Our Neighbors Are Hurting: The Housing Crisis in Our Own Backyards

This isn’t just about numbers on a spreadsheet; it’s about real people struggling to find a safe, stable place to call home. As an IT guy, I deal with complex systems all the time, and it’s clear our housing system is broken. We’ve got folks who grew up here, working hard, contributing to our community, who simply can’t afford to stay. And for those of us called to look out for the "least of these," this is a wake-up call we can’t ignore.

• From 2015 to 2025, the median price for a single-family home in Boston jumped 40%, making homeownership a distant dream for many.
• The ability for renters in Greater Boston to afford an entry-level home has been cut in half since 2021, plummeting from 30% to just 15%.
• Outdated zoning laws, some with roots in past prejudices, actively prevent the building of crucial multi-family housing like the traditional triple-deckers that historically provided affordable homes and built strong communities.

This isn’t some abstract problem happening far away; it’s right here, in our own backyards. We’re losing young people, families, and immigrants—the very "connective tissue" that makes our communities vibrant and strong—because they can’t afford to live where they work and worship. As Christians, we’re taught to love our neighbors as ourselves, and right now, many of our neighbors are hurting. We have a moral duty to fix this broken system and ensure everyone has a fair shot at a stable home.

This story was analyzed for Christ P2P. You can read the original reporting here: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2026/2/14/triple-deckers/