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Our work at the Mayor's Office of Housing

Find out more about the Mayor's Office of Housing.

The Mayor's Office of Housing (MOH) is responsible for: housing the homeless, developing affordable housing, and managing the City’s real estate. We also work to ensure that renters and homeowners can find, maintain, and stay in their homes. The department develops and implements the City's housing creation and homelessness prevention plans. The department also collaborates with local and national partners to find new solutions and build more affordable housing for all, particularly those with lower income.

Our Divisions

Our Divisions

The Office of Housing Stability (OHS) helps residents find and maintain stable, safe, and affordable housing.

OHS helps tenants in housing crisis due to fire, natural disaster, eviction, or condemnation. They also offer financial assistance programs. Their goal is to put residents on the path to housing stability.

Read more about their services and programs:

The Office of Housing Stability is led by Danielle JohnsonEmail housingstability@boston.gov or call 617-635-4200 to contact the Office.

The Boston Home Center helps Boston residents buy, improve, and keep their homes.

The Boston Home Center offers training, financial help, and counseling to first-time homebuyers, guidance and funding for homeowners to complete home improvements, and counseling to help families avoid foreclosure. They also market brand new houses developed for income-eligible, first-time homebuyers.

The Boston Home Center is led by Karen RebazaEmail homecenter@boston.gov or call 617-635-4663 to contact the Home Center.

The Neighborhood Housing Development Division ensures that public funding is wisely invested in strong affordable housing developments. These developments serve both their local neighborhoods and the citizens of Boston.

Affordable Housing Preservation is part of Housing Development. They fund loans for developers who want to buy and fix up old housing. Developers can also buy land through a Request for Proposal process. Learn more about how we sell our land to developers.

THE DIVISION WORKS WITH PARTNER AGENCIES TO:
  • keep affordable housing options on the market
  • create open spaces in the City
  • fix up abandoned properties, and
  • offer housing services to low-income and homeless residents.

The Supportive Housing Division provides funding for housing and supportive services for homeless populations, those at risk of homelessness, and housing for people with HIV/AIDS.

The Supportive Housing Division manages over $30 million in federal grants. The division funds nonprofits to provide services for households who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or living with HIV/AIDS.

READ MORE ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES:

The Housing Innovation Lab is working to increase housing affordability. The lab tests innovative housing models and accelerates the pace of innovation in the housing sector.

The Housing Innovation Lab puts people at the center of their work. They engage both internal and external partners to move the work forward. The Lab also experiments early and often, taking a prototype-driven approach to policy making.

HOUSING INNOVATION LAB PROJECTS INCLUDE:

This office creates our annual budget, which is about $100 million. They also oversee more than 4,700 loan accounts totaling more than $300 million.

Helpful documents are included below.

SUBORDINATION POLICIES

A detailed document of our policies.

APPLICATION FOR SUBORDINATION

The application includes a checklist of policies and procedures.

STATEMENT OF COMPLIANCE

You may need to get this signed by Inspectional Services if you want to subordinate a loan.

AFFIRMATION OF COMPLIANCE

Some of our loans are partially forgivable. To qualify for forgiveness, you'll need to sign and notarize this form.

CASH FLOW CALCULATION FORM

Some of our loans require annual cash flow payments. This form must be filled out and returned with the borrower's annual financials.

Administration and Finance is led by Rick Wilson. Email Loans.DND@cityofboston.gov or call 617-635-5626 for more information.

Policy Development and Research (PDR) oversees the citizen participation process for the City of Boston’s annual grant allocations from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and prepares HUD required plans and reports. 

PDR also supports the word of MOH through: program and policy development, grant-writing assistance, research and policy analysis, and mapping and data services.

Environmental:

Karina Oliver-Milchman is the Deputy Director of Policy Development and Research.

Real Estate Management and Sales (REMS) is responsible for the maintenance, site assessment, and disposition of the City’s tax foreclosed and surplus property.

These properties can include vacant parcels, as well as residential, commercial, and industrial properties. REMS manages the process through which land and buildings are disposed. That often involves:

  • community meetings
  • crafting and issuing Requests for Proposals, and
  • overseeing the review selection process of bidders.

In addition, REMS is responsible for the care and custody of the Strand Theatre.

Rosemary Chung-Dell is the Interim Deputy Director of Real Estate Management and Sales. 

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