- Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities
Media Contact
Tara Smith, EOHLC Press Secretary
BEVERLY — The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (HLC), in collaboration with Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP), MassHousing and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Massachusetts, is announcing the fourth round of funding awards under the Climate Ready Housing program.
These funds will enable affordable housing properties across several Massachusetts communities to significantly lower their energy use and costs through energy retrofits and electrification. The grant program will advance physical upgrades to a crucial segment of the state’s housing stock, improving indoor air quality and comfort for residents.
“This program allows us to upgrade affordable housing units across the state to reduce energy usage, lower bills and improve public health,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Together with the Legislature, we’ve increased the number of homes we are able to upgrade, and I know that residents will see the positive impacts of this investment.”
“These awards are about practical fixes that make a real difference and help homes stay safe and comfortable through New England winters and summers,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “We’re proud to partner with local leaders and housing owners to modernize our housing supply and lower costs for people.”
“Massachusetts can’t meet its housing goals without preserving and modernizing the affordable homes we already have,” said Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities Ed Augustus. “Climate Ready Housing helps owners tackle big-ticket upgrades — from insulation and electrification to next-generation heating and cooling — so residents get cleaner air, reliable systems and more predictable costs. With support from MHP, MassHousing and LISC, we’re scaling this work statewide and keeping affordability and quality at the center of every project.”
The Healey-Driscoll Administration’s 2024 Affordable Homes Act increased annual Climate Ready Housing funding tenfold from the program’s earlier pilot rounds, resulting in $20.5 million available for this fourth round. The program enables deep energy retrofits and decarbonization projects in the affordable housing sector that benefit low- and moderate-income residents.
Projects submitted for this funding opportunity pursued one of two decarbonization approaches:
Deep Energy Retrofits (DER) — This approach requires extensive building envelope improvements, electrification of building systems and maximization of on-site renewable energy production. Projects achieve at least 50% energy savings and significant carbon emissions reductions.
Zero Carbon Emissions Over Time (ZOT) — This approach focuses on projects with thoughtful strategies for reducing emissions over time in alignment with planned upgrades. Projects propose strategic, short-term interventions that contribute to a long-term, comprehensive plan to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050.
MHP and MassHousing provide funding administration and application support on behalf of HLC. Additional application and programmatic support is provided by LISC Massachusetts.
“In these uncertain times, the commonwealth’s commitment to preserve critical affordable housing resources, improve the quality of life for vulnerable residents and move us toward meeting our climate commitments is more important than ever,” said MHP Executive Director Clark Ziegler. “This $20 million investment supports those outcomes for more than 1,000 units of housing serving low-income individuals and families. We celebrate these innovative projects and the commitment of their collective teams to realizing climate-ready housing.”
“Achieving long-term energy affordability means retrofitting the affordable homes that we have today to make them more efficient to heat and cool and more comfortable to live in, while reducing fossil fuel consumption,” said Chrystal Kornegay, CEO of MassHousing. “These awards are an important component of our larger work to preserve and modernize the state’s affordable housing stock. And they demonstrate how our clean energy priorities and affordable housing agenda work together to create a more affordable Massachusetts.”
“Sustainable and energy-efficient homes are safe, healthy and affordable homes,” said LISC Massachusetts Executive Director Gustavo Quiroga. “The historic investment by the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s Affordable Homes Act to increase the Climate Ready Housing program and related resources for affordable housing owners is critical to achieving our state’s housing and energy goals. LISC Massachusetts is proud of our work and partnership on this important program in its fourth year of helping preserve and improve essential housing in service of forging inclusive and resilient communities of opportunity across Massachusetts.”
2025 Climate Ready Housing (CRH) awardees
Brian J. Honan Apartments — Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation: $1,827,648
Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation will receive CRH funding for the deep energy retrofit it plans at a 50-unit family rental property in Allston. The renovation scope — including comprehensive decarbonization work, unit upgrades and accessibility enhancements — is expected to result in a 57% annual site energy use reduction before solar.
Fairweather Salem – Preservation of Affordable Housing: $2,000,000
Preservation of Affordable Housing will receive funding for the deep energy retrofit it plans for a 127-unit, six-story senior/disabled housing community in Salem. The comprehensive decarbonization scope will include prefabricated components, electrification of all systems and embodied carbon reduction measures, all of which are expected to result in an 80% annual site energy use reduction.
The Forbes Building — Affirmative Investments, LLC: $2,000,000
Affirmative Investments will receive CRH funding for the deep energy retrofit it plans at a 147-unit senior/disabled community in Jamaica Plain. The project will incorporate decarbonization measures, address climate resilience, drive ecological regeneration and enhance residents’ living experience, and is expected to result in a 66% annual site energy use reduction.
