The Worcester Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) was established in 2021 by a City ordinance to help address affordable housing needs in the community. The pandemic highlighted the challenge of housing quality and instability, and community input underscored affordable housing as a critical, urgent need. As a result, $28,000,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding was dedicated to housing. Of this amount, $15,000,000 was initially allocated to the AHTF and committed to thirteen projects that are leveraging over $380M of investment into projects that are creating 512 affordable housing units.
The AHTF is governed by a nine-member AHTF Board responsible for overseeing the Trust's funds and activities. Guided by Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 44, Section 55C, the Board manages the Trust's assets with the goal of creating and preserving affordable housing opportunities in Worcester. The Board acts much like a financial steward. Their powers include accepting and receiving real property, funding, grants, gifts, etc., for the purpose of purchasing, managing, or improving real property to be used as affordable housing.
Upcoming Meetings
As of July 2025, all current/upcoming agendas and archived meeting minutes are now available through our partner OneMeeting. Archived agendas and minutes are currently available going back to 2021, with older archived files added on an ongoing basis. For meeting materials prior to this time period, please submit a Public Records Request.
Additionally, all meeting videos will be available on the OneMeeting Portal from July 2025 moving forward. Videos prior to this time will still be available in our Video On Demand, but will be migrated to the OneMeeting portal on an ongoing basis.
Mission Statement
The Worcester Affordable Housing Trust creates and preserves affordable rental and homeownership housing for low- and moderate-income residents, especially those at risk of housing instability or displacement. Through equitable investment, cross-sector partnerships, and bold initiatives, the Trust aims to reduce homelessness, increase housing access, and support long-term affordability throughout Worcester.
Funding
The Worcester Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) invites qualified housing developers to submit proposals for the development of new income-restricted affordable housing units in the city of Worcester. Funding will be made available through the Community Preservation Act (CPA) and is intended to support the creation of new homeownership and rental housing for households earning up to 80% of Area Median Income (AMI), with priority for deeper affordability (30% and 60% AMI).
Funding Overview
A total of approximately $1,250,000 in CPA funds is available through the Request for Proposal (RFP). Funding awards may not exceed:
- $150,000 per affordable unit, and
- 25% of total development cost
Projects that are shovel-ready, include deeper affordability, provide accessible housing above the minimum threshold requirement, and propose cost-effective leveraging of AHTF funds will be most competitive.
Application Tiers and Deadlines
To accommodate different levels of project readiness, this RFP includes two application tiers:
- Tier 1 – Shovel-Ready Projects:
Projects that can demonstrate site control, land use approvals, and a clear path to closing within six (6) months of AHTF Board approval of the submitted application may apply under this accelerated timeline.- Tier 1 Application Deadline: September 17, 2025
- Tier 2 – General Applications:
Projects still in predevelopment but with a feasible pathway to implementation may apply under the general application timeline.- Tier 2 Application Deadline: October 15, 2025
- Please note: Tier 2 funding is subject to availability
Access the RFP Documents Here:
- AHTF Request for Proposal for Affordable Housing Development (Fillable PDF)
- Worcester Affordable Housing Trust Fund Underwriting Application Forms (Spreadsheet – Required)
- AHTF Scoring Criteria
Application Submission Requirement:
Completed proposals MUST be submitted via the following online form:
https://forms.worcesterma.gov/ng/fa/AHTFApplication
A maximum of ten (10) PDF files and one (1) Excel document may be uploaded, and each file has a size limit of 10MB. Please use the Project Name as part of the file name for each file submitted (for example, "ProjectNameAppForm" and "ProjectNameUnderwritingForms").
Questions must be submitted via email at least three (3) business days before the application submission date to Jeanette Tozer, Affordable Housing Trust Fund Manager, at tozerj@worcesterma.gov.
Additional Applicant Resources
- AHTF September 3, 2025 Technical Assistance Workshop Presentation (PDF)
- AHTF-Funded Projects - Subsidized Housing Inventory and Affirmative Fair Housing Requirements (PDF)
- Worcester Affordable Housing Trust Fund American Rescue Plan Act Funded Projects
Public Records Requests
On June 3, 2016 Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed An Act to Improve Public Records into law. Many of the provisions in the law took effect on January 1, 2017.
Additional Resources
- FY2026-2030 Affordable Housing Trust Strategic Plan
- Income Limits and Fair Market Rents (as of April 2025)
- Final Draft Worcester Housing Production Plan
- Housing Development Grant Applicant Workshop for Small-Scale and Emerging Developers (March 23, 2023)
- Housing Development Grant Applicant Workshop Presentation
- AHTF Ordinance
Contact Information
Address
Housing and Neighborhood Development
City Hall 4th Floor
455 Main Street
Worcester, MA 01608
Contact
Phone: 508-799-1400
Fax: 508-799-1406
Email Us
Hours
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.