Hingham Company To Lead Barnstable County Regional Housing Services Program

BARNSTABLE, MA — Barrett Planning Group, a planning and community development firm providing strategic, community-focused solutions across New England, has been selected to lead the Barnstable County Shared Regional Housing Services (SRHS) Program.

The initiative provides Cape Cod communities with technical assistance, planning support, and monitoring services to support the preservation and creation of affordable housing throughout the region.

The program builds on a two-year pilot funded through the County’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which tested a centralized, collaborative approach to affordable housing support across the region.

The SRHS program allows communities to proactively manage affordable housing responsibilities, including compliance with state and federal regulations, monitoring of deed-restricted units, and administrative support for local housing programs.

“By centralizing technical assistance and monitoring, the Shared Regional Housing Services Program helps Cape Cod towns preserve affordable housing and ensure year-round residents have access to attainable and stable homes,” said Judi Barrett, founding principal and president of Barrett Planning Group.

“With a seasonal population that nearly doubles in summer, Cape Cod faces unique housing pressures. This program builds on lessons from the ARPA-funded pilot, bringing proven tools, guidance, and expertise to each town.”

“Housing is a complex and important issue for the Cape, and as a seasonal region we feel the pressure of limited year-round housing more acutely than many communities,” said Michael Dutton, County Administrator, Barnstable County.

“Barrett Planning Group brings valuable experience to this work, and the Shared Regional Housing Services Program gives our towns the support they need to manage affordable housing responsibilities toward long-term affordability.”

As part of the SRHS program, Barrett Planning Group focuses on three core areas:

• Regional Services and Program Administration: Managing housing data, maintaining a database of deed-restricted units and other regional resources, hosting workshops and office hours, and developing shared templates and guidance documents.
• Community Services: Providing technical assistance to municipal staff, conducting research and analysis, supporting local projects and programming, and offering process guidance for affordable housing matters.
• Monitoring Affordable Housing Units: Conducting annual reviews of ownership and rental units, including those under the Local Initiative Program (LIP) and preparing required state certifications.

Barrett Planning Group leads the program with support from Housing Assistance Corporation, a leading housing nonprofit on Cape Cod, and Elizabeth Rust, founder of the Regional Housing Services Office. The SRHS program will evolve to meet changing municipal needs.

For more information about Barnstable County Shared Regional Housing Services, click here.