MassHousing has awarded $150,000 to support community gardens, farmer’s markets, and other initiatives to provide healthy food access to residents of 16 agency-financed rental housing communities across Massachusetts.
The Food and Nutrition Grant Program benefits more than 4,000 residents through community gardens on their property, mobile farmers markets that visit their property, or food vouchers or meal delivery.
The program has more than 40 partnerships, including farms, agriculture groups, and meal programs. It provides garden access to more than 600 residents — including raised beds for older residents and residents with disabilities — cooking classes, nutrition workshops, youth programming, and harvest events.
According to the Greater Boston Food Bank’s Fourth Annual Statewide Report approximately 34% of the state’s households report food insecurity.
“There is a clear and growing need to address food insecurity in the Commonwealth,” said MassHousing CEO Chrystal Kornegay. “The financial and health impacts of food insecurity affects the housing stability of residents of multi-family communities. This program focuses on the intersection between housing stability and food security.”
Grant applications were made available in 2024 and 2025 to MassHousing-financed properties across the Commonwealth for up to $10,000 per site to create, expand, or improve community gardens, farmers markets, and other initiatives to provide healthy food options to residents.
The property management companies participating in the program are WinnCompanies, Schochet Companies, Peabody Properties, The Community Builders, Kent Street Elderly LP, Madison Park Development Corporation, Related Management, Beacon Communities, and Housing Management Resources.
MassHousing hosted a symposium in July for leaders and key stakeholders in the housing and food systems field that included the Commissioner and staff from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, health care and public health representatives, housing finance agencies, food system representatives, property management companies and developers of multifamily housing.
About MassHousing Housing Stability Department
The Housing Stability Department provides training, programming, and investments to reduce evictions and advance opportunities in multifamily communities across Massachusetts.
About MassHousing
MassHousing (The Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency) is an independent, quasi-public agency created in 1966 to confront the Commonwealth’s housing challenges. The Agency raises capital by selling bonds and lends the proceeds to low- and moderate-income homebuyers and homeowners, and to developers who build or preserve mixed-income rental housing. MassHousing does not use taxpayer dollars to sustain its operations. As a mission-driven agency, MassHousing uses housing finance to strengthen communities and lay the foundation for economic prosperity. Since its inception, MassHousing has provided more than $29 billion in housing finance. For more information, visit the MassHousing website at www.masshousing.com.
