“Teamwork makes the dream work.” Mel King, legendary community activist and former state representative, invoked this phrase as he concluded his remarks at our 40th anniversary celebration on March 14th.  And Mel did not just speak these words, but rather inspired the audience to chant them together with him.  This phrase sums up his philosophy on community develo...

CEDAC is proud to celebrate 40 years of strengthening communities across the Commonwealth. We are thrilled to announce that we will honor former State Representative Mel King as we commemorate this anniversary this month. As a Massachusetts State Representative, Mel King sponsored legislation in 1978 which created CEDAC with a mission to support community-based developme...

We are proud to present the final report from our first-ever project survey using the CEDAC Supportive Housing Data Collection (SHDC) Survey Tool. Last year, CEDAC designed and administered this survey in order to understand tenant outcomes in permanent supportive housing (PSH) projects, specifically projects funded through the Department of Housing and Community Develop...

The Facilities Consolidation Fund (FCF) is an important capital program that provides funding to build supportive housing for persons with chronic mental illness or developmental disabilities.   This program is managed through interagency collaboration among the Departments of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), Mental Health (DMH), Developmental Services (DDS), an...

On Veteran’s Day in 2013 and throughout that year, CEDAC highlighted the funding commitments we had recently made to a number of organizations helping homeless veterans, including the support we gave to Father Bill’s & MainSpring to develop the Montello Welcome Home project. The Brockton-based organization has worked hard to help end homelessness among veterans in ...

The Department of Mental Health (DMH) embraces a community-based approach to treatment and recovery from mental illness, which focuses on the question of how individuals can have more active control over their lives and thrive in their respective communities. DMH’s mission “assures and provides access to services and supports to meet the mental health needs of individu...

It’s hard to believe but CEDAC’s blog, INSITES, turns one year old this week.  We’ve been astounded by the positive response we’ve received from so many who are regular readers of the blog.  So thank you all for supporting us! First, we wanted to share where the name INSITES came from.  More than a year ago, when we were in the process of developing the blog,...

On July 25th, Governor Charlie Baker, joined by Housing and Community Development Undersecretary - and CEDAC board chair - Janelle Chan, announced state funding awards in the 2018 Rental Housing funding competition.  The Governor awarded a total of $33.5 million in state and federal tax credits and $57 million in federal HOME and state bond resources to 19 affordable hous...

In 2016, CEDAC was awarded $180,000 of funding by the Kuehn Charitable Foundation (KCF) to establish a new planning grant program to help the non-profit community development sector across Massachusetts. Last year, KCF committed a second grant to CEDAC in the same amount. Named for the foundation’s creator Robert H. Kuehn, Jr., the Kuehn Planning Grants help non-profit o...

While it is largely recognized that there is a strong demand for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) housing in Boston, there is also growing demand in outlying communities that offer commuter rail and active bus systems. The high cost of housing in Boston is pushing households to seek less expensive locations, but many still want the benefits of living in an urban area, in...