Massachusetts is experiencing a housing crisis that affects residents across every region and income level, but it is especially acute for people with disabilities. The Accessible Housing Commission, established to examine the challenges facing residents with physical, sensory, intellectual, and developmental disabilities, has analyzed the barriers that prevent these residents from accessing housing that meets their needs and developed recommendations to expand the supply of accessible housing across the Commonwealth.
While the broader housing production and affordability solutions identified by the Unlocking Housing Production Commission and the Affordable Homes Act of 2024 will benefit all residents, including those with disabilities, they are not sufficient on their own. People with disabilities face unique barriers that prevent them from securing safe, affordable, and accessible homes. The commission’s work recognizes that the Commonwealth must not only build more housing, but also ensure that the housing produced, preserved, and managed is usable by all residents.
Nearly 800,000 Massachusetts residents live with some form of disability, including 335,000 households that include an adult with an ambulatory limitation.1 People with disabilities are more likely to experience housing instability and cost burden, yet there are only about 10,000 affordable and accessible housing units statewide. The Commonwealth’s existing stock of accessible units remains limited, and new accessible production is minimal.
At the same time, these inequities are compounded by an aging population, rising construction costs, and the inadequate alignment of health and housing systems. Inconsistent regulatory standards and incomplete data further hinder progress. Massachusetts faces a challenging fiscal environment, and it will be critical to prioritize both new and existing resources to have the greatest impact. As the Commonwealth works toward overall housing abundance, the accessibility gap will continue to grow unless deliberate action is taken to build and preserve housing that residents with disabilities can actually use.
Recognizing these challenges, the Accessible Housing Commission worked to identify barriers to accessible housing production and to recommend administrative, regulatory, and legislative solutions. The commission developed strategies that would allow 8 Massachusetts 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. The commission’s recommendations are summarized here and then detailed fully in the sections below.
Production
Accessible housing remains one of the most underproduced categories of housing in Massachusetts. Developers often cite costs and design constraints yet incorporating universal or adaptable design at the outset is far more cost-effective than retrofitting later. The commission recommends increasing accessibility standards in state-funded housing developments, requiring that 10 percent of units in new projects supported by the Massachusetts Qualified Application Plan be accessible, and expand incentives for rehabilitation projects to achieve similar targets where feasible.
To support smaller-scale production, the commission recommends a $5,000 refundable tax credit for homeowners who build adaptable Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), as well as the development of statewide model design templates for accessible ADUs, micro-units, and group homes. These strategies will help normalize accessible design, reduce architectural costs, and increase the number of accessible homes integrated within existing neighborhoods.
Preservation
Massachusetts must not only build accessible housing but also preserve and upgrade the units it already has. The commission recommends expanding zoning exemptions and establishing expedited permitting for accessibility improvements such as lifts and exterior elevators; providing dedicated funding to address deferred maintenance in public housing; and requiring Local Housing Authorities (LHAs) to include the number and condition of accessible units in their annual plans and portfolio assessments.
The commission further recommends amending M.G.L. c. 151B to lower the threshold at which landlords must pay for reasonable accessibility modifications—from buildings with ten or more units to those with five or more—extending coverage to more than 120,000 additional rental units. Together, these strategies will enable the Commonwealth to adapt its existing housing stock more rapidly to meet the needs of residents with disabilities.
Access and Navigation
For many residents, the lack of accessible units is compounded by the complexity of finding and applying for accessible housing. The commission recommends improving the usability of the Common Housing Application for Massachusetts Programs (CHAMP) and Housing Navigator MA platforms by adding clearer accessibility filters and new categories such as “deaf or hard of hearing” and “blind or low vision.” The commission also recommends simplifying emergency-priority documentation, expanding acceptable verification sources to include disability-serving agencies, and lengthening vacancy notice periods to prevent qualified applicants from losing opportunities due to delays in communication or mobility challenges.
To improve long-term access, the commission recommends training school transition specialists to assist young adults with disabilities in applying for subsidized housing early and establishing a Fair Housing Ombudsman within the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (HLC) to address systemic accessibility and discrimination issues as federal enforcement capacity declines.
Language and Data Modernization
Finally, the commission emphasizes that the Commonwealth’s regulatory framework must evolve to reflect modern understanding of disability. Massachusetts law still uses outdated terminology such as “qualified handicapped person” in M.G.L. c. 151B, and state accessibility regulations remain focused primarily on physical disabilities. The commission recommends updating statutory and regulatory language to use “disability” consistently and to explicitly include intellectual, developmental, and sensory disabilities within accessibility standards.
In addition, the commission recommends improving disability data collection and interoperability, building on the Advancing Health Equity in Massachusetts (AHEM) initiative to link housing and healthcare data systems. Strengthening data infrastructure will allow policymakers to better measure housing fit, identify unmet needs, and allocate resources more effectively.