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WBUR and ProPublica investigation of public housing vacancies in Mass.
Mass. has a huge waitlist for state-funded housing. So why are 2,300 units vacant?
As Massachusetts grapples with a housing crisis, 184,000 people have applied for a home in the state's public housing system. Yet, units sit vacant for years because of the state's inefficient central waitlist and a lack of funding to repair aging properties. — Sept. 19, 2023
Map: Where state-funded public housing units are vacant in Mass.
See the vacancy rate and size of the waitlist in your community. — Sept. 19, 2023
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7 takeaways from WBUR and ProPublica’s investigation of vacancies in state public housing
Key findings from our investigation. — Sept. 21, 2023
Mass. launches '90-day push' to fill vacancies in state public housing
Massachusetts housing officials launched a new initiative to fill empty units in state public housing. The move follows a report by WBUR and ProPublica that uncovered nearly 2,300 vacancies statewide. — Sept. 22, 2023
Gov. Healey pitches $4.1 billion plan to deal with affordable housing crisis
Healey’s bond bill, which still needs approval from the Legislature, includes $1.6 billion to repair and modernize state-run public housing units. — Oct. 18, 2023
Without a home, cancer patient on the waitlist for public housing puts off surgery
Deb Libby applied for a place to live in the state's public housing system, which has hundreds of empty apartments, according to a WBUR and ProPublica investigation. The state has since pledged to fill the vacancies, but Libby is still waiting for a permanent home. — Nov. 21, 2023
Mass. fined local housing authorities $4 million for leaving units empty. But most are forgiven or forgotten
The fines are one of the state's main tools to push local housing agencies to fill empty units, but they were largely meaningless for years because the state failed to enforce them. — Dec. 28, 2023