October 19, 2011 - Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, Mayor Thomas M. Menino Celebrate Opening of Affordable

Upton Street development will provide 18 new affordable housing units

For Immediate Release        
Contact:  Kyle Reilly
October 19, 2011          
(617) 443-9933 

BOSTON, MA – Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston joined Mayor Thomas M. Menino, the Planning Office for Urban Affairs (POUA), Pine Street Inn, and a number of state and local officials to celebrate the grand opening of 18 apartments for formerly homeless individuals in Boston’s South End. 

“I am grateful to all those who have joined with us to ensure that decent and affordable housing is available to our neighbors most in need,” said Cardinal O’Malley.  “The Planning Office, Pine Street Inn, Mayor Menino and the City, and the state should be commended for their tireless dedication and their commitment to the men and women who will now have the opportunity to call these apartments home.”  

The development, which was strongly supported by the City of Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Bank of America, John Hancock Financial Services, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, and the Massachusetts Life Insurance Company Investment Initiative, represents a key resource in the City of Boston for housing formerly homeless residents.

“I am so happy to see the completion of this important housing that has already had a positive impact on our community,” Mayor Thomas M. Menino said.  “Our housing agenda must be more than robust – it has to be inclusive.  During these difficult economic times it is crucial that we provide all of Boston’s residents with the resources they need, and I am grateful to both the Planning Office and Pine Street Inn for their commitment to this project and the City of Boston.”

The development will reduce the density of the existing housing at the site and ensure that the properties are preserved over the long-term as affordable housing for individuals who are able to live independently. Pine Street Inn will provide management and supportive services to the 18 residents including a live-in manager and on-site case managers.

“We are proud to have worked alongside Mayor Menino, the Commonwealth, and Pine Street Inn in this unique collaborative approach to affordable housing,” said Lisa Alberghini, President of POUA. “As a social justice ministry, we recognize the continued need for housing opportunities for people of all economic means and are committed to working with other nonprofit organizations and our financing partners to meet this pressing need.”

“All involved in this project recognized the need to provide permanent housing as well as supportive services for homeless men and women as they rebuild their lives after living on the street or in a shelter,” said Lyndia Downie, President and Executive Director of Pine Street Inn.

About the Planning Office for Urban Affairs, Inc.: The Planning Office for Urban Affairs, Inc. is a social justice ministry affiliated with the Archdiocese of Boston. Established in 1969, the Planning Office strives to create vibrant communities through the development of high quality affordable and mixed income housing, where people of modest means can live with dignity and respect in homes they can afford. As a foremost non-profit developer in the Northeast and a leading diocesan housing development ministry for the Catholic Church in America, POUA has developed more than 2,500 units of affordable and mixed- income housing, providing homes for more than 10,000 people in Massachusetts. 

About Pine Street Inn: Dedicated to ending homelessness in Boston, Pine Street Inn began creating permanent housing with on- on-site support staff for homeless individuals in 1984. Today, Pine Street has 34 locations with close to 650 tenants throughout Boston and in Brookline. Serving more than 1,300 homeless individuals daily, the Inn provides permanent housing, job training, emergency shelter and street outreach. Pine Street’s goal is to help men and women reach their highest level of independence and get back to a place they can call home. For more information, go to www.pinestreetinn.org.