Fulfilling a campaign promise she made last year, Governor Maura Healey filed legislation to split the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development into two separate cabinet offices: the Executive Office of Economic Development and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. In doing so, it is her intention to have a cabinet-level office dedicated entirely to increasing the supply of accessible and affordable housing in Massachusetts.
The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities will be the principal office within the executive branch responsible for creating and carrying out housing policy for the Healey-Driscoll Administration. It will assume all of the powers and responsibilities of the existing Department of Housing and Community Development. The new executive office will be responsible for expending funds, marshalling resources, and advancing innovative solutions to provide safe, accessible, affordable, and environmentally sustainable housing for all residents and for supporting the growth of vibrant, livable communities throughout the Commonwealth.
The mission of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities will include administering programs focused on housing production, housing rehabilitation, housing preservation, housing affordability, fairness and equity in housing opportunity, emergency and transition a housing and housing stability and security.
The governor’s bill, H. 43, has been referred to the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight which is chaired by Senator Nick Collins (D-Boston) and Rep. Antonio Cabral (D-New Bedford). That committee must hold a public hearing on the bill within 30 days of filing. The HBRAMA strongly support’s Governor Healey’s proposal and looks forward to testifying on behalf of its prompt passage by the Legislature.
