Affordable Housing

Gov. Charlie Baker signed an executive order Monday creating what he described as a first-in-the-nation “Commission on Clean Heat” to help craft policies to reduce heating fuel emissions in Massachusetts. The task of the commission is to establish a heating fuel framework to help the state meet a goal of net zero emissions by 2050. The commission will be charged…

Maine has been efficient in distributing money from rental assistance programs, staving off mass evictions. State data shows Maine has been faster than most states in distributing rental assistance from two congressional COVID-19 relief packages, the Bangor Daily News reported. The prevented evictions due to non-payment of rent as a patchwork of federal prohibitions on evictions expired in recent weeks….

Advocates for affordable housing believe a huge infusion of federal money to the states will allow Vermont to achieve a long-elusive goal of making sure more people have permanent and secure homes. Gov. Phil Scott, R-Vermont, wants to spend roughly a quarter billion dollars from his state’s share of the American Rescue Plan funds on housing initiatives. “The moment’s...

$300 million is being set aside for new affordable housing in Vermont.

Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday said he was expecting more than 100,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine to arrive in Massachusetts next week. During a press conference on housing security in Quincy, Baker said the shipments would be “definitely north of” 100,000 doses and part of 10 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses expected to distributed across the…

In a COVID-19 update, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh addresses reopening city schools amid the coronavirus pandemic and announces new funds for affordable housing.

The largest operator of affordable housing in Massachusetts has extended its moratorium on evictions of tenants experiencing financial hardship because of the coronavirus pandemic until Dec. 31, the company announced Monday. WinnCompanies said the moratorium will apply to all residents financially impacted by COVID-19 who are eligible under the state Department of Housing and Community Development’s guidelines issued in April….

A Democratic presidential candidate and a Massachusetts mayor are sparring on social media over a new development plan that has been criticized over its potential impact on the affordable housing market in Greater Boston. For nearly a century, Suffolk Downs in East Boston and Revere served as the state’s most prominent racetrack. It hosted its final horse race in 2019,…

Construction is nearly done on a 16-unit apartment building in New Hampshire that will provide affordable housing for people with disabilities age 62 and older. Occupancy is scheduled for October at the Sunrise House in Laconia. It abuts Sunrise Towers, a 98-unit building for elderly and disabled residents. Twelve units will be rented to very low-income tenants who meet federal…

A 150-year-old vacant school is being outfitted for a new purpose — but desks and artwork from the former classrooms aren’t going anywhere. The Virginia Blanchard School in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, has been transformed into affordable housing, complete with 25 units that contain historic elements from the school.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced Wednesday the city’s new plan to create more affordable housing.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has announced a new plan to create more affordable housing in the city. Walsh made the announcement Wednesday morning at the old Knights of Columbus Hall in the North End, which will be turned into 24 units of elderly housing. It’s one of 10 affordable housing projects that has been given the green light in Boston....

Portsmouth officials have approved a plan for an affordable housing development.

Several mayors from across the country — including Los Angeles, Phoenix and Mesa — have joined a coalition to find solutions to the lack of affordable housing in their cities.