The Housing Advisory Council Planning Process
Governor Maura Healey directed the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) to develop this five-year Statewide Housing Plan, the first comprehensive look at the state’s housing needs in at least a generation. To guide the development of this plan, Governor Healey convened a Housing Advisory Council with members from all sectors and regions of the state. Co-chaired by Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll and Secretary Ed Augustus, this Council provided direction, feedback, and assistance with outreach to diverse groups across the state. EOHLC organized thirty-four listening sessions that engaged more than 3,000 stakeholders. An external research team conducted a detailed analysis of critical topics and prepared forecasts of Massachusetts population and housing demand under various possible growth scenarios.
The members of the Council were:
- Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll (Chair)
- Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus (vice chair)
- Administration and Finance Secretary Matt Gorzkowicz
- Chrystal Kornegay, MassHousing
- Joseph Byrne, North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters
- Symone Crawford, Mass Affordable Housing
- Stephen Davis, The Davis Companies
- Keith Fairey, Way Finders
- Rachel Heller, Citizens' Housing and Planning Association
- Amy Schectman, 2Life Communities
- Angie Liou, Asian Community Development Corporation
- Kenan Bigby, Trinity Financial
- Eric Batista, City Manager of Worcester, MA
- Mayor Jared Nicholson, City of Lynn
- Adam Chapdelaine, Massachusetts Municipal Association
- Brad Gordon, Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority
- Colin Killick, Disability Policy Consortium
- Nicole Obi, BECMA
- Justin Davidson, Massachusetts Association of REALTORS
- John Yazwinski, Father Bill's & MainSpring
Stakeholder Engagement
EOHLC, alongside the Housing Advisory Council, recognized the need for a plan that deliberately sought out the perspective of the many people that refer to Massachusetts as “home”. At the onset, public engagement was identified as a necessary pillar in the process to create a plan. The identified strategies outlined in the plan consider the perspective of the over 3,000 people that engaged with EOHLC in this process. These perspectives were shared with EOHLC through regional listening sessions held across the State, a public online survey, and through 20-targeted stakeholder sessions.
Regional Listening Sessions
Starting in April 2024, staff from EOHLC and members of the Housing Advisory Council held regional listening sessions across the Commonwealth to allow members of the public the opportunity to share feedback on housing related issues in their region and recommend potential solutions. Over 1,600 persons participate across the 12 in-person sessions and 2 virtual sessions.
| Date | Location | City |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday,April 11th | North Shore Community College | Lynn |
| Tuesday, April 23rd | Springfield Technical C.C. | Springfield |
| Tuesday,April 30th | UMass Dartmouth | Dartmouth |
| Friday, Mary 3rd | Massasoit Community College | Brockton |
| Thursday, May 9th | UMass Boston | Boston |
| Wednesday,May 15th | Berkshire Community College | Pittsfield |
| Thursday, May 16th | Greenfield Community College | Greenfield |
| Monday, May 20th | Virtual | ZOOM |
| Tuesday, May 21st | Blackstone Visitor Center | Worcester |
| Thursday, May 23rd | United Teen Equality Center (UTEC) | Lowell |
| Wednesday, May 29th | Virtual | ZOOM |
| Friday, May 31st | Framingham State University | Framingham |
| Monday, June 3rd | Cape Cod Community College | Barnstable |
| Tuesday, June 4th | Oak Bluffs Library | Martha's Vineyard |
Online Survey
For residents unable to attend an in-person session, EOHLC created a public online survey that collected responses from April 2024 to October 2024. EOHLC, as well as varying EOHLC stakeholders, promoted the survey through social media and via word-of-mouth. Over 260 persons submitted responses to EOHLC to provide input on the issues they believe the plan should prioritize as well as potential solutions to address the current housing crisis. Survey respondents identified homelessness and access to home ownership as the two most important housing-issues.
Top 5 Housing Issues the State Housing Plan Should Focus On
Targeted Listening Sessions
In September and October 2024, EOHLC staff participated in 21 targeted stakeholder sessions to received feedback on specific housing-related issues. These sessions included participation with housing leaders from over 100 different organizations.
| Topic/Sponsor | Participants | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Mass Affordable Housing Alliance | MAHA leadership, first time home buyers, homeownership advocates | home ownership |
| Accessible Housing | Statewide ILC network, disabilty advocates | Accessible Housing, affordable housing |
| MA Realtors | MA realtors statewide advisory board | multi-family housing, home ownership |
| Public Housing | PHAs | public housing |
| Senior Housing | 2Life, MCOA, ASAPs, senior housing developers, healthcare providers, academic researchers | Older Adult Housing |
| Western MA - Berkshire Housing Coalition | Wayfinders, CDCs, private developers, local officials, nonprofits | Housing Development |
| Governor Healey's Black and Latino Empowerment Advisory Council | business leaders, advocates | racial equity |
| MA CDC | Statewide network of CDCs | Housing Development |
| Housing Production | CHAPA housing production committee, nonprofit developers, private developers, advocates | Housing Development |
| Supportive Housing | advocates, supportive housing providers, nonprofits, | Supportive housing, Extremely low-income |
| MARPA - Regional Planning Agencies | 13 regional planning associations | Zoning, Planning |
| Fair Housing | CHAPA Fair Housing Committee, advocates, legal aid agencies, tenant unions/advocates, | Fair Housing |
| Business Community | regional chambers of commerce, NAIOP, MGB, business leaders, advocates | Economic development |
| Rental Assistance | CHAPA Rental Assistance Committee, RAAs, advocates, | Rental Assistance |
| The Boston Foundation -Philanthropy | philanthropic orgs, business leaders, senior govt., developers officials, business leaders | racial equity, affordable housing, home ownership |
| BECMA | BECMA members, small business owners | racial equity, home ownership |
| Date published: | September 15, 2025 |
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