The Affordable Homes Act authorizes a substantial increase in borrowing to support Massachusetts’ capital plan for housing. The capital plan for housing needs to be considered in a broad context including operating budget spending, spending from federal ARPA Funds, and state and federal tax credits for housing. However, this post offers no such broad analysis, but merely assembles for reference a history of our housing capital plans, related bond authorizations, and resulting actual spending. All figures and sources are captured in the spreadsheets linked to at the end of the post.
Housing Capital Spending — FY2010 to FY25
The chart below is based on actual capital spending from FY2010 through FY2024 and the budgeted first year amount from the FY25-29 5 year plan. Capital plan components are classified into four categories — disability accommodations, municipal grants, public housing and subsidized housing as detailed in the table further below.
Capital Spending for Housing through DHCD/HLC — FY2010 through FY2024 actual and FY2025 budget
As an alternative way to view the same data the chart below compares 5-year spending blocks.
Capital Spending for Housing through DHCD/HLC — FY2010 through FY2024 actual and FY2025-29 budget — five year spending blocks
Governor’s Housing FY25-29 Capital Plan
The 5 year FY25-29 capital plan amounts are, in most cases, very close to 5x the FY25 amounts for each line item.
The classification below is based on review of the program descriptions and bond authorization language:
- Subsidized — spending for acquisition, preservation, renovation, new construction, etc. of privately owned affordable housing units
- Public — spending for capital programs of public housing authorities, especially preservation and renovation
- Disability — spending for homeowners in adapting homes to accommodate disabilities or for creation of community housing for people with disabilities
- Municipal — grants to municipalities for planning, infrastructure, incentives for rezoning, etc.
| Classification | Plan Item | FY25-29 Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Subsidized | H002 Affordable Housing Trust Fund | 280,850,000 |
| Disability | H004 Community-Based Housing | 25,000,000 |
| Disability | H006 Facilities Consolidation Fund | 58,000,000 |
| Subsidized | H008 Housing Innovations Fund | 148,480,970 |
| Disability | H010 Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission Home Modification Loan Program | 19,005,795 |
| Public | H011 Public Housing – Affordable Housing Trust Fund | 25,000,000 |
| Public | H012 Public Housing – General | 552,875,000 |
| Subsidized | H021 Affordability Preservation | 10,000,000 |
| Subsidized* | H024 Mixed-Income Housing Demonstration | 118,875,000 |
| Public | H026 Public Housing — sustainable and resiliency | 115,000,000 |
| Public | H029 Public Housing – New Accessible Units earmark within 7004-0074 | 15,000,000 |
| Subsidized | H030 Neighborhood Stabilization | 39,194,205 |
| Subsidized | H031 Gateway Cities Housing Rehab | 12,500,000 |
| Mix | H034 Housing Works (approximately 2/3 subsidized and 1/3 municipal) | 553,775,000 |
| Municipal | H037 MBTA Catalyst | 15,000,000 |
| Subsidized | H038 Momentum fund | 10,000,000 |
| 5 Year Total for Housing and Livable Communities | 1,998,555,970 |
* Note that this item could also be classified as “Public,” since it requires preservation of public housing units when implemented on public housing properties. The administration’s housing budget brief does count it towards increased funding for public housing. However, it is intended a source of financing for new mixed income units, including new mixed income units on municipal land other than public housing and may also be appropriately categorized as “Subsidized.” See language of bond authorization for account 7004-0075 in the 2024 bond authorization.
Borrowing Authorizations in the Affordable Homes Act
This chart inventories the borrowing authorizations in the 2024 Housing Bond Bill. The Governor’s housing capital plan for the next five years, which is detailed above, reflects a somewhat smaller investment than the bond authorization — $2.0 billion as opposed to $5.2 billion. This is to be expected — standard Massachusetts practice is to provide the Governor considerable flexibility in capital planning by authorizing more borrowing than can be issued within financial constraints.
| Capital Account | Purpose | Authorization |
|---|---|---|
| 3000-0411 | Early Education and Out of School Time Grants | 50,000,000 |
| 7004-0069 | MA Rehab Home Modification Loan Program (blind/severe disability) | 60,000,000 |
| 7004-0070 | Facilities Consolidation Fund (mental health/developmental disability) | 70,000,000 |
| 7004-0071 | Community Based Housing (other disability) | 55,000,000 |
| 7004-0072 | Affordable Housing Trust Fund (Chapter 121D) | 800,000,000 |
| 7004-0073 | Housing Stabilization and Investment Fund (Chapter 121F) | 425,000,000 |
| 7004-0074 | Public Housing General (Chapter 121B) | 2,000,000,000 |
| 7004-0075 | Public Housing Mixed Income Housing Demonstration (on housing authority land) | 200,000,000 |
| 7004-0076 | Housing Innovation Fund (Chapter 121E) | 200,000,000 |
| 7004-0078 | Sustainable and Green Housing Initiaitives | 275,000,000 |
| 7004-0080 | Middle Income Housing Fund | 100,000,000 |
| 1100-2518 | State Surplus Property Disposition | 30,000,000 |
| 1599-1953 | Local Projects (ear marks) | 425,756,900 |
| 7004-0077 | Housing Choice Grant Program | 50,000,000 |
| 7004-0079 | Smart Growth/40R | 20,000,000 |
| 7004-0081 | CommonWealth Builder (homeownership for disadvantaged) | 100,000,000 |
| 7004-0082 | Community Planning Grants | 25,000,000 |
| 7004-0083 | HousingWorks Infrastructure Program | 175,000,000 |
| 7004-0085 | Neighborhood Stabilization (blighted properties) | 50,000,000 |
| 7004-4784 | Momentum Fund | 50,000,000 |
| Total Authorizations | 5,160,756,900 |
Crosswalk of 2024 Housing Bond Authorizations to FY25-29 Housing Capital Program Components
The crosswalk between the authorizations and the capital plan components is one-to-one for some elements, but many-to-many for others, as shown in the chart below: This may change over time in some instances — many of the bond authorizations cover overlapping purposes.
