Governor Baker and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) recently awarded $34 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) Awards to support a variety of housing, community and economic development projects in 63 cities and towns across the Commonwealth. Many of these projects are helping cities and towns become more Age-Friendly through improvements to a community’s physical environment. Continue reading
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Innovative Stable Housing Initiative Hosting ‘Idea Incubator’ Event
The Innovative Stable Housing Initiative (ISHI) is a pilot project funded by Boston Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital as part of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Determination of Need Community Health Initiative. The ISHI Upstream Fund resources support ideas that will make lasting changes in policies or systems to help residents find safe and healthy housing and help residents at risk of losing their home/apartment/housing.
Join Health Resources in Action in shaping a process that will give out almost $900,000 in grants to support housing policy and systems change in Boston.
Boston Hospitals Team Up to Fund Stable Housing Initiative
Health care organizations recognize social determinants of health and their influence on community well-being and health care costs, but a trio of Boston teaching hospitals are teaming up to go beyond recognition to offer focused funding support to one key social challenge. Continue reading
ISHI Announces Inquiry of Ideas to Improve Housing Policies and Systems
The Innovative Stable Housing Initiative (ISHI) requests ideas from the Boston community (including individual or groups of residents, coalitions, or organizations) regarding what housing policies and systems should be changed and how. This Inquiry of Ideas (IOI) opportunity is the first step in designing a grantmaking process that is responsive to the needs of the community. Continue reading
CHAPA Accepting New Communities for Municipal Engagement Initiative
Citizens Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) is pleased to announce that they are now accepting applications for 2-3 new communities to join their Municipal Engagement Initiative. To obtain an application, please go to this website to start the process. Complete applications must be submitted via email to Dana LeWinter, Municipal Engagement Director, at dlewinter@chapa.org by 5 PM on Thursday, August 8, 2019. Continue reading
Age-Friendly Funding Alert: USDA Rural Housing Preservation Grants
The Rural Housing Preservation Grant Program provides grants to sponsoring organizations for the repair or rehabilitation of housing owned or occupied by low- and very-low-income rural citizens. USDA will award a total of $15,888,420 in Housing Preservation Grant Program funding for the repair and rehabilitation of rural housing units.
More information is listed below and at the grant webpage on the USDA website. Continue reading
Home Maintenance Guide and Resources Compiled by AARP
A new website and free tool kit publication from AARP Foundation and The Hartford features home maintenance and safety solutions. Among the offerings: an interactive home assessment tool and a directory of local resources for finding help with needs ranging from repairs to reducing utility bills and other home costs. Continue reading
Study: Local Zoning Rules Block Multi-Family Housing in MA
Over the past 15 years, despite many changes in local zoning, it remains difficult if not impossible to build multi-family housing in cities and towns across Metro Boston, according to a detailed study on development released this week. Continue reading
Age-Friendly Funding Alert: MassWorks Infrastructure Program
Governor Charlie Baker recently announced the opening of the ninth annual MassWorks Infrastructure Program grant award round. This is an opportunity for Age-Friendly communities that have identified built environment projects in their goals.
The 2019 MassWorks grant round will fund projects that empower transformative housing and development that support the long-term vitality of Massachusetts, with a particular focus on projects that enable the production of multi-family housing in mixed-use, transit-serviced districts, and projects that spur economic development in struggling communities. Continue reading
Connecting Generations in Senior Housing
This toolkit from the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston and Generations United provides practical information, guidance, and templates to help senior housing providers, and other organizations serving older adults, implement high-quality intergenerational programs that will benefit elders and young people in their communities. Continue reading