MHP (Massachusetts Housing Partnership)

Hundreds of industry professionals from across the affordable housing and community development fields gathered at the Citizens' Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) Federal Housing Policy Forum held at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Discussion focused on the national political outlook, pending legislation that will impact housing policy, and initiatives implemented by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). During a panel discussion on state perspectives, MHP Executive Director Clark Ziegler said the level of compliance among cities and towns to the MBTA Communities law has been encouraging. "People have been showing up at local meetings and have been saying, 'Why can't we do this? It makes sense to build housing near transit. Let's figure this out.'" Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation (MHIC) MassHousing Harborlight Homes HOUSING ADVISORY GROUP INC Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC) NATIONAL LOW INCOME HOUSING COALITION AND LOW INCO

The day is here! After 14 months of work, MHP is thrilled that Building Tomorrow: A report from the Unlocking Housing Production Commission was released last week. This report authored by experts across various fields, is the next step in increasing the supply of housing and lowering costs for residents of the Commonwealth. "The Governor asked us to be bold in our recommendations and I think we achieved that," said Clark Ziegler, executive director of MHP and a member of the Commission. "We have a lot more work to do but I'm proud of our efforts to take a methodical, comprehensive look at decades of past successes and challenges to recommend 50 potential next steps that could become the building blocks to strengthen our housing ecosystem. Monumental issues require monumental responses, and I feel confident that our Commission has identified several once-in-a-generation opportunities we can take to move housing forward for everyone in Massachusetts." In addition to Clark serving on the UHPC, several MHP reports, resources, and datasets were utilized in the production of the report including MHP's Unlocking the Commonwealth and Building Momentum reports, the Housing Toolbox website, and web resources DataTown and Residensity. As a leader and innovator, our MHP’s mission is to expand access to affordable housing and promote housing equity in communities across the Commonwealth. We are eager to partner with the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the legislature to takes these recommendations from the hypothetical to reality. What we do today will shape our state’s destiny for generations to come. Let the work begin. Learn more and read the report at https://lnkd.in/eVU8FDEx Dana LeWinter, Christine Madore, AICP, Tom Hopper, Calandra (Callie) Clark #AffordableHousing #HousingEquity #HousingProduction #MassachusettsHousing #UnlockingHousing #BuildingTomorrow

Gain a deeper understanding of the local ecosystem as it relates to development and preservation of affordable housing in our virtual training series: Strengthening Local Boards and Commissions to Support Affordable Housing. Sponsored in part by the Eastern Bank Foundation, MHP’s free virtual series will train key local boards that are part of the housing development process and those engaged in or interested in supporting affordable housing. The three virtual trainings will be held on consecutive Thursdays in March from 12-1:30 p.m. beginning March 13. Register: bit.ly/4hFe64Y Citizens' Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) Eastern Bank Mel King Institute Judi Barrett POAH Communities PENNROSE GP, LLC Massachusetts Municipal Association Abundant Housing MA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP Northern Middlesex Council of Governments Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) EASTERN BANK CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

“The determination to change the lives of people by creating safe, stable and affordable communities with support services to assist residents to achieve long-term success is an inspiration,” said MHP Director of Business Development Nancy McCafferty at the groundbreaking for Greenmont Senior Housing in Dracut. Community Teamwork and its development arm Common Ground are developing 56 one-bedroom apartments for persons 62 and up at 144 Greenmont Avenue. All units will be affordable and available to households earning 60 percent or less AMI. The three-story building includes four units of community-based housing apartments for persons with disabilities. MHP has committed $3 million in permanent financing. McCafferty added that the development would not be possible but for the efforts of town officials and leaders who provided land, zoning and funding and a vision for bringing affordable housing to Dracut. MHP’s involvement began in 2017 when the Community Assistance team worked with the town to establish an RFP to develop the town-owned parcel. In addition to McCafferty, MHP Senior Loan Officer Alice Wong, and Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities Ed Augustus, who also gave remarks, were among those digging the first ceremonial shovelful of dirt. Nancy McCafferty Alice Wong Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Laura Shufelt Christine Madore, AICP Carsten Snow-Eikelberg Katharine Lacy Shelly Goehring

