Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) opened applications for its new Massachusetts Housing Leadership Academy, a six-month fellowship designed to empower local officials with the knowledge, skills, and network to create more homes for people of all ages, incomes, and abilities in their communities. With a housing shortage of 222,000 new homes needed by 2035 and local decision-making determining much of the Commonwealth’s development, strengthening the voices of pro-housing municipal leaders will benefit Massachusetts’ communities, people, and economy.
“When we work towards creating more housing in every city and town, teachers, nurses, and firefighters can afford to live near their workplace. People can downsize in the communities they love. College graduates can come home,” said Rachel Heller, CHAPA’s chief executive officer. “The Massachusetts Housing Leadership Academy will prepare local leaders to meet the housing needs of all members of their communities so everyone can thrive.”
CHAPA’s Academy is free and open to: Mayors, City and Town Councilors, Planning and Select Board Members, Finance Committee members, and any members of boards and commissions who can impact housing. The Academy’s curriculum will cover the history and causes of the Commonwealth’s housing shortage, municipal solutions, and strategies for taking those solutions from idea to implementation. Fellows will benefit from monthly virtual workshops with housing experts, monthly cohort meetings, and more.
The Massachusetts Housing Leadership Academy builds upon CHAPA’s proven community engagement model. CHAPA’s Municipal Engagement Initiative, a program supporting local pro-housing coalition-building, has worked in 45 communities since 2018 with groups like Engine 6 in Newton and the Greater Newburyport Housing Choice Coalition. In 2023, CHAPA expanded its reach to offer free technical assistance and community engagement to planners seeking compliance with the MBTA Communities Act. 97% of the 85 communities CHAPA supported have now achieved compliance.
“Proactive, inclusive, and informed community engagement can move the needle on creating more housing opportunities,” said Lily Linke, CHAPA’s director of municipal engagement. “From the Cape to the Berkshires, there are countless elected and appointed local officials who are dedicated to solving their communities’ housing challenges, and the Massachusetts Housing Leadership Academy can provide them with the tools they need to succeed.”
The first fellowship of the Massachusetts Housing Leadership Academy will run from January to June 2026. Those interested in the Academy can apply or nominate an official in their community at bit.ly/MAHousingLeadershipAcademy until December 15, 2025.