Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) toured The Avenue at Greenmont, a new housing development in Dracut featuring 56 newly built apartment homes designed for adults aged 62 and older and non-elderly individuals with disabilities. All units are fully affordable to households earning at or below 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI). The project was made possible in part through nearly $7 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, awarded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) through its Community-Based Housing program. 

“These 56 homes show what's possible when private partners and every level of government row in the same direction,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “Federal resources like ARPA dollars and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits helped make The Avenue at Greenmont a reality, but we can't stop here. We must continue advancing commonsense legislation like the recently passed 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act so more families can afford a home of their own.”

The project also received $3 million from the Town of Dracut's Community Preservation Act, $1.4 million from EOHLC's Housing Stabilization Fund, $825,000 in federal HOME funds, $630,000 through the state's MassWorks program, more than $5.5 million in Massachusetts Housing Tax Credits, and nearly $11.4 million in federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.

The United States continues to face a severe affordable housing and homelessness crisis. According to experts, the U.S. has an estimated shortage of 3.7 million to 5.5 million homes for rent and purchase. The lack of housing, along with other factors, is driving up costs and making housing the single largest expense for Americans across the country. According to a recent poll, half of Massachusetts residents say housing is unaffordable for their household, making it the single biggest financial pressure point.

In 2021, Trahan supported passage of the American Rescue Plan Act to respond directly to the challenges created and worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The law invested billions of dollars to expand affordable housing and support Americans experiencing or at risk of homelessness. In Massachusetts, EOHLC put those federal dollars to work through programs like Community-Based Housing, which helped make The Avenue at Greenmont possible.

Earlier this year, Trahan supported passage of the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. The new law, which took effect despite President Donald Trump’s refusal to sign it, makes it easier to build new homes, expand financing opportunities for housing, and provide new protections for renters. The bipartisan legislation also reduces unnecessary regulatory barriers to new home construction, authorizes the use of federal funds to support the development of affordable housing, and establishes a maximum limit for affordable rents.

###