Worcester affordable development receives $4.1M in government funding
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The Aurora Apartments in Worcester
The Community Builders Inc., a Boston nonprofit real estate developer, has received $3.37 million in direct funding and $497,000 in federal tax credits from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, as well as $250,000 from the City of Worcester to aid in the renovation of the Aurora Apartments at 660 Main St.
After renovations, the Aurora, a former hotel built in 1898, will be 100% affordable housing, providing 85 units for residents making less than 60% area median income. Thirty of the units will be reserved for extremely low-income individuals and those transitioning from homelessness, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development announced in a Wednesday press release following a ceremony at the Aurora Apartments.
Worcester nonprofit Open Sky Community Services will provide supportive services for residents.
“With the housing crisis we are experiencing in Worcester especially for individuals, this award will increase the number of units available to our lowest income neighbors,” said Leah Bradley, executive director of Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance. “From March of 2021 to March of 2022, we have seen a 45% increase in the city in individuals experiencing homelessness. Community Builders and Open Sky are key partners in providing housing with wrap around services to help us address this growing concern.”
The Aurora project will benefit from tax credits and subsidy funds from the state as part of $31 million the state awarded in direct subsidies, tax credits, and housing vouchers to 11 Massachusetts housing facilities as part of the Permanent Supportive Housing Program.
“We are excited to celebrate this milestone and the continued public-private partnerships between the City of Worcester, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the development community to keep expanding our housing stock,” Acting City Manager Eric Batista said in a press release. “The renovation of these 85 units will provide needed improvements to the units and extend the affordability restriction for years to come.”
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