“The determination to change the lives of people by creating safe, stable and affordable communities with support services to assist residents to achieve long-term success is an inspiration,” said MHP Director of Business Development Nancy McCafferty at the groundbreaking for Greenmont Senior Housing in Dracut. Community Teamwork and its development arm Common Ground are developing 56 one-bedroom apartments for persons 62 and up at 144 Greenmont Avenue. All units will be affordable and available to households earning 60 percent or less AMI. The three-story building includes four units of community-based housing apartments for persons with disabilities. MHP has committed $3 million in permanent financing. McCafferty added that the development would not be possible but for the efforts of town officials and leaders who provided land, zoning and funding and a vision for bringing affordable housing to Dracut. MHP’s involvement began in 2017 when the Community Assistance team worked with the town to establish an RFP to develop the town-owned parcel. In addition to McCafferty, MHP Senior Loan Officer Alice Wong, and Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities Ed Augustus, who also gave remarks, were among those digging the first ceremonial shovelful of dirt. Nancy McCafferty Alice Wong Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Laura Shufelt Christine Madore, AICP Carsten Snow-Eikelberg Katharine Lacy Shelly Goehring

“The determination to change the lives of people by creating safe, stable and affordable communities with support services to assist residents to achieve long-term success is an inspiration,” said MHP Director of Business Development Nancy McCafferty at the groundbreaking for Greenmont Senior Housing in Dracut. Community Teamwork and its development arm Common Ground are developing 56 one-bedroom apartments for persons 62 and up at 144 Greenmont Avenue. All units will be affordable and available to households earning 60 percent or less AMI. The three-story building includes four units of community-based housing apartments for persons with disabilities. MHP has committed $3 million in permanent financing. McCafferty added that the development would not be possible but for the efforts of town officials and leaders who provided land, zoning and funding and a vision for bringing affordable housing to Dracut. MHP’s involvement began in 2017 when the Community Assistance team worked with the town to establish an RFP to develop the town-owned parcel. In addition to McCafferty, MHP Senior Loan Officer Alice Wong, and Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities Ed Augustus, who also gave remarks, were among those digging the first ceremonial shovelful of dirt. Nancy McCafferty Alice Wong Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Laura Shufelt Christine Madore, AICP Carsten Snow-Eikelberg Katharine Lacy Shelly Goehring

Stay in the know! Signing up for Building Community: The MHP Community Assistance Team Newsletter keeps you up to date with resources related to affordable housing planning and development. Sign up here: https://bit.ly/412qXZR Dana LeWinter Emma McGurren Christine Madore, AICP Carsten Snow-Eikelberg Shelly Goehring Laura Shufelt Citizens' Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) MassHousing #affordablehousing

Today, for the first time in more than 50 years, Massachusetts has a statewide housing plan! Congrats to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities for today’s release of “A Home for Everyone” report. We’re excited to see the results of 34 listening sessions and feedback from more than 3,000 stakeholders incorporated into a plan that lays out how much housing we need, and where we need it, over the next five years. We’re especially proud to see our ongoing work in deploying resources provided by the Affordable Homes Act and providing financial support and technical assistance for decarbonizing affordable housing featured in the strategy section about next steps to achieve our housing goals. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Administration and providing resources to help everyone in the Commonwealth understand how they can make an impact in combatting our housing crisis. #Massachusetts #HousingPlan #HousingCrisis #HousingGoals #LivableCommunities #Decarbonization #AffordableHomesAct

"MHP envisions a world in which everyone has equitable access to a safe, healthy, and affordable home in a thriving community. We rely deeply on our partners and stakeholders to help us realize this vision and one of our most critical partners in this work are municipalities and community residents themselves." Speaking recently at the Massachusetts Municipal Association #Connect351 Conference MHP Chief of Public and Community Engagement Dana LeWinter emphasized the importance of broadening engagement and leading with community values in creating more housing opportunities across the commonwealth. The panel discussion, “Accelerating Housing Production While Addressing Roadblocks, NIMBY and More” also included Jennifer Raitt, Northern Middlesex Council of Governments, Maureen Pollock, Town of Montague and, and Alex Morse, Town of Provincetown. Check out the tools MHP has made available on the website to support communities interested in creating and executing an effective affordable housing strategy. Housing Toolbox: Housingtoolbox.org Residensity: residensity.mhp.net DataTown: www.mhp.net/DataTown TODEX: www.mhp.net/TODEX

CHAPA’s Annual Federal Housing Policy Forum takes a look at the national political outlook, pending legislation that will impact housing policy, and initiatives implemented by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. MHP Executive Director Clark Ziegler is among the speakers who will provide perspective on how Massachusetts could be affected. More information here: https://bit.ly/4aeNJAD Clark Ziegler Citizens' Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) Dana LeWinter