Mayor Menino Announces Preservation of 67 Units of Affordable Housing in Fenway Neighborhood
October 17, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — Mayor Thomas M. Menino today announced that Northeastern University has purchased 320 Huntington Avenue from the Greater Boston YMCA, and signed a 20-year lease allowing 67 units of transitional housing to continue to operate in the “Hastings Wing” of the building. The Hastings Wing houses the Cardinal Medeiros Program, which has been assisting people transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing for 20 years. The Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA), the program’s sponsor, in partnership with the Kit Clark Senior Services Cardinal Medeiros Program, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, and the City of Boston, signed a lease agreement with Northeastern University to continue operations of the program in the “Hastings Wing” in the building.
“I applaud Northeastern University for working with us to preserve 67 units of transitional housing in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood,” Mayor Menino said. “I am pleased that the 20-year lease will allow Cardinal Medeiros Program to continue to provide services to the some of our most vulnerable citizens in the Hastings Wing of the building.”
This partnership, assisted by Mayor Menino, furthers the City’s plan to end homelessness by preserving housing opportunities in Boston while also recognizing the need for Northeastern University’s continued growth. This new collaboration between Northeastern University and Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance addresses housing and homelessness in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood.
“MHSA is pleased to have the strong support from the Mayor’s office as we work together to address homelessness in Boston,” said MHSA’s President and Executive Director Joe Finn. “We welcome this new partnership with Northeastern University and look forward to continuing to provide these critical services in the Hastings Wing.”
“I want to thank Mayor Menino for his support and guidance throughout this process,” said Northeastern President Joseph Aoun. “At Northeastern, partnering with the community and our neighbors is part of our character as an institution. Once again, the Mayor has played a key role in strengthening the fabric of our city.”
The 20-year lease agreement between the Northeastern and the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance furthers Mayor Menino’s mission to provide services for homeless adults who lack affordable housing and are struggling with issues such as domestic violence, addictions, mental health problems, and other disabilities. The City of Boston is the recipient of nearly $20 million annually from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide services and emergency housing for the homeless.
Additionally, the Department of Neighborhood Development (DND) uses other federal grants to fund the development of permanent housing for Boston’s homeless. For more information about the City of Boston’s housing services, please visit our website at http://www.cityofboston.gov/dnd.
Contact:
Kerry O’Brien
KOBrien.dnd (at) cityofboston (dot) gov
