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Building Momentum, Creating More Homes đ
As the days grow shorter and fall approaches, Harborlight Homes continues to build momentum across the North Shore. This month, we're gearing up for our most meaningful annual fundraiser yet, Journey Home, taking place in a community your generosity helped create.
We also have exciting news regarding the Depot Lane project in Ipswich, exciting funding annoucements, and advocacy updates.
| | HARBORLIGHT HOMES AWARDED STATE FUNDING TO BUILD 52 AFFORDABLE HOMES AT DEPOT LANE IN IPSWICH, MA | | |
Transit-oriented development marks the culmination of a multi-year partnership with the Town of Ipswich and the Ipswich Housing Partnership
Harborlight Homes has been awarded Massachusetts state funding to begin construction of Depot Lane, a new development that will bring 52 much-needed affordable homes to individuals and families in Ipswich. The award was made possible in part through Governor Maura Healey's Affordable Homes Act, which significantly increased state support for housing production.
The project has been supported by, and developed in close collaboration with, the Town of Ipswich and the Ipswich Housing Partnership and Housing Trust. Depot Lane is the result of a partnership between Harborlight Homes and these committees, whose members worked together to identify and evaluate potential housing sites in Ipswich, efforts that ultimately led to the current project. The Trust also provided funding at a very early stage, helping to make this a viable undertaking for Harborlight.
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| | THE LIGHTHOUSE CEï»żNTER UPDATE! | |
Take a sneak peek inside The Lighthouse Center on our Anchor Point campus in Beverly!
Weâre thrilled to see this one-of-a-kind project taking shape as it gets closer to the finish line every day. Soon, The Lighthouse Center will provide a welcoming space for connection, support, and opportunity for our community.
But weâre not there yet. We need your help to bring this vision fully to life!
đ Learn more about The Lighthouse Center and make a gift today!
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Our Windward Crossing project in Rowley is well under construction. This project will create new integrated housing on donated land, featuring 20 affordable supportive housing units for seniors and a five-unit group home for adults managed by Northeast ARC. A privately funded on-site Community Center will serve residents and the broader community with classrooms, a fitness room, community kitchen, and flexible activity spaces designed to promote connection, wellness, and lifelong learning.
The Lottery is for the SUPPORTIVE SENIOR HOMES ONLY. These will be one-bedroom units and part of this unique campus.
IMPORTANT DATES
- Thursday, October 8: Lottery opens
- Tuesday, November 17: Information Session #1 (10:00 am)
- Wednesday, November 18: Information Session #2 (6:00 pm)
- Friday, January 8: Lottery deadline
- Tuesday, February 9: Lottery drawing
STAY TUNED FOR MORE DETAILS!
| | Journey Home 2026: New Venue, Special Guests, Same Great Event đ | |
BIG NEWS! Journey Home 2026 is moving to the Historic Theater at Beverly Village for Living & The Arts (formerly Briscoe School)!
Join us on Thursday, October 8 for an unforgettable evening of community, creativity, and connection. We're excited to welcome award-winning comedian, speaker, and storyteller Jimmy Tingle as our special guest emcee, bringing his signature humor, insight, and energy to the night.
Enjoy local food and drinks, tour the beautiful theater, connect with friends and neighbors, and experience inspiring performances by our talented resident artists.
We can't wait to celebrate YOU (and our residents)!
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Weâre excited to welcome Easton Dundore to ï»żHarborlight Homes as our fall Philanthropy & Marketing Intern!
A senior Communication Arts major at Gordon College, Easton brings a passion for storytelling, community engagement, and nonprofit impact.
âI am thrilled to join the Harborlight Homes team and contribute to their mission,â Easton shared. âI am inspired by Harborlightâs holistic and thoughtful approach to addressing housing challenges within our local communities, and I look forward to supporting their impactful work.â
Welcome to the team, Easton! đ
| | Give $1,000. Get $500 Back. | |
Thanks to the MA Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC) Program, eligible donors receive a 50% state tax credit on their gift.
CITC is for EVERYONE (Think: Create Impact. Take Credit.)
Learn how it works! Join our 30-min webinar (click or scan), or email impact@harborlighthomes.org
| | Harborlight Homes Granted 5-year Award to Support Regional Housing Advocacy | |
Harborlight Homes has received a five-year award of over $750,000 to expand our advocacy efforts and build stronger local affordable housing coalitions, creating lasting legislative change in support of affordable housing across the North Shore.
The MA Department of Public Health awarded the grant in partnership with the Executive Office of Aging & Independence and Health Resources in Action. Harborlight Homes is one of 30 awardees of the MA Community Health & Healthy Aging Funds selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants across the Commonwealth.
The award will allow Harborlight to continue our robust advocacy and education programs over the next five years. Overall, awardees will address the root causes of health inequities and improve health and aging outcomes.
For more information on the Massachusetts Community Health & Healthy Aging Fund, click here.
| As we move into Autumn, the Advocacy team is hard at work pushing for some final legislative action. | | | On September 18th, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts rejected the town of Marshfieldâs effort to avoid compliance with the MBTA Communities Act. In effect, this ruling solidifies the legality of 3A Zoning going forward, a major win for affordable-housing proponents and those who worked hard to draft and pass local MBTA zoning in recent years. | | Harborlight Homes is in support of the upcoming Starter Homes ballot measure, Question 7. This ballot measure would allow new single-family homes on 5,000-square-foot lots wherever public sewer and water service is available. We believe this is a strong measure to address the housing shortage and will ultimately provide more families with more living options across our region. | | | |
â Two timely resources worth exploring: a new report on discretionary permitting practices across MA and a CommonWealth Beacon article analyzing the recent SJC ruling. Click the buttons below to read. | â
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We are pleased to share Harborlight Homes is Co-Sponsoring CHAPAâs Annual Regional Meeting for the North Shore/Merrimack Valley, and youâre invited!
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Each year, CHAPA convenes stakeholders from across the housing ecosystem to learn directly from those doing the work on the ground.
This meeting is free and open to all - no previous housing experience necessary! CHAPA staff will share about their work, and weâll engage in conversation about your communityâs housing needs/opportunities, and where CHAPA should prioritize their advocacy in the coming year.
This yearâs ZOOM meeting for North Shore/Merrimack Valley meeting will be held:
Monday October 19th, 2026
1 pm to 2:30 pm
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â Most residents think Massachusetts is a great place to live, and also unaffordable | |
9/22/2026 by Chris Lisinski, CommonWealth Beacon
IF MOST MASSACHUSETTS residents had to come up with a new state motto, they could probably agree on something like: Itâs a great place to live, if you can afford it.
Heading into an election season in which âaffordabilityâ is the defining issue, a majority of Bay Staters agree that Massachusetts is a better place to live than most other states and, simultaneously, that it remains too expensive, according to newly released polling data.
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The latest survey from the MassINC Polling Group, conducted as part of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundationâs annual assessment of state competitiveness, builds on a well-established thematic foundation. The Bay State has some of the highest incomes in the country, but with the costs for basics like housing and utilities growing at a much faster pace, many families are feeling the pinch. Click to read the full article.
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