COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
MASSACHUSETTS SENATE
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON 02133
Senator Joan B. Lovely
State Senator
2nd Essex District
December 4, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Healey-Driscoll Administration awards $2.7 million to modernize public housing in Salem
Comprehensive Modification grant will be used to rehabilitate Charter Street Elderly Housing
(BOSTON—12/4/2025) Senate Assistant Majority Leader Joan B. Lovely (D-Salem) announces that the Healey-Driscoll Administration has awarded $2.7 million in grant funding for the Salem Housing Authority to substantially rehabilitate 110 units at Charter Street Elderly Housing through the Comprehensive Modification grant program.
Salem’s Charter Street older adult housing development, a 12-story masonry building constructed in 1974, has battled chronic water infiltration for decades, resulting in interior water damage, mold and repeated repairs to the building envelope, windows and roofs. The Comprehensive Modification funding will be used for flood mitigation and building envelope improvements recommended by engineering studies, including repairs to masonry, flashing, roofing and windows, as well as significant mold remediation to protect residents’ health and safety.
“I am pleased that the Salem Housing Authority has been awarded this transformative grant funding for Charter Street Elderly Housing, allowing for substantial upgrades to an aging building so our seniors can live comfortably for years to come,” said Senator Joan Lovely. “Thank you to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for making these critical funds available to our local housing authorities to improve the health and safety of residents.”
“This is the Affordable Homes Act at work,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We are proud to deliver this funding for badly needed repairs to public housing so that seniors and people with disabilities in Andover, Braintree and Salem can live in safe, modernized and affordable homes for decades to come.”
“Our local housing authorities are on the front lines of keeping older residents safely housed in the communities they love,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “These grants will help fix chronic water damage in Salem, overhaul aging systems and infrastructure in Andover, and make senior housing in Braintree more accessible and energy efficient. We’re proud to partner with local leaders to deliver the improvements residents need and deserve.”
“The Comprehensive Modification grants are powerful tools to tackle big capital needs in our oldest public housing developments,” said Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities Ed Augustus. “Instead of piecemeal fixes, we’re funding transformative projects that replace failing systems, address water damage and mold, and enhance accessibility and energy efficiency. That means safer, healthier homes for more than 300 older residents and less strain on local housing authorities’ budgets going forward.”
The investment is funded through the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities’ Comprehensive Modernization program, which supports significant renovation projects that extend the useful life of public housing properties by at least 20 years. The program is capitalized through the Affordable Homes Act, which authorized $2 billion in new funding to modernize and improve public housing across Massachusetts.
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