The grants, part of MassHousing’s Food and Nutrition Grant Program, will be used to create or expand projects such as on-site gardens—including raised beds for seniors and people with disabilities—mobile markets that bring fresh produce directly to residents, and partnerships that offer food vouchers and cooking classes.

“There is a clear and growing need to address food insecurity in the Commonwealth,” said MassHousing CEO Chrystal Kornegay. “The financial and health impacts of food insecurity affect the housing stability of residents of multi-family communities. This program focuses on the intersection between housing stability and food security.”

The program has partnered with more than 40 local organizations, including farms, agricultural nonprofits, and community meal programs. In addition to direct food access, the initiatives offer residents opportunities to participate in nutrition workshops, youth programs, and community harvest events.

This effort comes as food insecurity continues to impact a large portion of Massachusetts residents. According to the Greater Boston Food Bank’s Fourth Annual Statewide Report, approximately 34% of households in the state report experiencing food insecurity.

Grants of up to $10,000 per site were made available to MassHousing-financed properties in 2024 and 2025. Participating property management companies include WinnCompanies, Schochet Companies, Peabody Properties, The Community Builders, Kent Street Elderly LP, Madison Park Development Corporation, Related Management, Beacon Communities, and Housing Management Resources.

In July, MassHousing convened a symposium bringing together stakeholders from across the housing and food sectors. Attendees included representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, health care organizations, housing finance agencies, food systems experts, and developers, all focused on advancing collaboration between affordable housing and food access efforts.

The Food and Nutrition Grant Program reflects a growing recognition of the role housing providers can play in addressing broader public health and equity issues. With this investment, MassHousing is helping to create healthier, more resilient communities across Massachusetts.

Read the entire article on Boston Real Estate Times here.

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By Sukia O. Akiba

Violence is often framed as a criminal justice issue, but those of us working on the ground know that it’s much deeper than that. It’s a public health crisis  one that demands policy solutions rooted not in punishment, but in prevention, healing and equity.

A community-centered, trauma-informed approach can interrupt cycles of violence more effectively than traditional law enforcement strategies alone. And I’m not alone in this perspective  public health professionals, community organizers and even federal agencies are increasingly aligned in the call to reframe violence prevention as a matter of public policy, not just public safety.

The data supports this shift. According to the CDC, more than 24,000 people died by homicide in the United States in 2022. Among young people aged 15–19, homicide is the second leading cause of death. These aren’t just numbers they represent lives cut short, families shattered and communities traumatized. Yet the policy response has too often been reactive rather than proactive, centered on arrests and incarceration rather than intervention and prevention.

We know that violence, much like disease, is contagious. It spreads through exposure, trauma and untreated pain. If we accept that premise, then our response must also follow the principles of public health: identify root causes, implement prevention strategies, invest in community-based solutions and evaluate outcomes.

In Boston, we’ve begun to do just that. Through local partnerships with organizations like Teen Empowerment, Project RIGHT, Madison Park Development Corporation, Boston Project Ministries, and the Mattapan Teen Center  trusted groups that know their neighborhoods and the challenges residents face  we provide wraparound support: mentorship for youth, job readiness programs, mental health care and family stabilization services. Our approach doesn’t just treat the symptoms it addresses the underlying conditions that allow violence to take hold.

Boston has also emerged as a national leader in public safety. According to recent data, Boston is the safest metropolitan city in the country, and that’s not by coincidence. Mayor Michelle Wu has done an outstanding job of investing in long-term, systemic solutions from affordable housing and youth programming to climate resilience and public health infrastructure all of which contribute to a healthier, safer city.

Policy plays a critical role here. For example, Boston utilized American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to expand community-based violence prevention programs  a policy choice that sends a clear message: Public health and public safety are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they’re deeply intertwined.

But we need to go further. Across the country, public health departments receive a relatively small portion of municipal budgets typically under 5%, though exact figures vary by city. Meanwhile, policing can account for 25–40 percent or more of city budgets, depending on the locality. These disparities highlight the urgent need to rebalance our investments toward prevention, care and community well-being. Imagine what could happen if we rebalanced those scales if we treated housing stability, youth engagement and trauma recovery as public safety strategies.

We also can’t talk about violence without addressing the disproportionate impact it has on Black and Brown communities. Structural racism has created deep inequities in health, housing and education  all of which are upstream drivers of violence. Any effective policy solution must confront these disparities head-on and center racial equity in funding decisions, program design and implementation.

We must also shift the way we measure success. Beyond crime stats, we should be tracking reductions in emergency room visits, school suspensions and community trauma. We should invest in qualitative metrics that tell the full story of safety  stories of increased trust, community cohesion and hope. These are the kinds of outcomes that signal real, lasting change.

