MassHousing Awards $517,500 for Affordable Sober Housing

Funding will help create or preserve 66 units of sober housing Cambridge, Fall River, Springfield, South Boston, Tisbury and Worcester

BOSTON – November 18, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — MassHousing has awarded $517,500 to support sober housing programs in Cambridge, Fall River, Springfield, South Boston, Tisbury and Worcester.

The MassHousing grants will come from the Center for Community Recovery Innovations, Inc. (CCRI), a nonprofit subsidiary corporation of MassHousing that supports non-profits that create or preserve affordable sober housing in Massachusetts for recovering substance abusers. CCRI to date has awarded more than $6.3 million in grants for more nearly 1,600 units of substance-free housing in more than 35 communities for men, women, families, veterans, the homeless and ex-offenders.

“There is a constant need for quality, affordable sober housing in Massachusetts and these latest CCRI grants will help create or preserve nearly 70 units of housing in six communities,” said MassHousing Executive Director Thomas R. Gleason. “By helping men and women overcome substance abuse and addiction we can lower the number of homeless in our state and help them in their recovery to becoming productive members of society again.” Receiving grants in the latest round of CCRI funding are:

• Heading Home, Inc., Cambridge, $75,000 to help create 14 single room occupancy units for formerly homeless women in Cambridge.
• Steppingstone, Inc., Fall River, $30,000 to help create 2 new affordable sober apartments for men and women in Fall River.
• Greater New Life Christian Center Recovery Power House, Springfield, $75,000 to help acquire and create 9 units of affordable sober housing for men in the Indian Orchard neighborhood which will complement existing sober housing for women.
• Julie’s Family Learning Program, Inc., South Boston, $25,000 to increase level of life skills counseling, parenting skills and recovery support for mothers and their children in Boston.
• Vineyard House, Inc., Tisbury, $75,000 to help consolidate three aging facilities into one new campus preserving 22 units of affordable sober housing for men and women on Martha’s Vineyard.
• Community Healthlink, Inc., Worcester, $125,000 to help rehabilitate 3 affordable sober apartments for families in Worcester.
• Spectrum Health Systems, Inc., Worcester, $75,000 to help rehabilitate 8 affordable sober studio apartments and single room occupancy units for men and women in Worcester.
• South Middlesex Non-Profit Housing Corporation, Worcester, $37,500 to help rehabilitate 8 affordable sober single room occupancy units for men in Worcester.
MassHousing Awards $517,500 for Affordable Sober Housing

About CCRI
The Center For Community Recovery Innovations, Inc., issues an annual Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit projects for funding. The proposals that are selected need to meet CCRI’s current priorities and eligibility categories. The grants are typically used as one-time gap funding for capital projects that increase or improve the stock of affordable sober housing in Massachusetts. Other proposals that provide services for residents in MassHousing-financed rental housing, specifically those that address alcohol and/or drug abuse or addiction, are also considered for funding. CCRI grant recipients must be 501c3 non-profit organizations and matching funds must be provided. All proposals and applicant qualifications are stringently reviewed and vetted by MassHousing.

About MassHousing
MassHousing (The Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency) is an independent, quasi-public agency created in 1966 and charged with providing financing for affordable housing in Massachusetts. The Agency raises capital by selling bonds and lends the proceeds to low- and moderate-income homebuyers and homeowners, and to developers who build or preserve affordable and/or mixed-income rental housing. MassHousing does not use taxpayer dollars to sustain its operations, although it administers some publicly funded programs on behalf of the Commonwealth. Since its inception, MassHousing has provided more than $16 billion for affordable housing. For more information, visit the MassHousing website at www.masshousing.com, follow us on Twitter @MassHousing, subscribe to our blog and Like us on Facebook.

Media Contacts
Eric Gedstad: 617.854.1079 | egedstad (at) masshousing (dot) com
Tom Farmer: 617.854.1843 | tfarmer (at) masshousing (dot) com