| Bond Authorization Account | Bond Authorization Description | Capital program component |
|---|---|---|
| 7004-0069 | MA Rehab Home Modification Loan Program (blind/severe disability) | H010 Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission Home Modification Loan Program |
| 7004-0070 | Facilities Consolidation Fund (mental health/developmental disability) | H006 Facilities Consolidation Fund |
| 7004-0071 | Community Based Housing (other disability) | H004 Community-Based Housing |
| 7004-0072 | Affordable Housing Trust Fund (Chapter 121D) | H002 Affordable Housing Trust Fund |
| 7004-0072 | Affordable Housing Trust Fund (Chapter 121D) | H011 Public Housing – Affordable Housing Trust Fund |
| 7004-0072 | Affordable Housing Trust Fund (Chapter 121D) | H031 Gateway Cities Housing Rehab (earmarked in 2018, continued in 2024) |
| 7004-0073 | Housing Stabilization and Investment Fund (Chapter 121F) | Bundled into H034 Housing Works Program |
| 7004-0073 | Housing Stabilization and Investment Fund (Chapter 121F) | H021 Affordability Preservation |
| 7004-0074 | Public Housing General (Chapter 121B) | H012 Public Housing – General |
| 7004-0074 | Public Housing General (Chapter 121B) | H026 Public Housing — sustainable and resiliency (earmark within 7004-0074) |
| 7004-0074 | Public Housing General (Chapter 121B) | H029 Public Housing – New Accessible Units (earmark within 7004-0074) |
| 7004-0075 | Public Housing Mixed Income Housing Demonstration (on housing authority land) | H024 Mixed-Income Housing Demonstration |
| 7004-0076 | Housing Innovation Fund (Chapter 121E) | H008 Housing Innovations Fund |
| 7004-0078 | Sustainable and Green Housing* Initiaitives | Bundled into H034 Housing Works Program (TOD and resilient housing) |
| 7004-0080 | Middle Income Housing Fund (Formerly Workforce Housing) | Not yet in housing capital plan, spent through MassHousing |
| 1100-2518 | State Surplus Property Disposition | Not in housing capital plan, spent through A&F |
| 1599-1953 | Local Projects (ear marks) | Not in housing plan as a specific item |
| 7004-0077 | Housing Choice Grant Program | Bundled into H034 Housing Works Program |
| 7004-0079 | Smart Growth/40R | Bundled into H034 Housing Works Program |
| 7004-0081 | CommonWealth Builder (homeownership for disadvantaged) | Not in housing capital plan; currently funded by ARPA and transitional escrow. Spent through MassHousing. |
| 7004-0082 | Community Planning Grants | Bundled into H034 Housing Works Program |
| 7004-0083 | Housing Works Infrastructure Program | Bundled into H034 Housing Works Program |
| 7004-0083 | Housing Works Infrastructure Program | H037 MBTA Catalyst |
| 7004-0085 | Neighborhood Stabilization (blighted properties) | H030 Neighborhood Stabilization |
| 7004-4784 | Momentum Fund | H038 Momentum fund |
| — | Multiple authorizations bundled as noted above | H034 Housing Works |
* A&F states that this Sustainable & Green Housing Initiatives line item (0078) will fund the following measures within the Housing Works program: (i) A new Housing Innovation Program; (ii) Existing Transit Nodes Housing; (iii) Commercial Area Transit Node Housing Program (CATNHP); (iv) Sustainable Affordable Housing Fund.
Resources
Spreadsheets collecting housing bond authorizations, housing capital budget items, and housing capital spending
Housing Bond Authorizations
- Chapter 257 of the Acts of 1998
- Chapter 244 of the Acts of 2002
- Chapter 290 of the Acts of 2004
- Chapter 119 of the Acts of 2008
- Chapter 129 of the Acts of 2013
- Chapter 99 of the Acts of 2018 (see also account number change in Section 4 of Chapter 277 of 2018)
- Chapter 150 of the Acts of 2024
Capital Plans for Housing
- Fiscal 2015 (see page C-7)
- Fiscal 2016 (see page C-6)
- Fiscal 2017 (see page 48-49)
- Fiscal 2018 (see page 46-47)
- Fiscal 2019 (see page 55)
- Fiscal 2020
- Fiscal 2021
- Fiscal 2022
- Fiscal 2023
- Fiscal 2024
- Fiscal 2025