The work of the nonprofit sector impacts every resident of Massachusetts. The state’s 42,000+ nonprofits are a critical economic engine, generating more than 550,000 jobs and employing over 17% of the state’s workforce. With federal actions putting increased strain on these organizations, the Massachusetts Council of Nonprofits encourages you to support policies that champion the sector — Learn more.
Last September, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul toured a blue one-story house in Syracuse, with a small front porch, stainless steel appliances and a subway-tile backsplash in the kitchen, and a few shrubs planted out front.
The three-bed, two-bath home came from a factory, with a cost of about $250,000 to build and install, and Hochul hailed it as part of a groundbreaking effort with "the potential to revolutionize the way we create high-quality, beautifully designed starter homes in New York."
Massachusetts residents could hear something similar later this year from Gov. Maura Healey, whose administration is exploring a pilot program modeled after the New York initiative.
The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities is seeking responses from cities and towns to measure interest in a homeownership program for middle-income, first-time buyers.
"The end result would be attractive single-family ranch-style homes in residential neighborhoods with existing public water and wastewater systems, or areas where infrastructure upgrades can be made in a reasonably economic way," the state's request for information says.
The "Move-In MA" program would mirror MOVE-IN NY, which launched with a three-house pilot and later expanded statewide.
Like the New York model, the version eyed for Massachusetts could use "CrossMods," a type of prefabricated home that more closely matches the curb appeal of traditional homes, but at a lower cost.
New York housing officials say their pilot showed the homes "can be purchased, manufactured and installed in less than six months at roughly half the cost of comparable site built homes."
Here, the state is eyeing an initial pilot of around 20 homes, with a goal of future growth, according to slides from a presentation offered to municipalities last week.
The process would start with a request for proposals from MassHousing, and a developer with municipal backing could get a no-interest loan to build a CrossMod "or other cost-effective starter home." The developer would sell the home, targeting buyers with incomes between 70% and 130% of the area median, and return some or all of the proceeds to MassHousing to support future development.
The timeline envisioned in the slides is a quick one, with a formal RFP launch in September or October and keys in the hands of the homes’ new occupants by summer or fall of 2027.
Twenty — or even 200 — homes would barely scratch the surface of the state’s housing needs.
But the presentation sketches out why the program appeals to Massachusetts officials: People between the ages of 25-44 are leaving the state at the fastest rate, while the number of renters who can afford to buy an entry-level home has dropped and it can cost more to build a new home than the house would be worth.
It’s the same problem the Legalize Starter Homes ballot campaign is trying to take a bite out of, with Question 7 to change zoning rules so that single-family homes could be built on smaller lots.
Going directly to voters — who consistently tell pollsters housing is one of the state’s most pressing problems — is one approach to clearing a path for smaller, cheaper homes. Lowering them by crane, pre-built, directly onto a foundation is another.
Have you seen another state try out something that could work in Massachusetts? Fill me in at [email protected].
MA voters support stronger AI safety: AI safety requires transparency and accountability. A new poll shows that 75% of Massachusetts voters support requiring the largest AI companies to publish safety plans, report serious incidents, and face penalties for non-compliance. — See the poll.