Franklin Field Apartments — Boston Housing Authority: $1,500,000
The Boston Housing Authority will receive CRH funding for the deep energy retrofit it is planning at 129 units of a federal public housing community for families in Dorchester. The scope will incorporate decarbonization measures, a networked geothermal heating/cooling system and resilience measures that are expected to result in a 68% annual site energy use reduction before solar.
The Guild House — Planning Office for Urban Affairs: $1,000,000
The Planning Office for Urban Affairs will receive CRH funding for the deep energy retrofit of an 86-unit service-enriched community for senior/disabled residents in Fenway. The project scope will incorporate full electrification, resilience measures and supportive services, resulting in a 54% annual site energy use reduction.
Inman Square Apartments — Homeowner’s Rehab, Inc.: $1,500,000
Homeowner’s Rehab, Inc. will receive CRH funding for the deep energy retrofit it plans at a 116-unit high-rise serving both families and seniors in Cambridge. The project’s comprehensive energy-efficiency and electrification scope is expected to result in a 60% annual site energy use reduction before solar.
McDevitt Senior Housing — South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation: $1,000,000
South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation will receive CRH funding for the deep energy retrofit and adaptive reuse of an existing four-story building into 23 units of senior/disabled housing in South Boston. The scope will incorporate energy-efficiency improvements, electrification, resilience and material reuse, and is expected to result in a 55% annual site energy use reduction.
Seabeds Way — Needham Housing Authority: $1,150,000
The Needham Housing Authority will receive CRH funding for the decarbonization project it plans for 46 units of senior/disabled federal public housing in Needham. This project is electing a Zero Over Time (ZOT) approach, so the upfront insulation and ventilation work enabled by CRH funds will pave the way for future mechanical system electrification. Additional improvements will include unit and accessibility upgrades.
Seaver Street Apartments — Commonwealth Land Trust: $640,000
Commonwealth Land Trust will receive CRH funding for the deep energy retrofit it plans at a 16-unit, service-enriched SRO property in Roxbury. The project scope will include full insulation, electrification of building systems and resilience measures, and is expected to result in a 58% annual site energy use reduction.
Theroch Apartments — Urban Edge: $1,939,773
Urban Edge will receive CRH funding for the deep energy retrofit it plans at a 36-unit family housing community in Dorchester. The scope will include a comprehensive energy retrofit incorporating resilience features and is expected to result in a 57% annual site energy use reduction before solar.
Turtle Woods — Harborlight Homes: $2,225,000
Harborlight Homes will receive CRH funding for the deep energy retrofit planned at a 67-unit senior/disabled housing community in Beverly. The project will include a comprehensive decarbonization scope that incorporates ZOT-like measures, resulting in a 52% annual site energy use reduction before solar.
Former Veterans’ Home Redevelopment in Chelsea — Pennrose: $2,000,000
Pennrose will receive CRH funding for the deep energy retrofit and adaptive reuse of an existing historic building into 69 units of affordable housing for veterans and their families in Chelsea. The scope will include energy-efficiency measures, electrification and supportive services, and is expected to result in a 65% annual site energy use reduction before solar.
Village at Brookline — WinnCompanies: $1,750,000
WinnCompanies will receive CRH funding for the deep energy retrofit planned for 98 units of senior/disabled affordable housing in Brookline. The scope — which includes new wall insulation, full electrification and low-embodied-carbon materials — is expected to result in a 60% annual site energy use reduction before solar.
The decarbonization of Massachusetts’ existing buildings is a key component of the state’s strategy to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The Climate Ready Housing program will catalyze significant investments in the built environment and leverage other federal, state and local funding to help affordable housing developments lower emissions and energy use.
The next round of Climate Ready Housing is expected to open in March 2026. For more information about the program, application materials and deadlines, go to www.lisc.org/climatereadyhousing.
Awardee Statements:
Caitlin Robillard, Director of Real Estate, Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation:
“This award from Climate Ready Housing is helping to support the Deep Energy Retrofit at the 50-unit Brian J. Honan Apartments in Allston, which is projected to reduce energy usage by 62% and carbon emissions by 51%. Allston Brighton CDC is grateful for the resources being provided by the Healey-Driscoll Administration to support decarbonization projects across the Commonwealth. Our sincerest thanks to the teams at the Executive Office of Housing & Livable Communities, Massachusetts Housing Partnership, MassHousing, and LISC.”