At the federal level, initiatives like the Biden-Harris Administration’s Community Violence Intervention (CVI) Collaborative, supported through the Office of Justice Programs, are promising examples of how national policy can align with this public health approach. By funding evidence-based, community-led programs, the federal government is setting a precedent for state and local governments to follow.

However, there are growing concerns that recent shifts in federal priorities may threaten the sustainability of these efforts. Pullbacks in funding and a renewed focus on punitive strategies risk undoing the progress made under earlier initiatives. Now more than ever, state and local policymakers must lead the charge in preserving and expanding these public health models.

This is not a call to eliminate policing. It’s a call to redefine what safety looks like, and to invest in solutions that have been proven to work. Cities like Oakland, Richmond and Minneapolis have piloted public health approaches to violence, and many have seen double-digit reductions in homicides and shootings. The common denominator? Community leadership, cross-sector collaboration and policy decisions that prioritize healing over handcuffs.

As public administrators, we have the tools and the responsibility to shape this shift. That means drafting legislation that funds community-based interventions, embedding trauma-informed practices in our schools and health systems and using data to drive equitable investment. It means listening to residents, valuing lived experience and moving beyond band-aid solutions.

Violence doesn’t start with a crime. It starts with unmet needs. If our policies continue to ignore that, we’ll never truly build safe, thriving communities. It’s time to reframe the conversation and with the right policy choices, we can do exactly that.

Read the entire article as it originally appeared in PA Times here.

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The Boston Police Department recently expanded its community-policing effort, hosting a HUB Situation Table training to address the city’s most vulnerable populations. In collaboration with the Madison Park Community Development Corporation and The Dewitt Center, the training involved 100 participants, aimed at forging a more unified approach to crisis intervention.

Originally launched back in 2018, the HUB Initiative operates based on a simple, yet crucial principle: intervene quickly to prevent harm. The training, having addressed 696 cases thus far, targets individuals or families at acutely elevated risk, connecting them to services designed to mitigate imminent dangers within 48 hours. “The HUB does not perform case management,” the BPD clarified, emphasizing the rapid response nature of the initiative. Madison Park CDC received thanks for leading the Roxbury Hub, and recognition went out to the Boston Public Schools and trainers from Chelsea Police and Operation to Save Lives for their roles in fostering the program.

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BOSTON – MassHousing has awarded $326,437 to six organizations that provided summer job opportunities to nearly 100 youth across Massachusetts.

The Agency’s Summer Youth Employment Program allowed 98 youth to work up to 40 hours a week with an average cost of $3,330. At least 80 percent of the youth live in MassHousing-financed rental housing communities.

“MassHousing’s Housing Stability Department is focused on supporting our business and community partners in providing positive tenancies and opportunities for social and economic advancement for their residents,” said MassHousing CEO Chrystal Kornegay. “Our Summer Youth Employment program exposes youth from MassHousing residences to varied work experiences with mission-oriented organizations that have expertise in youth employment.”

The organizations that received Summer Youth Employment Funding are:

Worcester Community Action Council, Inc.

The BASE, Boston.

Madison Park Development Corporation, Boston.

MassHire Holyoke Career Center.

Phillips Brooks House Association, Inc., Cambridge.

Home City Development, Inc., Springfield.

Read the article as it originally appeared in Boston Real Estate Times here.

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Read the full article as it appeared here.

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The Boston Herald also explains that “city officials have long-eyed accessibility and safety improvements in Nubian Square, holding a series of community meetings within the past decade to garner public feedback on recommendations.”

Read the full article as it appears here.

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Through the efforts of MPND, MPDC provides zero-interest loans, $100,000 down-payment assistance for home purchases in Boston, and $50,000 for purchases outside of Boston. MPDC’s CEO, Leslie Reid, stated that she hopes to “move five households per year from renting to owning their own homes.” Within the next three years, Reid plans to establish 15 households with the help of Madison Park Next Door.

In an interview, Reid also stated that homeownership is quintessential to building assets and creating generational wealth, especially with consideration for Roxbury’s historic and political marginalization of its residents. “We’re committed to removing some of those obstacles,” stated Reid.

Read the article as it originally appeared via GBH News here.

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Bostonians celebrated Black-owned businesses Saturday in Nubian Square, sharing in a vision of Black ownership in Roxbury and reveling in the feeling of community.

The event, called “Buy the Block Party: Unity Day Edition,” aimed to combine the atmosphere of a party with the calculated strategy of advancing Black-owned businesses.

The event “honors the broader vision of economic self-sufficiency for Roxbury,” according to the Madison Park Development Corporation, one of the event’s sponsors, which is helping another sponsor, Black Market Nubian, to purchase their building on the block.

Read the entire article as it originally appeared in The Boston Globe here.

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