MassHousing remains open and will continue to provide mission-critical business during this unprecedented period of time. View COVID-19 information and resources for homeowners, renters and multifamily business partners.

Despite the coronavirus outbreak, which disrupted the economy, threw the real estate market into turmoil and forced MassHousing and many of its partners to work remotely since March, the Agency closed more than $1.2 billion in financing transactions in fiscal year 2020, which ended on June 30. Read more...

Q: Your Community Services Team has continued to provide virtual events and workshops for housing practitioners during the pandemic. What has that been like for your team and how has the response been?

Thaddeus Miles: The department had historically offered only in-person trainings and learning opportunities for housing and service providers around the Commonwealth. Staff quickly pivoted, procured a webinar platform and began offering virtual trainings at the beginning of April 2020 – only a few weeks after the Commonwealth shut down. Between April 6 and July 30, the team tapped into existing partnerships with trainers and subject matter experts to provide 38 webinars with 3,556 registrants and another 2,458 people on waitlists for various trainings.

The response was overwhelmingly positive. Community Services has typically only reached an audience working in Massachusetts–or sporadically from other neighboring states–but now participants live in states as far away as Arizona. There was also an incredible response from direct service providers, as many of the learning opportunities we offered significantly impacted their clients living in affordable housing communities. Topics ranged from traditional content focused on HUD RSC certification–such as working with residents with cognitive impairments–to COVID-focused content like coping with loss and grief; mitigating the impacts of community trauma as well as a series focused on racism.

I'm incredibly proud of the work the team has done–it was a lot of work; there was a steep learning curve and we needed to provide a different kind of logistical, technology-focused support. Our staff has come away with a deep sense of contributing something positive to the very difficult situations faced by our residents, housing providers and service provider partners during these unprecedented times.

Q: You and your team have also been out in the community, distributing masks, food and other necessities. What have you observed as you have traveled around?

TM: As CSD has been engaged with broad pandemic relief efforts across the Commonwealth, we have heard about critical and unparalleled need for essential items such as food, cleaning supplies and PPE. At the same time, we have witnessed resilience and ingenuity from both residents and housing staff.

COVID-19 has changed the lives of residents and the housing professionals in multifamily developments and created unprecedented challenges. I have been inspired by our housing and community partners who have adapted and modified five times over to meet the needs of those they serve. I saw youth-serving entities that completely reimagined their programming to make sure young people had an engaging activity over the summer, had an opportunity to be creative through the arts, or provided an employment opportunity. I have been encouraged by the resource sharing taking place between property management companies, the continual updates of policies and procedures to protect health and safety of residents and staff, and I am grateful to the resident services teams who remain committed to serving and engaging their most vulnerable residents. I am hopeful that the collaboration and partnerships that are happening as a result of the pandemic will continue. CSD stands ready to facilitate and lead on these collaborative efforts.

Q: Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants, who passed away recently, was instrumental in one of MassHousing's most successful programs to help tenants. What is that program and what role did Justice Gants play?

TM: We were stunned and saddened by the sudden passing of Chief Justice Gants. He was a champion for equitable access to justice and strongly advocated for the statewide expansion of MassHousing's Tenancy Preservation Program (TPP). TPP operates collaboratively with the Housing Court Department of the Massachusetts Trial Court to prevent unnecessary evictions and homelessness for individuals and families with disabilities, by addressing both the tenant's lease violation and their underlying health issues.

Morse Apartments, Brookline: $25 million in MassHousing financing will help the Brookline Housing Authority complete extensive improvements to this 99-unit property and extend affordability for residents for at least 75 years. The financing through MassHousing's Conduit Loan Program helped generate $17.2 million in equity financing for the project through federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. Read more...

A minority-owned, full-service property management and development company founded in 2003 and based in Boston, UHM oversees more than 1,400 housing units, including seven developments in the MassHousing portfolio. Read more...

This SDO-certified minority business enterprise was founded in 2008 and is based in North Andover. They provide comprehensive asphalt maintenance services, specializing in sealcoating, line striping, paving/pothole repairs, patch work and catch basin repairs. Read more...

An SDO-certified MBE and DBE founded in 1996 and based in Dorchester, Outkast Electrical has 25 employees and provides a full range of electrical construction and renovation services throughout greater Boston. Read more...

This full-service, SDO-certified minority woman-owned company was founded in 2000 by a 14-year veteran of the Army Reserves. The Roxbury-based company provides post-construction clean-up, COVID clean-up, asbestos removal and disaster clean-up services. Read more...