>> good morning, everyone. welcome to urban update. i'm byron barnett. on the show today, we will take a look at the current real estate market and how boston is afebruarying the region. we will discus how this impacts the housing needs with families with very low income. also on the program: common tips for using exercise, massage, and several do it yourself ways to alleviate some common pain ailments. but up first, the massachusetts highway safety division of the executive office of public safety and security unveiled earlier this year an education campaign aimed at convincing men, ages

the lowest seat belt use rate to buckle up. the campaign is part of the national highway traffic safety administration's click it or ticket effort to save lives by increasing seat belt use. part of the problem with men in that particular age group is that despite all the evidence, they feel invincible and many do not wear seat belts. to tell us about this ongoing campaign, we have invited jeff larason, director of the highway safety division. welcome. thanks for comin >> i assume you wore your seat belt here if you didn't drive. >> always, always. >> too many men don't use seat belts. why is that in. >> you said it. there is a feeling of invinceability. they are young. they are not going to crash. they are not going to die. so they don't. >> the 18-34 group you were talking about. >> yeah. yeah. so massachusetts in general, we have almost the low he is

>> 48? wow. who is below us? >> new hampshire. where they have no seat belt law at all. and south dakota, for some reason. >> wow. is there a percentage that people use... >> 74.4%. it looks like the new numbers will be coming out, we will have a bump and go up with that a little bit. >> how does the type of car men drive affect this? are certain cars more... >> well, for some reason, drivers of pick-up trucks tend to not wear their seat belt not sure why that is, quite frankly. it is a very low percentage. commercial truck drivers tend not to wear their seat belts. if you are out there doing plumbing and heating or you are out in the pick-up truck, you tend to get in and out of the vehicle quite a bit, people don't wear the seat belt as much as they need to. >> we will take a look that the campaign and talk about it on the other side. troll video. >> if you are a smart guy or just a wise guy, your head weighs ten pounds.

ten-pound sledgehammer. no matter how hard your head, is you can't stop a crash with your face. use your head. buckle up. >> what are you trying to get across in that video? >> well, we are trying to let people know, crashes are going to happen. it is not an inevitabilities. the best way to stay safe if a crash occurs is to wear a seat belt. that two-inch piece of fabric. there is nothing in your car that will make you safer than wearing that. report what about the how does that work? what is it for those who might not know? >> you are required to wear a seat belt in massachusetts. we have a secondary law. it is a little more difficult to enforce than it is in some states. it is a law. >> but it is enforced... can they stop you for that? >> no. it is a second dare law. they can't stop you exclusively for your seat belt. if you are speeding or doing anything else wrong, you can get a seat belt ticket. >> talk about the campaign. to you think you have had an

in from the campaign. we had a real big push back in may. the target was young men. as well as hispanics and pick-up truck drivers. the initial numbers are showing a bump in each category. >> now, you mentioned hispanics. i believe you said there are racial disparities. >> yeah. the hispanic population traditionally has a lower seat belt rate. around 50% compared to 74%. blacks have slightly lower percentage of seat >> now, you are kicking off today. the national child passenger safety week. with the series of free car seat check-ups across the state. tell us a little bit about that. >> yes. so well, this is another situation where we have... the number two reason for infants dying in this country are from crashes. and one of the reasons is that the seats that are required are not installed properly. and when they are installed, a lot of times, they are not buckled in properly in the seats. >> child seats. >> the child seats.

and you know, it is a complex process. we are recommending now that kids, infants stay facing backwards up until the age of two now. which is a long time. and so then we want kids to stay in the back seat until the age of 13. that is the recommendation at this point. >> okay. what can family members do to help with family pressure on somele of these kids? >> grandparents, aunts, and uncles can do a lot to help make sure that parents k that we have over 220 different locations where people can go to get their seat inspected to. make sure that it is installed properly. so if there is a crash, that it is not going to move around have very much. we have some circumstance where we can give seats away for people who need them. >> this is really an important safety issue. so many people ignore it. you can't say enough about the seat belts. >> it is simplest thing you

pull that belt across. the technology that is there for kids is now improving significantly. but it is very important that we make sure that those seats are installed properly. >> finally, quickly, one more thing about the child seats. where can people get more information about getting the right car seat for their child? >> so we have launched a new web site. a new portal for information. mass..gov back slash car seats. that is in spanish as well. >> okay. a great campaign. i hope you get those numbers up. okay. >> we are working on it. >> thanks. coming up next, dna realty gives us their take on the current boston real estate market.

