As she waits for the Legislature to dig into her detailed proposal to deal with the housing access and affordability crisis, Gov. Maura Healey announced Monday that 26 housing projects across Massachusetts, including two supportive affordable housing developments for vulnerable residents in Lynn and Boston, are slated to receive financial assistance from the state.
More than 1,900 housing units in 19 municipalities will be built or preserved through a jolt of funding from subsidies and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, which saw a $20 million increase in the tax package Healey signed in October. More than 90 percent of the units will be “income-restricted, affordable units,” the governor said, among them the slow-walking Franklin Ridge project here.
Healey announced the slate of projects Monday at the Hyde Square Task Force in Jamaica Plain, where state and local officials gathered to highlight a “historic adaptive reuse project” for the adjacent Blessed Sacrament Church. The church, which has sat vacant for the last 20 years, will be redeveloped with 55 affordable housing units and a performance space.
“Each of these 26 developments is thoughtful, creative and rooted in community, and each will provide someone — a senior, a family, a working person — with a comfort of home and the peace of mind that comes with financial security,” Healey said. She added that the state was able to award funding to all applicants this year due to the expanded Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.
Two days away from unveiling her fiscal 2025 budget amid nearly flat revenue collections, Healey expressed appreciation for the Legislature, which largely supported the $1 billion tax cut package. Beyond raising the Low-Income Tax Credit program cap from $40 million to $60 million, the package also increased the rental deduction cap and doubled the senior circuit breaker tax credit, among other policies to support families and children.
According to Town Administrator Jamie Hellen, the Town was awarded $8.5 million in grant funding including $2.5 million from the Low Income Federal Tax Credit (LIFTC) and $6 million from other state Executive Office of Housing and Livable communities subsidies.
“Today, the Governor announced that 26 projects in 19 communities will receive federal-state grant funding for affordable housing construction. I attended today’s ceremony at Hyde Square Task Force in Boston. Only 19 cities and towns were given money, which speaks to the Town’s consistent and collective advocacy, as well as the shovel ready nature of the project.
“We cannot underestimate the consistent advocacy of all Town Councils, past and present, and also our entire delegation including Congressman Auchincloss, Jeff Roy and Becca Rausch, and even our former Senator Karen Spilka. This is exactly how federal-state-local partnerships are supposed to work. It is a true team effort,” said Hellen.
According to Hellen, this now brings the total allocated local, state and federal money to approximately $13 million for the project, (not including the municipal land, staff or permitting efforts).
