MassDevelopment Funds 28 New Units of Supportive Housing

August 18, 2021 : State House News Service, by Colin A. Young

With the backing of a $34 million tax-exempt bond from MassDevelopment, CIL Realty of Massachusetts plans to buy, build or renovate nearly 30 houses to provide housing for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities or acquired brain injury. The 28 residences will be located in Agawam, Amesbury, Dracut, Grafton, Haverhill, Longmeadow, Lynn, Salisbury, Sandwich, Saugus, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Springfield, Sudbury, Templeton, Tyngsborough, Wakefield, West Springfield, Wilbraham, and Uxbridge. They will be leased to service providers to house a total of about 140 people who cannot live entirely independently. "Through its work building and renovating community residences, CIL Realty of Massachusetts sets the stage for the Commonwealth and human-service providers to administer community-centered housing and support for individuals with developmental disabilities," MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera said. "We're proud to be a longstanding partner to this organization and provide low-cost financing for its latest project that will deliver quality housing and care for up to 140 people across Massachusetts." CIL Realty has already developed 230 such residences in Massachusetts, the majority of which were financed with tax-exempt bonds issued by MassDevelopment. It has also developed more than 500 community-based residences in Connecticut. The developer said that the latest MassDevelopment bond and the 28 community residence projects it will fund are expected to create 315 new jobs and support 84 construction jobs over the next three years.