>> the boston real estate market is always an interesting topic. whether it's discussing the new projects and the growing sectors that keep the city's property values on an ongoing high, or the serious repercussions of gentsrycation on low-income folks. the issue is always a relevant one. this morning, we are joined by two brothers who co-founded dna realty. team focused on the middlesex county and surrounding towns. we have invited them here to give us their take on the boston real estate area. and the market and to see where the opportunities are for both buyers and sellers. the two brothers, david and arthur. thank you for coming in. welcome to urban update, gentlemen. david, let me start with you. i'm sure you get this question all the time. how do you describe the current boston real estate market?

you know, for the average price for most of boston, multi-family condos and single-families is $1.5 million. it used to be $730,000. five years ago. >> wow. wow. arthur, now, would you consider this a seller's market right now? also, what makes boston, i guess, this region kind of unique? >> absolutely a seller's market. it has been one for the last five prices have gone up over 98%. one of the reasons is that we have such great school systems. colleges. a lot of financial jobs and accounting jobs. those types of businesses tend to be conducive to the real estate environment. >> okay. let's take a look at key areas. incredible growth there. we have a graphic to put up on the screen. >> yes. >> you can take a look right there. this is the national average. the overview. >> yeah. well, if you take a quick look here. nationally, you know, the

if you look at boston, it's 98%. two times the national average. look at that. $1.5 million for the price point. chelsea, one of the towns that is probably going to get gentryified quickly, it is happening now, they are at a rate of 91%. so obviously, the boston market is incredible to invest in at this time. >> wow. look at dorchester right there, too. the property values, i guess, have gone up a lot. in dorchester. >> that is a big deal. that is a big deal. >> wow. that is really amazing. what is the good news? property vams go up. that is obviously, good news for home owners. i don't know about buyers. >> yeah. a great news for home owners. it is great because people have equity. they can down-size. they can up-size. use that equity to really buy bigger property and move up. good news for buyers is the

while. it is probably unsustainable. off great opportunity to get that property at a great mortgage rate. that is good news right now for buyers. >> you hear the fed talking about raising the interest rates. getting closer to that time. they have been low for a very long time. >> very long time. >> that makes a big difference. >> huge. that is part of the reason why the market in boston has been so strong. >> okay. now, david, what about the bad news? gentryification i guess, you could argue that it leads to more homeless families, less diversity. what about that? >> obviously, areas where rents are going to change because of the fact that people are buying these properties and they are raying the rents and the market is going up, obviously, people who are able to afford certain properties aren't going to be able to afford them anymore. they will have to spin out and move further outside of the

>> you see people moving in, buying modest homes. then tearing them down. then expensive mcmansions and so forth. what about that? that is what drives, like, regular people out of these neighborhoods. is it not? >> yeah. well, we sold the property, a three-family particularly in dorchester. about two, three years ago for about $700,000. >> wow. >> obviously, a person that would be able to afford it for $400 is not buying it for $700. . >> arthur, is it easier to buy a home today in boston or harder do, you think? >> it is a little bit more challenging. because the average price point is $1.5 million. but the good news is if you have great income and money and great credit, the interest rates are extremely low. and as we looked at the chart earlier, there is a lot of opportunities in those sub-sectors.

one of the, you know, most expensive cities to live in in the country. is that trend going to continue? or is it going to be one of the most expensive places to live? >> well, it will be one of the most expensive places to live. you know, we have a very thriving city. and it's always been good. and it is... it has grown a lot over the last 30 years. it will continue to grow. >> you guys are brothers. co-founders of dna realty. how andhy and you know, and stick together as brothers doing it? >> yeah. absolutely. we started about 2009. we were actually looking to purchase our dad a house. the experience that we got from other realtors, we felt like a number. you know, we started looking. my brother suggested... he said, we can do: this we should get our real estate licenses. and we did. >> wow. how sit like having the family business, working with your brother like this? >> we fight every day. (laughter)

huh? >> just like kids. sharing bunk beds. the same. we have a good time and a good business. we help a lot of people. >> okay, david and arthur. thank you both for coming in. and good luck with your business. and wow. i don't know what to say about those real estate rates. you know, if you can find me something i can afford... >> all right. done deal. >> when we return, identifying new approaches to increase the supply of affordable housing for families with extremely low incomes right here on