HAPPENING TODAY
8:45 | Annual Massachusetts Tomato Contest. Tomato dropoff and registration begins at 8:45 a.m., panel of experts judges tomatoes at 11 a.m. and awards presentation at noon | Boston Public Market, 100 Hanover St., Boston
10:30 | Fiscal Alliance Foundation hosts a Zoom press conference to release a whitepaper on New England's energy transition and the growing affordability and reliability challenges facing the region's electric grid | Email [email protected] to RSVP
11:00 | Mayor Wu, Boston Legacy FC, Boston school leaders, coaches, residents and Franklin Park advocates hold a press conference to mark the Supreme Judicial Court ruling affirming the White Stadium renovation can move forward | Clubhouse at William J. Devine Golf Course at Franklin Park, 1 Circuit Dr., Dorchester
11:00 | House meets in an informal session | House Chamber
11:00 | Senate session | Senate Chamber
1:00 | Sen. Brownsberger debates primary challenger Daniel Lander, hosted by the Charles River Regional Chamber of Commerce. The chamber said the debate will focus on economic development, housing, workforce and nonprofit issues, and more general topics may also be discussed | Zoom Registration
4:30 | Gov. Healey tours Bay End Farm and highlights her administration’s support for farms and farmers | 200 Bournedale Road, Bourne
6:00 | Gov. Healey visits Ghelfi’s Candies & Ice Cream, a featured stop on the state’s Ice Cream Trail | Mashpee Commons, 22 Steeple St, Mashpee
8:00 | WCVB, in partnership with WBUR and The Boston Globe, hosts a live, one-hour televised debate between Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate: Sen. Ed Markey and Congressman Seth Moulton | WCVB - 5 TV Place, Needham
JOB BOARD
Chief of Staff — NEW, Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate
Information Technology Director — NEW, Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General
Instructor — NEW, Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General
Payroll and Benefits Manager, City of Fitchburg
MLRI Senior Economic Justice Attorney, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
MLRI Economic Justice Attorney Safety Net Programs, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Project Manager, Elephant Energy
Public Service Coordinator, University of Massachusetts Boston
Vice President for Ocean Conservation, Conservation Law Foundation
Job board continues below the fold — post a job
FROM BEACON HILL
CHANGING OF THE GUARD: Warren Rep. Todd Smola, currently the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, plans to run for minority leader next year with Rep. Brad Jones, who's held the role since 2002, not seeking reelection. Wrentham Rep. Marcus Vaughn says he'll make a decision after his own reelection race.| State House News Service (gift link)
SUPPLY DEMANDS: The energy bill House and Senate lawmakers are negotiating would crack down on competitive electric suppliers, who are pushing back against language that would allow individual cities and towns to ban the companies from selling directly to customers. | CommonWealth Beacon
GAME PLAN: A working group examining youth sports in Massachusetts is out with a series of recommendations, including a new statewide agency to regulate elementary and middle school athletics and centralized oversight for coaches. Sen. Barry Finegold plans to file legislation next year to implement some of the group's ideas. | GBH News
IN THE MAIL: More than 200,000 Democratic primary ballots and 43,000 Republican ballots have already been cast during Massachusetts' mail-in voting period, Secretary of State Bill Galvin said during a Springfield press conference promoting early voting. | The Republican
NEWS NEXT DOOR
STADIUM STATUS: The state's highest court says the city of Boston can continue construction on White Stadium, a win for the women's soccer team Boston Legacy FC and high-profile project backer Mayor Wu. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy and Franklin Park Defenders argued the project would illegally privatize public parkland. | WBUR
RECALL IN RESERVE: A group of Lawrence residents plans to pursue a recall against Mayor Brian DePeña if he's still in office in September. The city says DePeña, on his lawyer's advice, has no immediate plans to publicly address his federal indictments on pandemic loan fraud charges. | Eagle-Tribune
NEW BALLOT BOSS: Longtime Boston official Kerry Jordan will start Sept. 8 as the city's new elections chief, taking the reins of a department that was placed under state receivership after some polling locations ran out of ballots during the 2024 presidential election. | WCVB
LEAVING THE FLOCK: Stow police are ending their relationship with Flock Safety and have removed their Flock automated license plate reader. An officer there is on leave after an investigation found he improperly used law enforcement databases to check out an acquaintance. On the North Shore, two Lynn officers are also on leave after an audit of their department’s Flock system flagged a "concerning pattern" in some searches. | Telegram & Gazette | ItemLive
MORE HEADLINES
We are proud to celebrate the recognition of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Massachusetts General Hospital as #1 and #2 in Cancer in New England by U.S. New and World Report. Thank you to our entire Mass General Brigham team for their daily dedication to serving our patients — Learn more.
JOB BOARD
Lead Organizer / VISTA and Civic Engagement Project Coordinator, Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants
Senior Government Relations Specialist, Boston Children’s Hospital
Grants and Development Specialist II, Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Senior Manager of External Affairs, Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate
Transportation Planner, City of Malden
Senior Director, City Talent and Student Career Pathways, Harvard Kennedy School
Director of Public Affairs and Communications, Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
Vice President, Strategic Communications, United Way of Mass Bay
Community Engagement Manager – Fairmount Indigo CDC Collaborative, Fairmount Indigo CDC Collaborative
Federal Policy & Municipal Affairs Director, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Director of Policy and Planning, Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
Deputy Chief Fiscal Officer for Procurement and Contracts, Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General
Field Director, Massachusetts Association of School Committees
