Renters who earn too much to qualify for traditional affordable housing but too little to afford market rents should explore ‘Workforce Housing’ developments opening in Massachusetts.
In 2016, MassHousing committed $100 million to a Workforce Housing Initiative that helps developers build rental housing that is affordable to middle-income residents. That commitment is in addition to the Agency’s efforts to finance new and existing rental housing that serves lower income households.
Since the launch, MassHousing has committed $70.5 million to support 30 developments with 3,082 units, 787 of which are workforce units.
While private property managers handle the day-to-day operations of all MassHousing-financed rental communities, the Agency is helping to spread the word about these new units. A list of developments that have received Workforce Housing is now available on MassHousing’s website, with links to the properties.
The idea came from Sarah Barnat, founder of Barnat Development and developer of Holmes Beverly, a new 67-unit mixed-income property that was built thanks in part to $1.6 million from MassHousing’s Workforce Housing Initiative.
Anyone interested in these units should contact the appropriate property manager for more information.
Renters interested in seeing all affordable apartments financed or overseen by MassHousing can search the Agency’s Housing List. Similarly, contact the property manager for more information.