- Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities
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Tara Smith, EOHLC Press Secretary
BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration took significant steps this week to enhance the lives of Massachusetts residents living in public housing, authorizing upgrades to public housing across the state and celebrating the redevelopment of one of the largest and oldest federal public housing developments in Massachusetts.
On Monday, Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities Ed Augustus joined Governor Maura Healey, Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Congressman Stephen Lynch, legislators, Boston officials, developers and community leaders to celebrate the groundbreaking of phase one of the Mary Ellen McCormack federal public housing redevelopment project by Winn Companies and the Boston Housing Authority. Phase one consists of 94 replacement affordable apartments for existing Mary Ellen McCormack residents and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2026. The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities contributed $5.3 million in subsidies from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to support the project. This important tool for funding affordable housing was reauthorized when the Governor signed the $5 billion Affordable Homes Act in 2024. HLC also contributed state and federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to the project that will generate $61.3 million in equity.
“Public housing gives thousands of individuals and families in Massachusetts a place they can truly call home,” said Ed Augustus, Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities. “But for far too long, those homes have become outdated due to lack of proper investment. With critical capital improvements and complete redevelopments like Mary Ellen McCormack, the Healey-Driscoll Administration is working to improve our public housing communities so that each person can live with pride and dignity.”
In addition to financial support for the Mary Ellen McCormack development, in May, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities approved more than $8 million for capital construction projects across 12 public housing authorities. This funding will be used to modernize, repair and improve public housing throughout Massachusetts. The 12 projects encompass a variety of capital improvement efforts that have been previously awarded and are now moving forward. Improvements include roof repairs, bathroom renovations, and upgrades to fire alarm and electrical systems.
Following decades of underfunding, the Healey-Driscoll Administration has increased funding to update and modernize the state’s public housing system, which includes more than 43,000 units of state-supported public housing. The Affordable Homes Act included $2 billion in authorizations to make capital improvements to state-aided public housing, including $150 million dedicated to the decarbonization of public housing and $15 million for accessibility upgrades.
The Administration budgeted $157 million in fiscal 2025 for capital improvements to public housing, a 29% increase over the previous fiscal year. The administration announced $4 million in awards in March.
The capital construction projects approved in May include replacing roofing on all six two-story apartment buildings at the Peabody Housing Authority. New gutters and downspouts will also be installed on the community building. The Holbrook Housing Authority is improving kitchen ventilation systems with new exterior exhaust range hoods for all kitchens at two of the authority’s sites. The Methuen Housing Authority is undertaking major bathroom renovations, including new walls and showers, new bathroom lighting and fans along with new GFCI outlets in both bathroom and kitchen locations. Several housing authorities are also significantly upgrading outdated fire alarm and electrical systems.
The full list of approved capital construction contracts for May:
- Holbrook Housing Authority, $561,550 for bathroom and kitchen vent replacements
- Peabody Housing Authority, $257,108.65 for new asphalt shingle roofs
- Gardner Housing Authority, $390,000 for building ventilation replacement
- Salem Housing Authority, $346,127.50 for exterior siding and window replacement
- Provincetown Housing Authority, 245,250.00 for fire alarm system replacement
- Braintree Housing Authority, $176,212.70 for electrical upgrades
- Westfield Housing Authority, $339,707.90 for fire alarm upgrades
- Worcester Housing Authority, $142,307.18 for drainage improvement and new retaining wall
- Methuen Housing Authority, $988,256.10 for bathroom renovations
- Milford Housing Authority, $196,317 for roof replacement
- Watertown Housing Authority, $851,258 for electrical upgrades
- Brookline Housing Authority, $3,772,142 for electrical upgrades
The projects authorized in May are just the latest round of approved capital construction contracts. More than $45 million of work was approved in April.
Upon being appointed in 2023, Secretary Augustus committed himself to visiting all 228 state-run public housing authorities in Massachusetts to listen to concerns from local leadership and their residents and see conditions first-hand. On Tuesday, Secretary Augustus visited his 128th housing authority when he met with public housing officials and residents in Wenham.
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