Congregate Housing

Congregate housing provides shared living arrangements for older adults and people with disabilities in affordable housing locations. 

Table of Contents

About Congregate Housing

The Congregate Housing program includes coordinators who work with the housing providers to ensure a stable environment and foster a sense of community. Additionally, coordinators help residents access community resources, manage issues that arise from shared living, and help plan social activities.   

In Congregate Housing, residents have their own private bedroom, and may share the kitchen, dining, and bathroom areas with other residents.   

There are currently over 40 EOEA Congregate Housing sites in Massachusetts that have the collective capacity to house approximately 500 residents.

Eligibility

To be eligible for Congregate Housing you must be either:   

  • “Elderly” as defined by the housing agency (either age 60 and older or 62 and older, depending on the type of housing)   
  • Non-elderly and disabled (with a documented disability)   

Additionally, applicants must:   

  • Be comfortable with living in a shared living environment   
  • Be capable of independent living and not need 24-hour care to carry out activities of daily living   
  • Be medically stable and oriented to person, place, and time   
  • Not exhibit behaviors which would be a disturbance to other Congregate Housing residents  

Congregate Housing residents will also have to pass any screening criteria (e.g., criminal records, housing history, etc.) used by the housing agency to process applicants.   

Contact

If you're interested, view the list of Congregate Housing sites and contact the contractor directly.  

Additional Resources

Help Us Improve Mass.gov  with your feedback

Please do not include personal or contact information.
Feedback