Building for Access: Conclusion

Massachusetts can close its accessible housing gap by aligning what we build, preserve, and manage with the real needs of residents with disabilities.

The commission’s agenda moves on four fronts: to increase the supply of accessible and adaptable housing, preserve existing units, improve search and application systems for residents with disabilities, and modernize the language and data systems underpinning accessibility policy. 

Many steps can start now through administrative changes to program guidelines, applications, notices, and data practices, while targeted legislation can lock in durable progress over time. As our state takes on the housing crisis with great urgency, this Commission urges policymakers to ensure that our abundant housing landscape will meet the needs of everyone.

End notes 

1. Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, Massachusetts and U.S. Disability Facts and Statistics (2020).
2. Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, Massachusetts and U.S. Disability Facts and Statistics (2020).
3. University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute, analysis of 2017–2021 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (ACS PUMS) data 30
4. Housing Navigator Massachusetts, Data Opens Doors: Affordable Accessible Housing (2024).
5. U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Financial Services, Written Testimony of Ann E. Cannington, May 24, 2022.
6. Housing Navigator Massachusetts, Data Opens Doors: Affordable Accessible Housing (2024).
7. University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute, analysis of 2017–2021 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (ACS PUMS) data
8. National Low Income Housing Coalition, Out of Reach.
9. Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, Housing Stock Accessibility in the United States (2022).
10. Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, Examining Recent Trends in Rental Assistance and Emergency Assistance Shelter Spending (2025).
11. Massachusetts Legislature, Fiscal Year 2026 Final Budget.
12. Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, Supportive Housing.
13. Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations, Housing Working Group Issue Brief.
14. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Public Housing Data Dashboard, slide 6.
15. Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, Congregate Housing.
16. Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, The Affordable Homes Act: Smart Housing, Livable Communities.
17. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, FY2026 Capital Investment Plan.
18. Massachusetts Architectural Access Board, 521 CMR 9.00: Multiple Dwellings.
19. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 24 C.F.R. § 8.22.
20. To better understand the patchwork of state and federal accessibility requirements, the CEDAC developers design guidebook is an excellent resource: Developers’ Design Overview: Accessibility Requirements.
21. Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, 804 CMR 2.00: Discrimination in Housing.
22. Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, Public Housing Stock in Massachusetts.
23. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
24. NPR, The Latest Layoffs at HUD Target Fair Housing Investigators Around the U.S., October 16, 2025.