>> earlier this year in april, the home funder's

promising approaches to increase the supply of affordable housing for massachusetts families with exstreamly low incomes. the winnersers were honored at forum on june 13 at the boston foundation. to tell us more about that evening, every invited rebecca koepnick, chair of the home fujders and the director of neighborhoods housing at the boston foundation. also we have sonia executive director of home funders. a collaborative focus of addressing the housing needs of families with very low income. welcome back to urban update. thanks for coming in. sonia, for our folks who maybe missed our original interview we did almost a year ago now, or getting close to that, share with me sort of the elevator pitch of how you describe your work at home funders. >> yes. home funders is sa felon tlopic partnership that provides

affordable housing. and as part of our work, we advocate for increased resources. and policies. that will also increase the amount of housing in massachusetts. that is affordable to extremely low-income families. >> okay. now, rebecca, we just did a segment, you probably heard it there. on the effects of gentrification in boston and all these sky-high prices. does this confirm the crucial nature of the mission here? >> absolutely. i mean, as they wer you know, a million and a half dollars for a condo to familys that home funder serves, it is critical to support these families. >> and you are able to find... have you been able to find housing for some of these folks? >> we have been able to finance housing, yes. >> okay. sonia, tell me about the june event. how excited were you there?

winners? >> well, it was an exciting day. we selected four winners out of the 19 competition entries. the event on the 13th was at the boston foundation. and it featured the awards for the foundation. all of the four winners were girn their cash prizes. the keynote address was by professor matthew desmond, the author of "evicted: poverty and profit in the merge city. " he is a sociology professor at harvard. he captivated the audience with his that he followed for about a year and a half. and during his presentation, you could have heard a pin drop. people were absolutely mesmerized by the stories he told about the struggles of these families. i think there is a lot of excitement about... and a lot of energy around wanting to do something. >> okay. rebecca, what about the winners. what the ideas were. we have a little graphic we can show.

preservation of affordable housing. which is fast nonprofit developer. they proposed a donation tax credit where individuals can donate their hows or their properties to nonprofits who will use those, convert those to affordable housing for low-income families. >> a second prize there? >> the second prize was to... >> you can look right there. >> the second prize was to the coalition for occupied homes in foreclosure. and they buy properties out of the market that have been and help the families living there stay there. the third prize went to the citizens housing planning association. they are proposing to work with health care providers and hospitals to find new sources of funding for affordable housing. >> and again, this prize money is for the winners to use to build this affordable homes. homes that people can actually live in. you must get some really innovative ideas, i would

sonia, i guess, what's next has there been any progress on the winning ideas since the announcement of april this year? >> there has, actually. very exciting news. the donation tax credit which was our grand prize winner was signed into law through the economic development bill that was signed in august by the governor. and this will now allow the program to be implemented. and they have begun conversations between health care providers and housing entities they could set up some kind of system that meets the needs of families. >> how do you keep up with the growing need to advocate for these kinds of solutions for, i guess, low-income families for housing? especially when there is a market that's just overheated now. >> right. the sad stories that we aren't keeping up, when you hear the stories that dna realty was telling us about, the prices, families, their incomes are

certainly, not in the city of boston. sfos our work, part of the role of this competition was to spur new ideas and get people invested in trying to do more. >> where can people go to get more information about home funders? >> www.homefunders.org. >> okay. all right. who are your long-term hopes for this competition? what will it mean for the outcomes? what is your vision for this? >> well, first we hope that the winning ideas will get traction. and be implemented. so that we do see an increase in the amount of housing for extremely low-income families. we hope that the interest will continue beyond the idea of prize money and a competition, for people to continue to think about what could work for the housing market here in massachusetts. s if. >> and really raising

crisis. >> yes. >> in terms of people who aren't millionaires. >> that's right. >> all right. sonia gupta, rebecca koepnick, thank you for coming in. good luck with the program. >> thank you, thank you. >> when we return, common tips for using exercise, massage, and a few do it yourself ways to alleviate common pain ailments. coming up right here on urban

