6.9 Public Funding for Housing

The scale of the housing needs for Boston and the Metro area far exceed the resources available to meet those needs.   Federal and state governments have played the role of providing financial resources for both the production and rehabilitation of housing, as well as financial subsidies to owners and renters. 

Following a gradual but evident reduction of federal and state support for local affordable housing—about 68% throughout the 1990’s—new partnerships between private institutions and nonprofit organizations have been necessary to provide alternative and creative ways to build new housing and renovate older housing stock. Today, financing for new housing usually requires a complex mix of financing mechanisms that include multiple sources of public funds, as well as tax credits.