Julie Klump, Vice President of Design and Building Performance, Preservation of Affordable Housing:
"POAH is thrilled to be receiving this funding support through the Climate Ready Housing program. CRH funds are instrumental to our decarbonization efforts at Fairweather Salem. Not only will the renovation significantly reduce energy use and carbon emissions, but our use of prefabricated panels offers an innovative approach to weatherizing the building enclosure and minimizing resident disruption. This represents another key step towards providing our residents with more energy efficient, comfortable, and healthy homes.”
Bill Reed, President of the Regenesis Group and consultant to 545 Centre St LLC:
“We’re grateful to Governor Healey and her administration for their support in advancing both quality housing and quality of life for residents. This work goes beyond constructing buildings — it’s about renewing the relationships between people, community, and nature. The Climate Ready Housing funding helps demonstrate how affordable housing can enhance the health, resilience, and vitality of the places we call home.”
Kenzie Bok, Administrator, Boston Housing Authority:
“The networked geothermal pilot project at Franklin Field will deliver transformative improvements to public housing families in Dorchester, ensuring that BHA tenants are at the forefront of clean energy innovation while also getting better air quality and in-unit cooling for the first time at this site. The BHA is grateful for EOHLC and the Climate Ready Housing team’s support for this exciting cutting-edge initiative.”
Bill Grogan, President, Planning Office for Urban Affairs, and Suneeth John, Deputy Director/Head of Real Estate, Fenway Forward:
“We are grateful to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, Massachusetts Housing Partnership, MassHousing, and LISC, for their support of the Planning Office for Urban Affairs (POUA) and Fenway Forward through the Climate Ready Housing program. This funding award will support the decarbonization and energy retrofit at The Guild House in Fenway that will provide supportive rental housing for low- to moderate-income individuals.”
Kate Gilmore, Director of Real Estate, Homeowner’s Rehab, Inc.:
“HRI is incredibly grateful for our Climate Ready Housing award. The decarbonization and electrification of Inman Apartments is a critical piece of the comprehensive renovation we plan to complete at this property, home to 116 households including many frail older adults. We applaud the Commonwealth’s commitment to this important work.”
Donna Brown, Executive Director, South Boston NDC:
“South Boston NDC is thrilled to be a recipient of a Climate Ready Housing award for McDevitt Senior Homes, the adaptive reuse of a 100-year-old convent into affordable senior housing. This funding will provide critical support to ensure that our project will be a safe, energy-efficient, and affordable home for elderly residents at risk of homelessness.”
Bill Grogan, President, Planning Office for Urban Affairs, and Suneeth John, Deputy Director/Head of Real Estate, Fenway Forward:
“We are grateful to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, Massachusetts Housing Partnership, MassHousing, and LISC, for their support of the Planning Office for Urban Affairs (POUA) and Fenway Forward through the Climate Ready Housing program. This funding award will support the decarbonization and energy retrofit at The Guild House in Fenway that will provide supportive rental housing for low- to moderate-income individuals.”
Cheryl Gosmon, Executive Director, Needham Housing Authority:
"I am delighted that our modernization of Seabeds Way will receive support from the Climate Ready Housing program. This funding from LISC and its partners will improve resident comfort and energy efficiency at the property for decades to come."
Adam Block, Director of Real Estate, Commonwealth Land Trust:
“We’re so excited to participate in the Climate Ready Housing program as it will enable us to future proof our building, reduce operating costs, and enhance our investment in supportive services for our residents.”
Emilio Dorcely, CEO, Urban Edge:
“Urban Edge has long been committed to ensuring that affordable housing keeps pace with innovation and climate responsibility. The Climate Ready Housing program award allows us to lead by example – demonstrating that deep energy retrofits can strengthen communities, improve residents’ quality of life, and help Boston meet its climate goals.”
Andrew McKenzie-DeFranza, Executive Director, Harborlight Homes:
“Harborlight is extremely grateful to have been awarded funding under the Climate Ready Housing program for our Turtle Woods project in Beverly. This critical funding infusion will transform an existing building into a high-performing sustainable asset, all while preserving much needed affordability for seniors.”
Karmen Cheung, Regional Vice President, New England, Pennrose:
“Pennrose is honored to receive this funding award on behalf of the redevelopment of the Massachusetts Veterans Home at Chelsea. These funds will help us ensure that the Commonwealth's low- and middle-income veterans and their families can live in affordable housing that is not only stable, safe, and modern, but also highly sustainable and energy-efficient.”
Christina McPike, Vice President, WinnCompanies:
“WinnCompanies is extremely grateful for this critical funding that will help transform The Village at Brookline into super-efficient and climate-resilient housing. We applaud the Commonwealth’s unwavering commitment to advancing innovative solutions that improve housing and energy affordability.”
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