BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced the third round of grants under its Affordable Housing Decarbonization Grant Program. This latest round awards $46.6 million to support 24 projects in affordable housing communities across Massachusetts. The funds will help upgrade and build 1,638 housing units with modern heating and cooling systems, better insulation, improved air quality, and in many cases, on-site energy generation.
 
These upgrades will make homes more comfortable, lower utility bills for residents, and reduce long-term maintenance costs for housing providers. Of the total housing units, 676 are retrofits of existing homes -- including 126 adaptive reuse units -- and 962 are new construction.
 
“We’re tackling housing and energy costs at the same time,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “This program has already delivered upgrades to thousands of homes, making them more affordable and built to last. We’re bringing modern housing within reach for more families by investing in smart, cost-effective improvements that lower monthly bills year-round.”
 
“We’re thrilled to support twenty-four new affordable housing projects across Massachusetts, and to help provide more equitable access to healthy, resilient homes and communities for the long term,” said Energy Resources Commissioner Elizabeth Mahony. “This grant program transforms existing housing and delivers the benefits of clean energy directly to those who need it most. This is how we lower energy bills for households, cut dangerous pollution from our buildings, and improve the places where people live, work, and raise their families.”
 
Grants will help affordable housing properties in 21 communities statewide to upgrade outdated equipment, reduce monthly energy bills, and improve indoor air quality and comfort. These improvements also help residents remain safely in their homes during power outages and extreme weather.
 
The grant program enables affordable housing providers to upgrade aging buildings and improve living conditions while preserving long-term affordability.
 
"Massachusetts residents deserve progress on both our climate goals and the urgent need for affordable housing options in this state, and the Healey-Driscoll administration is putting meaningful investment behind these efforts," said Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus. "Decarbonization improves our housing stock so that it is energy-efficient, safe, and affordable. EOHLC is proud to work with our EEA partners to make these upgrades a reality."
 
“Clean energy technologies and energy efficiency improvements create healthier, more comfortable homes that promote energy affordability and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels,” said Maggie Super Church, Director of Policies and Programs for the Massachusetts Community Climate Bank. “Achieving long-term energy affordability means retrofitting existing homes to make them more efficient to heat and cool and more comfortable to live in, and ensuring that newly built homes are built with climate resilience in mind. We thank DOER for its leadership advancing these critical housing projects.”
 
“Addressing our housing challenges means ensuring our existing statewide stock delivers low energy costs for residents,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “The MetroWest Collaborative has a track record of executing transformative housing projects in our region, and I’m confident these resources will make meaningful upgrades. I applaud the Healey-Driscoll Administration and Secretary Tepper for prioritizing this work and moving quickly to deliver these housing resources across Massachusetts.”
 
“Upgrading our affordable housing infrastructure by decarbonizing them and making them more efficient will not only improve housing options, it will also lower energy costs and put us on a more sustainable path in the future. Grants to projects like Beacon Communities at 50 Herald Street and others all across the Commonwealth will greatly improve our hosing options,” said Representative Aaron Michlewitz, Chair of the House Committee on Ways & Means (D-Boston). “I want to thank the Healey-Driscoll Administration for expediting these critical grants and for their commitment to working towards improving affordable housing all across the Commonwealth.”
 
“I am very happy to see Hebrew Senior Life in Stoughton receive this Affordable Housing Decarbonization grant,” said Representative Edward Philips (D-Sharon). “This $1.4 million investment will help ensure that residents of the facility have safe, healthy, and energy-efficient housing while also advancing the Commonwealth’s climate goals.”
 
“I am thrilled that the VNA in Somerville was awarded an Affordable Housing Decarbonization grant. The VNA is vital to our community, providing affordable assisted living and rest homes for older adults in Somerville to age with dignity,” said State Representative Erika Uyterhoeven (D-Somerville). “This grant is vital in supporting the VNA to continue their tradition of excellence guided by the Little Sisters of the Poor.”
 
The Affordable Housing Decarbonization Grant Program was created in 2023 and awarded roughly $50 million to 14 projects in the first two rounds.
 
The grant awardees follow. More information on the projects can be found here.
 
Boston:

1. Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation will receive $480,000 for its 40-42 Ashford Street project in Allston.
2. Beacon Communities will receive $850,000 for its 50 Herald Street project in the South End.
3. Boston Housing Authority will receive $1.76 million for its 22 Pond Street project in Jamaica Plain.
4. Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation will receive $6.2 million for its Washington Columbia project in Dorchester.
5. Commonwealth Land Trust will receive $640,000 for its 250 Seaver Street project in Dorchester.
6. Planning Office for Urban Affairs will receive $3.105 million for its Saint Mary’s Center for Women and Children project in Dorchester.
7. The Community Builders, Inc. will receive $1.84 million for its Building 104 project in Charlestown.
8. Urban Edge will receive $1.46 million for its Theroch Apartments project in Dorchester and Roxbury.

 
North of Boston:

1. Harborlight Homes will receive $2.86 million in funding for its Turtle Woods project in Beverly.
2. Lynn Housing Authority Development Group will receive $880,000 for its St. Jean Baptiste project in Lynn.
3. Neighborhood Developers will receive $840,000 for its 110 Ocean Avenue project in Revere.
4. New England Homes for the Deaf will receive $1.74 million for its The Waterhouse project in Danvers.
5. North Shore Community Development Corporation will receive $720,000 for its The Residences at El Centro project in Salem.
6. Preservation of Affordable Housing will receive $7.76 million for its Fairweather Apartments scatter-site project located in Beverly, Danvers and Peabody.
7. Visiting Nurse at Highland will receive $5.48 million for its 186-190 Highland Avenue retrofit project in Somerville.

 
Southeastern Mass.:

1. Bushwood 545, LLC will receive $2.64 million for its 545 Main Street project in Falmouth.
2. Hebrew Senior Life will receive $1.4 million for its 338 Canton Street project in Stoughton.
3. Planning Office for Urban Affairs will receive $750,000 in funding for its Attleboro Family Center project in Attleboro.
4. The Community Builders, Inc. will receive $780,000 for its Cloverleaf project in Truro.

 
Metro West:

1. Metro West Collaborative Development will receive $705,000 for its 5 Auburn Street project in Natick.
2. Needham Housing Authority will receive $1.14 million for its Linden Terrace and Seabed Way projects in Needham.

 
Western Mass.:

1. Valley Community Development Corporation will receive $450,000 for its 27 Crafts Ave. project in Northampton.
2. Way Finders will receive $480,000 for its 213 Chestnut Street project in Holyoke.

 
###