Ben Downing: "Yes."

    • How will you accomplish this?

      Ben Downing: "I will support and promote legislation, or amendments to DMH and DMR's budgets, which mandates use of surplus state properties or proceeds derived from sale of lands to be used to create housing specifically for DMH/DMR clients."

      • Jump to Christopher Hodgkins's response →

      Return to the top of the page ↑

    Here are Christopher Hodgkins's answers
    to United's questionnaire.
  1. Housing costs in Massachusetts are among the highest in the country. A disproportionate number of persons with disabilities are low income, with many relying almost exclusively on Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSI provides monthly payments that are wholly inadequate to afford fair market rent in any region of the Commonwealth. The only way these individuals can afford a home is with some sort of assistance, often times a rental voucher. Unfortunately, current funding levels for state rental assistance programs are so low as to only serve a small fraction of the total population in need.
    • If elected, will you increase funding for state rental assistance programs such as the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) and the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) to more adequately address the housing needs of low-income and homeless persons with disabilities?

      Christopher Hodgkins: "Yes."

    • What other housing policies will you propose to address the specific needs of the disability community?

      Christopher Hodgkins: "I will find funding for more community housing."

  2. Recently, the communities of Worcester and Framingham have proposed regulations that would restrict the siting of residences offering supportive services to individuals with disabilities. These regulations are in direct violation of existing federal and state law including the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Dover Amendment, and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. If enacted, they would establish troubling precedents for the entire state.
     
    If elected, will you publicly support the right of persons with disabilities to live in any community and speak against discriminatory local proposals that seek to limit housing choice?

    Christopher Hodgkins: "Yes."

  3. Over the past several decades, the environmental community has advocated successfully for State legislation that provides tax incentives for developers who build housing under the "green model."
     
    For persons with mobility impairments, particularly those who use wheelchairs, physical accessibility is a vitally important issue. If included during the initial construction phase, principles of universal design and visitability would add a negligible sum to total development costs and would allow new housing units to be easily modified for persons with disabilities. Additionally, implementing these design principles would allow residents to age in place, which would permit residents to remain in their homes rather than move to more expensive skilled nursing facilities.
    • If elected, what incentives would you offer to developers to incorporate principles of universal design and visitability into new housing?

      Christopher Hodgkins: "I would support efforts to encourage developers to incorporate principles of universal design and visitability into new housing."

    • Will you commit to helping strengthen the Architectural Access Board's (AAB) regulations to improve access to newly constructed housing units for persons living with disabilities?

      Christopher Hodgkins: "Yes."

  4. With the advent of more cost-effective, humane, community-based services, it is now possible to consolidate former and current state hospital and state school sites, which saves valuable tax dollars and frees the sites for new uses. However, with large unmet housing needs for Department of Mental Health (DMH) and Department of Mental Retardation (DMR) clients, any state hospital or state school property that closes and is sold must provide benefits for the people with disabilities that once used such facility.
    • If elected, will you support the timely disposition of these surplus state properties and the use of a portion of the land where housing is to be developed on site, or the use of proceeds from these sales to address housing needs of DMH and DMR clients?

      Christopher Hodgkins: "Yes."

    • How will you accomplish this?

      Christopher Hodgkins: "I will fully fund such projects so disabled persons. I will also fight to make sure these sites and buildings are not sold to private developers."

      • Jump to Helen Sharron's response →

      Return to the top of the page ↑

    Here are Helen Sharron's answers
    to United's questionnaire.
  1. Housing costs in Massachusetts are among the highest in the country. A disproportionate number of persons with disabilities are low income, with many relying almost exclusively on Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSI provides monthly payments that are wholly inadequate to afford fair market rent in any region of the Commonwealth. The only way these individuals can afford a home is with some sort of assistance, often times a rental voucher. Unfortunately, current funding levels for state rental assistance programs are so low as to only serve a small fraction of the total population in need.
    • If elected, will you increase funding for state rental assistance programs such as the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) and the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) to more adequately address the housing needs of low-income and homeless persons with disabilities?

      Helen Sharron: "Yes, housing is a primary humanitarian need. It would be a disgrace not to help persons with disabilities to afford housing. I support the assistance for housing need of low-income and homeless persons with disabilities, and would point out that women, the elderly and veterans are especially at need."

    • What other housing policies will you propose to address the specific needs of the disability community?

      Helen Sharron: "I would support legislation that uphold former President Bill Clinton's lead in ensuring this discrimination is seen as illegal and intolerable. One proposal would be to update zoning bylaws for developers to ensure all new development includes disabled housing and incorporate the concept of visitability. I would support funding the outreach to communities to educate regional and town planning boards, ZBA, and building inspectors know about this concept and program."

  2. Recently, the communities of Worcester and Framingham have proposed regulations that would restrict the siting of residences offering supportive services to individuals with disabilities. These regulations are in direct violation of existing federal and state law including the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Dover Amendment, and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. If enacted, they would establish troubling precedents for the entire state.
     
    If elected, will you publicly support the right of persons with disabilities to live in any community and speak against discriminatory local proposals that seek to limit housing choice?

    Helen Sharron: "Yes, I would. This type of discrimination is particularly troubling."

  3. Over the past several decades, the environmental community has advocated successfully for State legislation that provides tax incentives for developers who build housing under the "green model."
     
    For persons with mobility impairments, particularly those who use wheelchairs, physical accessibility is a vitally important issue. If included during the initial construction phase, principles of universal design and visitability would add a negligible sum to total development costs and would allow new housing units to be easily modified for persons with disabilities. Additionally, implementing these design principles would allow residents to age in place, which would permit residents to remain in their homes rather than move to more expensive skilled nursing facilities.
    • If elected, what incentives would you offer to developers to incorporate principles of universal design and visitability into new housing?

