On March 25th in Haverhill, MACDC attended Governor Patrick’s announcement of over $25 million in awards to fund the creation of 335 new units of supportive housing. With these units, the Administration exceeded its goal of creating 1,000 units of permanent, supportive housing, one year ahead of schedule.
 
MACDC Members were at center stage, literally and figuratively.  Madeline Nash, Director of Real Estate at Coalition for a Better Acre, spoke eloquently about Haverhill Veterans Housing, which will provide 27 homes for veterans and their families.  Overall, of the 16 awards made by the MA Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), 11 went to 9 MACDC Member organizations.  In addition to Coalition for a Better Acre, members receiving awards included Viet Aid, The Neighborhood Developers, Domus, Inc., Common Ground Development Corporation/Community Teamwork, Inc., Caritas Communities, Father Bill’s & Mainspring, Pine Street Inn, and South Middlesex Opportunity Council.

With project based rental assistance to ensure affordability and additional funding for supportive services, the Commonwealth has taken a bold step to address homelessness.  MACDC is grateful to Governor Patrick, DHCD Undersecretary Aaron Gornstein, and other State officials for their support for these much-needed projects.

For more information, go to DHCD's press release.

"What a wonderful day...bringing families together," Genesa Patten-Mendes, Winn Residential's Senior Property Manager, exclaimed as she greeted families who toured the Dudley Greenville property earlier this month.  
 
MPDC employees and Landmark Construction representatives escorted 12 families on a "first look hard hat" tour of their new units at Dudley Greenville, our newest 43-unit development in Dudley Square.  With assistance from the Boston Housing Authority, staff at Winn Residential processed over 940 applications.  The first group of residents were selected through a lottery process and have committed to occupying the units upon completion.
 
"One tenant was so excited that she started jumping for joy," one onlooker observed as the families toured each unit that would soon be their own new home.  Russell Tanner, MPDC's Director of Real Estate, was on-hand to answer questions ranging from the date of occupany to interior paint colors.  
 
The apartments will be mixed income with nine units available for rent to tenants at or below 30% of the average median income; and 35 units available for rent between 50-60% of the average median income.
 
Dudley Greenville is slated to open in late Spring 2014.

A special thanks to Katrina Conrad-Gwyn for help in planning and implementing this event.

Nuestra CDC and its partners at the Mel King Institute, Madison Park Development Corporation, Urban Edge, and Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative hosted on February 1st a Roxbury Resident Leadership Summit. The free workshop at Roxbury Community College gave participants a forum to develop strategies to engage with new city leadership to advocate for the priorities of Roxbury residents. Participants also discussed new developments in Roxbury and ways that Roxbury residents can have an impact on these plans Further, they shared tips and tools for promoting neighborhood equity and effective community engagement.

NOAH, a MACDC member organization, and the Town of Webster held a ground breaking in February to reinvent the historic Sitkowski School into 66 units of affordable senior housing and a spacious, 9,000 square foot, Community/Senior Center.

The rehabilitation will be a substantial renovation of a locally prominent, decommissioned school. Historic elements such as the original oak woodwork will be preserved where feasible, and the slender original wood floors will be repaired and restored.  Common amenities include lounges on each floor and a central laundry. The bi-level Community/Senior Center will include a large multi-purpose room with kitchen, a reading room, conference room and offices, an art space, an exercise room, a health office and a salon.

NOAH is very proud to have been selected by the Town to recreate this 88,000 square foot, $20 million asset, which is key to their dynamic downtown revitalization. 

MACDC is thrilled to join with Governor Patrick and the Commonwealth’s Department of Housing and Community Development in announcing the awarding of $3 million in tax credits to 38 nonprofits in Massachusetts.  

The Community Investment Tax Credit provides a 50% refundable tax credit to donors who invest in the Certified CDCs allocated tax credits through today’s award.  As a result, a total of $6 million will be made available this year to the participating organizations.

“The Community Investment Tax Credit will leverage private dollars for the state’s best CDCs so they can undertake high-impact, resident-led community development,” said Joseph Kriesberg, President of MACDC. “What is particularly exciting about this program is the way it brings together the public sector, the private sector and local communities to forge creative, bottom-up solutions that yield real results. This program will help to ensure that every community and every family has a better opportunity to fully participate in our economy.”

For a complete list of all CDCs allocated tax credits through the Community Investment Tax Credit program, CLICK HERE.

To learn more about the Community Investment Tax Credit program, CLICK HERE.

Media Coverage

Mass Nonprofit News (11/11/14)

DHCD Press Release

United Way of Mass Bay & Merrimack Valley Press Release

Boston Globe

Cape & Plymouth Business

Gateway Cities Journal

Lowell Sun

Patriot Ledger

Telegram & Gazette

WAMC

Worcester Business Journal

Vineyard Gazette

Hyde Park Bulletin

South Coast Today

Banker & Tradesman

This Place Matters, Radio Interview with Joe Kriesberg & Jay Coburn