2019 MassHousing Annual Report - Flipbook - Page 13
“
Besides the aesthetics, I love that The
Watson provides modern apartments
and - with the secured access system the safety that I need as a single mother.
Paying below market rent has allowed me
to maintain the lifestyle my daughter and
I are accustomed to. The cost of living in
Massachusetts is significantly higher than
Florida, but I am able to afford my rent
without struggling financially, and I love
my home.”
— Chazzie Henderson, resident of
The Watson, Quincy
The Watson, Quincy
MassHousing provided $37.2 million to WinnCompanies
Boston teacher helped by new
workforce housing
and NeighborWorks of Southern Massachusetts to build
Chazzie Henderson was excited to move from Florida to
The Watson, a new 140-unit mixed income rental property
start a new job as a 5th grade teacher in Boston, until
built near the old Fore River shipyard in Quincy on the
she saw the rents: around $2,000 for an apartment
South Shore. The Watson has 86 workforce units (the
in fair condition at best. She did not earn enough to
most of any MassHousing-financed property to date),
afford a market-rate apartment in Boston but earned
for moderate income residents who earn up to 110%
too much to qualify for a traditional subsidized unit.
of the area median income. Twenty- eight units are for
residents with incomes below 50% of AMI and 26 units
are rented at market rates. The Watson received The
Urban Land Institute’s Jack Kemp Excellence in
Affordable and Workforce Housing Award which recognizes
exemplary developments that demonstrate creativity
in expanding housing opportunities for America’s
working families.
Fortunately, Chazzie discovered The Watson, a new
apartment complex in Quincy, just south of Boston.
She qualified for one of the workforce units for moderate-income residents like herself. At The Watson,
Chazzie pays a rent she can afford and lives in an
economically diverse community with market-rate,
lower-income and middle-income residents.
Rental Lending
FY2015-FY2019
800
700
FY2016 FY2017
in millions
600
$688.7
FY2018
FY2019
500
400
300
0
FY2015
11