MassHousing Has Awarded $200,000 to Support Pilot Programs That Will Benefit Residents of Agency-Financed Rental Housing Communities
MassHousing Has Awarded $200,000 to Support Pilot Programs That Will Benefit Residents of Agency-Financed Rental Housing Communities
The Housing Stability grant program seeks to advance housing policy, form new partnerships, and develop promising practices which could scale for greater resident impact
BOSTON – August 20, 2026 – MassHousing has awarded $200,000 in Housing Stability grants to support pilot programs at three Agency-financed affordable housing communities in Boston to advance housing policy and develop promising practices that could be replicated.
Beacon Communities received $150,000 in Housing Stability funding for a project entitled Empowering Youth through Trauma-Informed Leadership that was implemented at Georgetowne Homes and the Anne Lynch Homes at Old Colony, both in Boston. Collectively, these affordable housing communities are home to 1,330 households.
The Community Builders (TCB) received $50,000 for a project entitled Redevelopment Programming Gap Funding that was implemented at two newly constructed buildings at the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments in Boston. The buildings provide 223 homes and robust programming through an Innovation Center and the Anna Mae Cole Community Center (AMC).
"MassHousing is excited for these initiatives to invest in youth leadership in partnership with Beacon Communities and The Community Builders," said MassHousing CEO Chrystal Kornegay. "When we invest in youth leadership, we invest in the future and these pilot programs will provide support and opportunity to the young residents living in these communities."
Beacon's Empowering Youth through Trauma-Informed Leadership initiative aims to empower youth with lived experiences of trauma to heal, lead, and advocate within their communities. The goal is for this youth initiative to serve as a model that Beacon Communities can expand and scale across its property portfolio. Beacon has partnered with The Center for Teen Empowerment, Inc. (TE), a Boston-based nonprofit.
The project has two primary components: Training and Skill Development and Community Project Implementation, where participating youth will apply their knowledge and skills by designing and completing a community project.
"Strong communities are built when residents are empowered to be leaders, advocates, and partners in shaping their future," said Aviva Rothman-Shore, Senior Vice President of Community Engagement at Beacon Communities. "Through this partnership with Teen Empowerment, we are creating a framework that helps kids build confidence, develop leadership skills, and turn their lived experiences into positive community action. We are grateful to MassHousing for supporting an approach that benefits residents at Georgetowne Homes and Anne M. Lynch Homes at Old Colony."
The Mildred C. Hailey Apartments, originally constructed in 1941 as Bromley-Heath, is undergoing a multi-phase redevelopment that will ultimately replace aging public housing with more than 690 new mixed-income homes. TCB sought support from MassHousing to ensure essential resident engagement work is launched effectively for the Innovation Center and Anna Mae Cole Community Center during the redevelopment.
The Innovation Center is a walk-in hub where TCB's Community Life staff offices are located. The focus of this space is economic mobility, workforce development, and digital literacy.
The AMC has a half-basketball court, multipurpose room, kitchen, and two offices. This space offers afterschool care, enrichment activities for residents of all ages, summer youth employment, athletics, and community events. The goal is to activate both spaces as frequently as possible and provide programming that reflects the desires and needs of residents.
"This funding award represents MassHousing’s investment in people and opportunity in Jackson Square by supporting education and economic mobility initiatives including English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes, credit-building through rent reporting, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, and after-school programming," said Anne Vinick, vice president of Community Life for The Community Builders. "We especially appreciate MassHousing’s support that brings people from the broader neighborhood together and recognizes the power of creating a strong, connected community."
About MassHousing’s Housing Stability Department
The Housing Stability Department provides training, programming and investments to reduce evictions and advance opportunities in multifamily communities across Massachusetts.
About MassHousing
MassHousing (The Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency) is an independent, financially self-sustaining agency created in 1966 to confront the Commonwealth's housing challenges. The Agency provides financing to low- and moderate-income homebuyers and homeowners, and to developers who build or preserve rental housing. MassHousing uses housing finance to strengthen communities, to help people build economic prosperity, and to expand homeownership. Since its inception, MassHousing has provided more than $30 billion to support homeownership and rental housing opportunities across Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.masshousing.com.
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