      Helen Sharron: "Quite frankly I don't think we should be incenting developers to include these design principles, I think they should be mandatory and part of zoning bylaws and the building code for all new construction unless extenuating conditions make it impossible."

    • Will you commit to helping strengthen the Architectural Access Board's (AAB) regulations to improve access to newly constructed housing units for persons living with disabilities?

      Helen Sharron: "Absolutely without I doubt I would commit to strengthening these regulations."

  4. With the advent of more cost-effective, humane, community-based services, it is now possible to consolidate former and current state hospital and state school sites, which saves valuable tax dollars and frees the sites for new uses. However, with large unmet housing needs for Department of Mental Health (DMH) and Department of Mental Retardation (DMR) clients, any state hospital or state school property that closes and is sold must provide benefits for the people with disabilities that once used such facility.
    • If elected, will you support the timely disposition of these surplus state properties and the use of a portion of the land where housing is to be developed on site, or the use of proceeds from these sales to address housing needs of DMH and DMR clients?

      Helen Sharron: "Many of these former state hospitals and school properties include beautiful buildings in lovely settings. Subjecting them to creative reuse would be wonderful for the entire community. Having just about completed a creative reuse of a historic building that I own in Pittsfield, I understand how difficult and expensive it is to make older buildings stand up to new building codes. Selling the properties outright and providing proceeds to the DMH or DMR make sense. Encouraging any new development on the site to use the principles of visitability should be required."

    • How will you accomplish this?

      Helen Sharron: "This could be accomplished by first and foremost changing the current zoning and building codes for new construction in Massachusetts to support housing of the disabled and to support the concept of visitibility. Putting such properties up for auction with caveats on their use, ie to ensure new development incorporates special needs housing, could be mandated. Since restoration projects can be quite expensive, I would propose allowing some leeway with developers in renovating old buildings if the whole of the project fits stated community needs."

      • Jump to Dion Robbins-Zust's response →

      Return to the top of the page ↑

    Here are Dion Robbins-Zust's answers
    to United's questionnaire.
  1. Housing costs in Massachusetts are among the highest in the country. A disproportionate number of persons with disabilities are low income, with many relying almost exclusively on Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSI provides monthly payments that are wholly inadequate to afford fair market rent in any region of the Commonwealth. The only way these individuals can afford a home is with some sort of assistance, often times a rental voucher. Unfortunately, current funding levels for state rental assistance programs are so low as to only serve a small fraction of the total population in need.
    • If elected, will you increase funding for state rental assistance programs such as the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) and the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) to more adequately address the housing needs of low-income and homeless persons with disabilities?

      Dion Robbins-Zust: "Yes."

    • What other housing policies will you propose to address the specific needs of the disability community?

      Dion Robbins-Zust: "We need to make housing less dependent on whether you have kids or not and more about need."

  2. Recently, the communities of Worcester and Framingham have proposed regulations that would restrict the siting of residences offering supportive services to individuals with disabilities. These regulations are in direct violation of existing federal and state law including the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Dover Amendment, and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. If enacted, they would establish troubling precedents for the entire state.
     
    If elected, will you publicly support the right of persons with disabilities to live in any community and speak against discriminatory local proposals that seek to limit housing choice?

    Dion Robbins-Zust: "Yes. The rights of the handicapped must be protected."

  3. Over the past several decades, the environmental community has advocated successfully for State legislation that provides tax incentives for developers who build housing under the "green model."
     
    For persons with mobility impairments, particularly those who use wheelchairs, physical accessibility is a vitally important issue. If included during the initial construction phase, principles of universal design and visitability would add a negligible sum to total development costs and would allow new housing units to be easily modified for persons with disabilities. Additionally, implementing these design principles would allow residents to age in place, which would permit residents to remain in their homes rather than move to more expensive skilled nursing facilities.
    • If elected, what incentives would you offer to developers to incorporate principles of universal design and visitability into new housing?

      Dion Robbins-Zust: "As a licensed contractor, I have come to appreciate the value of educating others on the economic benefit of making new construction meet the needs of all possible inhabitants."

    • Will you commit to helping strengthen the Architectural Access Board's (AAB) regulations to improve access to newly constructed housing units for persons living with disabilities?

      Dion Robbins-Zust: "Yes."

  4. With the advent of more cost-effective, humane, community-based services, it is now possible to consolidate former and current state hospital and state school sites, which saves valuable tax dollars and frees the sites for new uses. However, with large unmet housing needs for Department of Mental Health (DMH) and Department of Mental Retardation (DMR) clients, any state hospital or state school property that closes and is sold must provide benefits for the people with disabilities that once used such facility.
    • If elected, will you support the timely disposition of these surplus state properties and the use of a portion of the land where housing is to be developed on site, or the use of proceeds from these sales to address housing needs of DMH and DMR clients?

      Dion Robbins-Zust: "Yes."

    • How will you accomplish this?

      Dion Robbins-Zust: "By legislating mandated timetables."

      • Jump to Matt Kinnaman's response →

      Return to the top of the page ↑

    In answering United Housing's questionnaire, Matt Kinnaman submitted the following response:
  • As state senator from the Berkshire, Hampshire, and Franklin District, I will do all that I can to advocate for people with disabilities, including improved access to housing, public accommodations, and the workplace. I will take all of the positions advocated by the United Disability Housing Partnership / AIDS Housing Corporation under consideration, and look forward to discussing the pertinent legislation with representatives of the organization.

    • Return to the top of the page ↑

    Return to Surplus Properties →