>> currently, 80% of adults experience low back pain at

a new study found that doctors are not only prescribing exercise as much as they should be to help solve the problem. in fact, experts say there may be other solutions for sufferers spending money on fancy gadgets and over the counter painkillers. david foreman, known as the herbal pharmacist says there is a more effective do it yourself approach to alleviating lower back pain. as we celebrate september as pain awareness month, we have invited david to share some of his more common tips for using exercise, massage, and some common ailments that cause much pain to our bodies. welcome to urban update, david. thanks for coming in. >> great to be here. >> let's begin with ailments like lower back pain. very common. more unanimous than you think, right? >> yeah. lower back problems are the number three reason that people will go see their doctor. and we have spent over $80 billion on trying to fix the

it is very prevalent. i mean, you just said 80% of the population will have some problem at some point in their life. somebody you know or maybe, like me, i have had it before. everybody i know has had a problem with their back. >> wow. what causes lower back pain? and why is it so difficult to treat? >> i think reason it is difficult to treat is because there are so many possible reasons that people can have lower back pain. people can have a sciatic issue because of a bladder issue or they are overweight and car rig too there are so many reasons that they have it. that makes it difficult to treat. because you need to treat the underlying cause. >> now, does it... you don't have to be an old person to have lower back pain, though. >> no. back pain doesn't discriminate. it is a lot less common in, you know, teenagers and under. but lower back problems really do not discriminate. >> okay. now, you say there are a lot of back gadgets and belts. things like that. food pads and things that you don't believe the complete

or even the big-box stores these days. you buy the belts or buy the shoe inserts. the journal of the medical association published a study that we were just wasting our money on those things. you know, if you are getting fitted, that is a whole different story. just to go out and buy those things as a treatment for it, you are wasting your money. >> what about the over the counter pain killers? you see them everywhere. is that the only solution for various ailme back and joint ailments. >> well, as a pharmacist, i was even taught these pain relievers are just a band-aid on the wound. they don't address underlying issues. oftentimes, people think that the recommended dosing is a suggest or guideline. so they overdo it. not realizing that this doesn't mean it is safe for you. that can cause further problems unrelated to a back problem. >> wow. you have a four-step herbal plan for alleviating lower

and things, is it? >> yeah. one of them is not even an herb. one of them is just activity. the same study that said we are wasting our money on gizmos amend gadgets also said that 40% of the people could alleviate back pain by just getting regular exercise. we are not talking about joining a gym. it could be walking. it could be swinning. yoga. any type of activity can help with managing back pain and preventing it from happening again in the future. >> i know. doctors say it for lower back pain or some people have knee ailments or shoulder ailments. physical therapists will prescribe exercise. stretching exercises. oftentimes to take care of the pain. >> yeah. a lot of times people think exercise is counterproductive. it is really not. actually, exercise will stim late other hormones in the body that can help alleviate the pain. then there are some actual herbal... i mean, i am an herbal pharmacist.

vitamin d is very important. there was a study out of india that showed that people that had chronic pain had significantly low levels of vitamin d. now more studies are showing that you should get your vitamin d level checked. it is that simple. find out the level before you pop pills. >> what other herbs and supplements do you recommend? >> coming from a recent issue with a back problem, these are thing selegrin. it helps rehydrate the spongy cells in between the vertebrae. i helps the body in its natural fight against inflammation. there is an herb i lover. a lot of people people have muscle involvement in the back problems. the muscles get stiff. passion flower is one of my favorite herbs.

you could go, you know, once a week for a massage. that is another beneficial thing. >> those aren't brand names you are giving. those are the actual names... p. >> those are the name of the ingredients. and the herbs. you can find them in health food stores in different brands. my web site is herbalpharmacist.com. >> okay, all right. thanks for coming in. great information there. >> thank you. >> okay, all right. well, that is it for this edition of u

directly across the water from the olympic headquarters in switzerland, we are in evian, france on the side of a soggy mountain today for the final round of the fifth and final major of the season on the lpga tour. two words that can change a career forever -- major champion.