Housing affordability in the news

From local news to global conversations and groundbreaking research, health care is constantly evolving and highly covered in the media. Here, we share the latest news and trends – and how they drive our work to best serve our communities and members.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed the Affordable Homes Act into law this month – a historic effort to combat the state’s housing crisis. The landmark legislation includes a $5.16 billion investment over the next five years with goals of increasing housing production and improving the affordability of existing housing. The act is the largest housing bill in the history of Massachusetts and includes 49 policy initiatives that are expected to support the creation and refurbishment of more than 65,000 homes across the state.

Key spending authorizations and policy changes, outlined by the Healey administration, include allowing accessory dwelling, an unprecedented investment in modernizing the state’s public housing system, boosts to programs that support first-time homebuyers and homeownership, incentives to build more housing for low to moderate-income residents, support for the conversion of vacant commercial space to housing and support for sustainable and green housing initiatives.

Recognizing that housing is a well-established social determinant of health, Point32Health’s community health workers recently assisted approximately 200 members to transition into suitable housing under MassHealth’s MATCH program, which helps mitigate the cost of housing by helping pay for move-in costs for eligible recipients. As the Massachusetts housing crisis continues, the demand for this program is expected to rise, further demonstrating the importance of the Affordable Housing Act.