March 11, 2017 — The Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership, a Boston nonprofit that is state’s largest regional provider of rental housing voucher assistance, recently announced it has launched its first capital campaign, which will help fund a new headquarters building.
The $2 million campaign, launched last October, has raised 60% toward its goal to date and aims to generate the rest of the funds by November.
Christopher Norris, executive director of Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership (MBHP) said, “MBHP’s capital campaign will pave the way for a permanent, more efficient, and accessible home for our staff to better serve our clients. We are thrilled to be working closely with Mission Hill Neighborhood Housing Services, and we are honored to contribute to the revitalization of this important Boston neighborhood.”
MBHP will develop a vacant two-acre parcel formerly owned by the MBTA and located across from the Roxbury Crossing MBTA Station that will accommodate its 140 staffers in a modern facility. Its current Lincoln Street office, near the South Station and Chinatown neighborhoods, can accommodate only 90 staffers.
Mission Hill Neighborhood Housing Services, a nonprofit housing and economic development organization committed to the revitalization and stabilization of Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood, will construct a five-story, mixed-use building that will create 40 units of affordable housing along with community-focused commercial space and a 27,000-square-foot new home for MBHP.
MBHP, which has worked with Mission Hill NHS for more than 30 years, said the project will enable MBHP to be more accessible to at least 65% of its clients, tailor programs for neighborhood property owners and tenants) expand other partnerships such as with Roxbury Community College, and develop new relationships with institutions that will allow it to more clearly make the connection between housing, good health, employment, and education.
Helping to drive the move is large-scale development that is driving up local rents. MBHP said its rent nearly doubled in the last 10 years. Also, MBHP’s fifth floor location is not easily accessible for people with disabilities.
Major donors to the capital campaign to date include Robert Beal, Joseph E. Corcoran, William & Lois Edgerly, Lowell’s Family, NEI General Contracting, and Steven Rioff.
MBHP, founded 34 years ago, serves more than 20,000 households annually, and is recognized as an industry-leading expert on navigating the affordable housing field. Services it provides include rental assistance voucher programs for individuals and families in transition, workshops and training programs, case management, family self-sufficiency programs, inspectional services, and resources for property owners.
For the year ending June 30, 2016, MBHP reported $136.9 million in revenue, of which $1.6 million came from contributions and grants, and $135.4 million in expenses, according to its most recently available federal tax filing.