Meet Jasper McCoy, an artist, Springfield resident and architect by trade working to make an impact on the development of affordable housing in Springfield, MA. As an Executive Committee member of the Springfield Creative City Collective, he brings a unique perspective to the table, combining his professional expertise in architecture with his passion for community development. Jasper works closely with local developers and community organizations to create sustainable and accessible housing options for Springfield residents. In this article, we will delve into Jasper's work and explore the history of affordable housing in Springfield. From the legacy of redlining to the economic disparities that have contributed to the current housing crisis, Jasper will provide valuable insights on the challenges facing Springfield and the steps that are being taken to address them. Join us as we hear from Jasper on the importance of affordable housing and the role it plays in creating a thriving and equitable community.

 Jen:

We’re excited to have you sit down and discuss affordable housing and the work you do here in Springfield. Can you tell us a little more about yourself and how you came to be a developer?

Jasper:

Thank you Jen for having me. It’s not often I get to speak about this passion of mine, typically I’m in an office making calls and doing follow up. Affordable housing has been a mainstay of my thought process and what I want to affect for my legacy since I was 11, clearly I wasn’t your average child. Mistakenly however I’d thought architecture was the end all be all of what I could offer affordable housing and pursued that in degree and career, but these past few years working as a developer has opened my eyes to what more there is in this field. Growing up in affordable housing , section 8 and less than desirable housing conditions made me realize the importance of having a “HOME”  and how the quality of residence you have affects your development and outcomes beyond just shelter. During the Covid-19 Pandemic I made a transition from Boston MA working for a top Ten global architecture firm, back home to Springfield MA working a job at amazon, not the most glamorous return. That job at Amazon allowed me time away from the grind of making big moves and let me really focus on the long term management of my life and the things I wanted. I realized two things : I wanted to still work in housing but architecture was too demanding and way less rewarding for community impact at the rate I was progressing, as well I needed to make a personal impact on individuals lives outside of my professional career. Development was the first position I found that filled this purpose for me, but I also took a job as a counselor for at-risk youth.

Jen:

That's quite the history behind where you came from and the decision tree of your career. It certainly reads passionate in your voice and how you speak about housing/architecture.

Can you expand on Springfield being your home and how familiarity plays into your developments.

Jasper:

So I was born and raised here in Springfield, the birthplace of basketball , “ the City of Firsts” , but more importantly “The City of Homes”. Truly, Springfield has a great history of builders, homes rich in character, size and diversity. There however, has always been undertones of systematic disenfranchisement within the fabric of our city when it comes to homes, neighborhoods and how our city developed. Take my original neighborhood Old Hill for example. The homes in that area had always been occupied by working class BIPOC families within my lifetime.In more recent years being sandwiched directly between two local colleges and having historically low rents, home prices, accessibility to downtown, and open space, attracted the onset of gentrification. Now gentrification within itself is not a bias concept, any person with high paying wages moving into a neighborhood is a great additive to the economy and community, however like in springfield and other major cities when gentrification happens the displacement of native residents is at the crux of this shift. To combat this within my scope of work doing affordable housing we’re working directly with the city to increase local resident affordable homeownership opportunities in the Old Hill Neighborhood. It’s imperative that natives own and operate the space around them. A neighborhood only becomes better when the persons who live in them actively uphold the culture and history attached to those neighborhoods and make way for new opportunities of growth, equity and sustainability.

Jen:

People don’t often talk about gentrification as a concept, yet alone offer community perspectives on solving the effects of it. I want to dive a little deeper into the legacy of Springfield’s housing issues and give you a chance to talk about the current status of things.

Jasper:

Springfield had been a burgeoning industrial area at the turn of the century, people came from all over to call Springfield Home. Our adjacency to the Connecticut river led to industry boom and the fact we were a major station stop on the last parts of the underground railroad brought BIPOC individuals to our city in droves. Look back from today about 50 years and you’ll see the Springfield Armory being decommissioned and the decline of industry set in for our city. Our influx of immigrants did not stop however and our population over the past 50 years has stayed relatively the same with only a slight increase year over year. These factors were the start of our housing crisis - the decline in the active industry economy, an increase in persons moving to Springfield to find work and the relatively low entry price of homeownership for those who were already wealthy.

Most recently however our City’s predatory in house receivership program has been at the crux of our housing problem. The article published by GBH covers this in more detail, but to paraphrase the city pushed for property conformity to code as blight deterrence. When issuing citations the city moved forward to have civil right through a judge, to appoint a receiver (typically a contractor) to repair or cure the issue with the house. These receivers would then file a lien on the property and eventually lead the homeowner to foreclosure due to the large amount of billed work stacked against the property, most times in excess of the actual work performed. This happened in high amounts since 2008 and is just now coming to light, but did exasperate those who had managed to generate some wealth for themselves and their families in the post industrial change Springfield underwent. The City is aware of these issues and is already taken steps to ensure processes are fair and equitable moving forward. but more must be done to right the wrongs over years of concentrated community disinvestment. More affordable homeownership projects need to be funded to give the same demographic of individuals affected by receivership a chance at leveling the playing field when it comes to generational wealth and equity. This is where developers leveraging funding sources to create affordable housing are most useful, we are able to push the boundaries on what can be done and affect long lasting community benefit and give back as mission driven third party entities.

In conclusion, Jasper McCoy is a dedicated and passionate individual who works to make a positive impact on affordable housing in Springfield, MA. Through his work as an architect and developer, Jasper is able to combine his professional expertise with his personal passion for community development. He is committed to working with local organizations and developers to create sustainable and accessible housing options for Springfield residents. As an Executive Committee member of the Springfield Creative City Collective, Jasper is able to align his work with the mission of the organization to create a thriving and equitable community. By tackling issues like gentrification and systemic disenfranchisement, Jasper is helping to build a better future for Springfield and its residents.

Jasper is the host of the monthly networking series: Art Meets. Check our calendar for the next Art Meets event & we’ll see you there!

The Love Art Collective is a BIPOC artist run practice focused on the development of artist, creative business, and community development.