MBTA Communities Law ‘Was Too Effing Complicated’
Housing advocates say the design of Massachusetts’ highest-profile housing reform to date hobbled it from being able to create housing at scale – and might have hurt future moves.
To Hit Our Housing Goal, We Need to Add New Tools
Massachusetts is an incredible place to live. But the high costs of housing are making it harder to live here. Three bills before the Legislature would help.
Policy, Plus Action, Equals More Housing, More Quickly
At CHAPA’s new Housing Policy Action Center, we want to help support ideas through implementation, and make sure reforms are backed with on-the-ground experience and solid coalitions.
Mass. Should Say: ‘Yes in God’s Backyard’
Significant drops in religious affiliation have left many shrinking congregations struggling to maintain large buildings and surplus land. A new bill makes it easier to help them with affordable housing.
Soaring Rents Squeeze Growing Rental Voucher Program
Housing advocates say Gov. Maura Healey’s proposal to boost it an additional 16 percent in fiscal 2026 only keeps up with inflation due to sky-high housing prices.
Trump Funding Memo Causes Chaos and Worry in Mass. Housing Industry
Local low-income housing providers are left wondering if they will be able to make upcoming payments as early as next month, and numerous down payment assistance programs could also be impacted.
105 Towns Have OK’d MBTA Zoning
State officials cheered the news Friday that over 100 towns and cities in Eastern Massachusetts have now adopted zoning to comply with the MBTA Communities law instead of flouting it.
Local Experts Weigh in on Harris’ Housing Plans
Vice President Kamala Harris has gone further than that feel-good platitude and put a number on her housing vow, saying her administration would build 3 million additional housing units over four years if she wins November’s presidential election.
CHAPA Launches New Housing Coalition with Biz Groups
Throughout the pandemic, labor shortages and supply chain issues bedeviled Massachusetts businesses. But business leaders say the housing crisis in Massachusetts is now the major existential threat to the state’s competitiveness.
Augustus, Driscoll Tapped to Chart More Housing Reforms
Gov. Maura Healey is still waiting for the legislature to act on her big housing bill, but she paused Monday to swear in two panels of developers, municipal leaders and advocates Monday, charged with charting more housing production reforms.
Interest Groups, Advocates React to Healey Housing Bill
For some of the key players in the debate over how to fix the state’s soaring housing costs, Gov. Maura Healey’s $4.1 billion package of policies and spending, unveiled Wednesday, comes down to whether or not it’s a good compromise.
Massachusetts Can Build a Triple Threat to Attack the Housing Crisis
The state’s pervasive housing problems need a three-pronged approach that adds more housing subsidies and prioritizes the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors.
Healey Launches $97M Housing Grant Program
Packaged in a $14 billion infrastructure plan the Healey administration announced Thursday morning are hundreds of millions of dollars worth of new housing investments.
Ex-Worcester City Manager Tapped as Housing Secretary
Gov. Maura Healey has named former Worcester City Manager Ed Augustus as the state’s first housing secretary in 30 years.
Exclusionary Zoning Gave Us the Housing Crisis. MBTA Zoning Can Get Us Out
Restrictive zoning has locked many out of opportunity, with dire consequences for our communities and our environment.
SVB Failure Leaves Question Marks for Affordable Developers
Silicon Valley Bank’s failure is creating a potential gap in financing for Massachusetts affordable housing projects and risks for commercial landlords that have a concentration of tech and life science tenants.
Report Calls for Wide-Ranging Rental Voucher Revamp
Fewer than half of those who need housing assistance get it in Massachusetts thanks to shortfalls in state funding, a new report says, but a new approach to rental aid could fix this while helping drive solutions to the housing crisis.
Massachusetts Needs a State Office of Fair Housing
Governor-elect Maura Healey has indicated housing will be a top priority for her administration. A new, statewide Office of Fair Housing should be a part of that to help make Massachusetts fairer for everyone.
Advocates Appeal To Lift New Limit On Rental Aid
Housing advocates warned Tuesday that a Baker administration policy limiting rental aid eligibility has put help out of reach for tenants who are struggling to make ends meet, urging lawmakers to intervene and unwind the measure in the coming weeks.
Housing Organizations Launch Website for LMI Homebuyers
Low- and moderate-income homebuyers in Massachusetts have a new tool that will connect them with resources to manage different stages of the homebuying process.
