Topics of Interest

Update of Housing Needs in Orleans: On December 2, 2022, the Town of Orleans issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) from consulting firms to conduct an update of its assessment of housing needs completed in 2017.  In addition to updating demographic data, the update will fill some gaps in knowledge about the needs of persons working but not now residing in Orleans and the nature of the large homeowner need previously identified.  The study is the result of a funding request submitted by the Orleans Affordable Housing Committee to the Affordable Housing Trust Board.  The two groups will work together to use the data generated by the update to formulate overall goals for Orleans' housing stock, long-term production goals for affordable housing, and schedule for periodic updates and reports.

The Town received three proposals in response to the RFP. After evaluation of responses and interviews, a selection panel composed of staff and a representative each of the Affordable Housing Committee and Affordable Housing Trust Board made a recommendation to the Town Administrators/Chief Procurement Officer, which was accepted. The Town awarded the contract to JMGoldson of Boston. The winning proposal describes the following tasks and deliverables:
  • Data Collection Plan;
  • Data Analysis;
  • Housing Stock Goals;
  • Housing Production Goals;
  • Plan for Updates and Reports.

Work started in April 2023 and will take approximately eight months. Community input has been sought during the month of June 2023 through four focus groups and a survey of all who live, work, attend school, or are interested in housing in Orleans. Summaries of the results of the focus groups and survey can be found at:

A community forum was held on September 7 at the Snow Library, Craine Room, at 6 pm.

Five joint meetings of the Affordable Housing Committee and Affordable Housing Trust Board are scheduled to discuss the deliverables: 

A presentation on the draft Ten-Year Housing Plan will be made to the Select Board on November 29, 2023. No action on the Plan will be taken.

joint mtgs on update of housing needs


Eight Housing-Related Warrant Articles were approved at the May 8, 2023, Town Meeting as part of the long-term effort to address the need for affordable housing. These articles represent additional tools that can be used in that effort. A flyer and video explaining the articles are available here.2023 Spring Warrant Articles Table for website2

The Affordable Housing Committee has done a flyer to let folks know about Orleans’ housing story and how these warrant articles contribute to this effort. If you agree, please feel free to print it out and distribute. Scott Flood, a member of the Committee has also done a video explaining the various housing-related warrant articles. 

Subsidized Housing Inventory: the Massachusetts DHCD maintains the inventory of subsidized housing for every locality in the State that meets its definition of affordable housing for the purposes of compliance with chapter 40B: The list of localities (arranged alphabetically) and numbers of units is updated periodically. The latest list is dated June 30, 2023, with the 2020 Census data on year-round housing units: click here for a direct link to the SHI.  Explanation of the SHI is on the EOHLC webpage here. 

Orleans Housing Developments: the 2017 comprehensive study of housing needs contains a list of the various assisted housing developments in the Town at that time (2017).