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BOSTON - Thursday, July 8, 2021 - Building
on her commitment to create affordable housing in Boston, Mayor Kim Janey
and Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation
yesterday announced the purchase of 15 apartments at 6 Quint Avenue in
Allston. This acquisition is an important first step in the effort to
create deeply affordable, stable, supportive housing for individuals in
recovery. The acquisition of this building was made possible in part with
$2 million in funding from the City of Boston’s Department of Neighborhood
Development and Community Preservation Act funding. As part of the
purchase, the buyer and the City have guaranteed that these apartments will
be affordable to residents in perpetuity.
“The purchase of these 15 affordable homes
is important for individuals in recovery who often have difficulty finding
housing,” said Mayor Kim Janey. “I am proud that, together with our
partners, the City of Boston will help create affordable units for people
who are working to overcome substance use disorder.”
6 Quint Ave. is an existing licensed lodging
house with 15 units that will be renovated, with 14 units becoming
permanently affordable supportive housing units for extremely low-income
individuals recovering from substance use disorder. The remaining apartment
will be made available for supportive service staff. These units offer an
opportunity for individuals in recovery to live in stable housing.
“We are extremely grateful to the pivotal
role the City of Boston has played in helping to make the purchase of this
licensed lodging house possible. I can think of no greater example of
the positive results that can occur when a neighborhood comes together to
create real solutions to serious problems. The coalition of the
supportive service community coming together with City officials to make
this purchase from a private owner possible exemplifies the strength of our
neighborhood,” said John Woods, Executive Director of ABCDC.
A key component of the redevelopment plans
for the site was the award of 14 units of Project Based Section 8 Vouchers
made available through the Boston Housing Authority (BHA). These
vouchers are a crucial component that will create deep affordability for at
least 20 years.
The purchase of this development was
funded with $1,382,150 from the Department of Neighborhood
Development, and $617,850 from the City of Boston’s Community Preservation
Act funding. An additional $2 million is being made available from the
Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)
through its most recent Supportive Housing Round of Funding. $600,000 has
been committed to the project by the Davis Company as part of their
mitigation efforts for the project recently approved at 1515 Commonwealth Avenue through the BPDA Article 80 Process. BlueHub Capital assisted
in helping to secure additional funds.
This project was also made possible through
community collaboration with Allston Brighton PAUSES, The Addiction
Treatment Center of New England (Brighton, MA), Granada House Addiction
Treatment Facilities and the Charles River Community Health Center.
Renovations of the property are expected to
be completed by mid-to-late 2022.
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT
OF NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT (DND)
The Department of
Neighborhood Development is responsible for housing people experiencing
homelessness, developing affordable housing, and ensuring that renters and
homeowners can find, maintain, and stay in their homes. As part of the
ongoing coronavirus response, the Office of Housing Stability is also
conducting tenant’s rights workshops to educate residents about the
eviction moratorium and their rights. The Boston Home Center continues to
provide down payment assistance to first-time home buyers and home repairs
for seniors and low-income residents. The Supportive Housing Division works
with various partners around the city to rapidly house individuals who are
experiencing homelessness. For more information, please visit the DND website.
ABOUT BOSTON HOUSING
AUTHORITY (BHA)
Boston Housing
Authority (BHA) provides affordable housing to more than 58,000 residents
in and around the City of Boston. Residents are assisted through a
combination of public housing and federal and state voucher subsidy
programs that provide a wide variety of housing opportunities. As the
largest public housing authority in New England, the BHA houses close to
nine percent of the city's residents. Our mission is to provide stable,
quality affordable housing for low and moderate income persons; to deliver
these services with integrity and mutual accountability; and to create
living environments which serve as catalysts for the transformation from
dependency to economic self-sufficiency.
ABOUT ALLSTON
BRIGHTON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (ABCDC)
Allston Brighton CDC
builds a stronger, more stable community by representing and supporting the
interests, engagement, and leadership of Allston Brighton’s diverse
communities, institutions, individuals, and families of all incomes.
Rapidly rising housing costs disproportionately affect the neighborhood’s
most vulnerable residents, creating housing instability and displacement of
low- and moderate-income individuals from critical community assets like
public transportation, jobs, health care, their families, and more. ABCDC
strives to create a vibrant neighborhood where people of many incomes,
races, and genders can live and work.
ABOUT THE COMMUNITY
PRESERVATION ACT (CPA)
After Boston voters
adopted the CPA in November 2016, the City created a Community Preservation
Fund. This fund is capitalized primarily by a one percent property
tax-based surcharge on residential and business property tax bills that
began in July 2017. The City uses this revenue to fund initiatives
consistent with statewide CPA guidelines: affordable housing, historic
preservation, and open space and public recreation. The funding of any
project requires a recommendation from the Community Preservation Committee
and the Mayor, and appropriation by the City Council. For more information,
please visit the Community Preservation webpage. | 
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