Summit

4th Annual Housing to Protect Cape Cod Summit

Thank you for joining us for a powerful day of collaboration, ideas, and advocacy. Nearly 300 community members — including business leaders, planners, homeowners, renters, and public officials — came together to explore real solutions for housing on Cape Cod and the Islands.

Summit Highlights

Progress & Momentum: Alisa Magnotta, CEO of Housing Assistance, opened with reflections on a year of progress — from expanded local engagement to new tools helping communities champion housing initiatives.

State & Regional Leadership: Senator Julian Cyr and Paul Niedzwiecki shared updates on state and regional efforts addressing affordability, zoning reform, and smart growth opportunities across the Cape.

Policy in Action: We explored “State Tools, Local Impact,” a panel with Rob Brennan, Stefanie Coxe, Jesse Hanson-Benanav and Meg Ribera. They detailed pending legislation and zoning strategies – like 40Y – that can unlock underutilized land and promote starter homes.

From Seasonal to Sustainable: Local experts Marissa Cyr, Elizabeth Jenkins, and Erin Perry discussed converting seasonal rentals into year-round housing and aligning local planning with workforce needs.

Next-Gen Leadership: The inspiring Next Generation of Housing Advocates panel featured emerging leaders from CCYP, the towns of Orleans, Provincetown, Falmouth, and Housing Assistance — showing that the movement for housing is strong and growing.

Watch the Next Gen panel video

Community Connection: The Summit closed with networking over lunch — sparking new partnerships and renewed determination to take action in every town.

View the Summit slide deck

Housing Champions

The event concluded with recognition of five local housing champions:

  • Austin Miller, Select Board member for the Town of Provincetown
  • Hannah Vanderscheuren, Chair of the Falmouth Task Force for Workers and Families; Chair & Co-Founder of the Marine Biological Laboratory Housing Action Committee
  • Emily Wagner, Executive Director of Cape Cod Young Professionals for her work to organize and motivate young Cape Codders to use their voices.
  • Francesca Galazzi, Planning Board member, Town of Orleans
  • Jasmine Valdes, Local Advocate & Organizer, Orleans Young Professionals

“The question is, are the rest of us going to show up and give voice for those DPW workers who are living on the beach or in a shack or the other folks who are making that trip every day over the bridge to plow your roads, to clean those hotel rooms, work in those restaurants, and keep the economy of Cape Cod running?”
– Secretary Edward Augustus