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Massachusetts HUD Approved Housing Counseling Agencies & Programs Offered
Massachusetts homeowners and renters face some of the highest housing costs in the nation, driven by a chronic lack of inventory and high demand in the Greater Boston area. For those struggling with mortgage payments or facing eviction, HUD-approved housing counseling agencies (which are listed below) May provide help. Massachusetts is a judicial foreclosure state, meaning the process moves through the court system, giving homeowners more opportunities to seek mediation and legal defense through these HUD non-profit agencies.
Counseling services in the Commonwealth are integrated with state-specific programs like RAFT (Residential Assistance for Families in Transition), which provides emergency financial aid to preserve housing. These agencies guidance on loan modifications, "Right to Cure" notices, and first-time homebuyer programs tailored to the state’s complex real estate market. Whether you are in the Berkshires or on Cape Cod, the following agencies, or using the main HUD website for MA at https://www.hud.gov/states/massachusetts, may help provide professional, third-party advice to help stabilize your housing situation.
Greater Boston HUD Counseling Agencies
- Action for Boston Community Development, Inc.
105 Chauncy Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02111-1726. Phone: 617-348-6449.
Unique Feature: The largest community action agency in New England, offering a massive network of neighborhood centers for face-to-face support.
- Allston Brighton Community Development Corp.
18R Shepard Street, Suite 100, Brighton, Massachusetts 02135. Phone: 617-787-3874. https://allstonbrightoncdc.org/.
Unique Feature: Specializes in high-density urban housing challenges and provides specific "Allston-Brighton" localized homebuyer education.
- Asian Community Development Corporation
38 Oak Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111-1408. Phone: 617-482-2380.
Unique Feature: Offers specialized multilingual counseling in Cantonese and Mandarin to serve the Asian-American community in Chinatown and beyond.
- Chelsea Restoration Corporation
154 Pearl Street, Office #2, Chelsea, Massachusetts 02150-2868. Phone: 617-889-2277. View https://www.chelsearestoration.org/.
Unique Feature: Strong focus on the specific needs of Chelsea residents, including bilingual Spanish/English foreclosure prevention and home repair programs.
- Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corp.
587 Washington Street, Dorchester, Massachusetts 02124. Phone: 617-825-4224.
Unique Feature: Deeply rooted in the Dorchester community with a focus on sustainable homeownership and financial empowerment workshops.
- Dorchester Bay Economic Development
594 Columbia Road, Dorchester, Massachusetts 02125. Phone: 617-825-4200. Website: https://www.dbedc.org/.
Unique Feature: Combines housing counseling with small business development and community organizing in the Dorchester Bay area.
- Ecumenical Social Action Committee, Inc. (ESAC)
434 Jamaicaway, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts 02130. Phone: 617-524-2555.
Unique Feature: Known for their "Senior Home Repair" program which works in tandem with housing counseling to help elderly residents age in place.
- Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance (MAHA)
1803 Dorchester Avenue, Floor 3, Dorchester, Massachusetts 02124-2530. Phone: 617-822-9100. Website: https://mahahome.org/.
Unique Feature: They are the primary advocates for the "Soft Second" and "ONE Mortgage" programs, helping thousands of low-to-moderate-income families buy homes.
- Metro Housing Boston
1411 Tremont Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02120-3401. Phone: 617-859-0400.
Unique Feature: As the region's largest administrator of rental vouchers, they provide unique insight into the transition from renting to homeownership.
- Money Management International Boston
225 Franklin Street, Suite 2672, Boston, Massachusetts 02110. Phone: 866-232-9080.
Unique Feature: A national non-profit that provides high-volume, 24/7 phone-based counseling for debt and mortgage issues.
- NACA (Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America)
225 Centre Street, Suite 100, Roxbury, Massachusetts 02119. Phone: 617-250-6244.
Unique Feature: Famous for their "Best in America" mortgage program which requires no down payment and no closing costs.
- Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, Inc. (NOAH)
143 Border Street, East Boston, Massachusetts 02128-1903. Phone: 617-567-5882. Website: https://noahcdc.org/.
Unique Feature: A leader in environmental justice and waterfront climate resiliency as it relates to urban housing stability.
- NID Housing Counseling Agency (Phipps)
1539 Blue Hill Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02126-2124. Phone: 617-296-3693.
Unique Feature: Focuses on underserved urban markets and provides culturally competent outreach to minority homeowners.
- Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation
56 Warren Street, Suite 200, Roxbury, Massachusetts 02119. Phone: 617-427-3599.
Unique Feature: Primarily focused on the Roxbury community, preserving historic properties while providing modern foreclosure intervention.
- Urban Edge Housing Corporation
1542 Columbus Avenue, Roxbury, Massachusetts 02119. Phone: 617-989-9300.
Unique Feature: Manages a large portfolio of affordable rental units while providing robust first-time homebuyer education on the Roxbury/Jamaica Plain border.
- Vietnamese American Initiative for Development, Inc. (VietAID)
42 Charles Street, Suite E, Dorchester, Massachusetts 02122. Phone: 617-822-3717. Website: https://vietaid.org/.
Unique Feature: The first Vietnamese community development corporation in the U.S., providing linguistic and cultural expertise for the Vietnamese community.
- WATCH CDC
24 Crescent Street, Suite 201, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453. Phone: 781-891-6689.
Unique Feature: Offers specialized tenant clinics and landlord-tenant mediation specifically for the Waltham and MetroWest area.
North Shore and Merrimack Valley
- ACT Lawrence (formerly Arlington Community Trabajando)
15 Union Street, Suite 417, Lawrence, Massachusetts 01840-1924. Phone: 978-685-6274.
Unique Feature: Provides comprehensive bilingual financial literacy and housing training focused on the Merrimack Valley.
- Coalition for a Better Acre
517 Moody Street, 3rd Floor, Lowell, Massachusetts 01854. Phone: 978-452-7523. View https://www.coalitionforabetteracre.org/.
Unique Feature: Rooted in the historic "Acre" neighborhood of Lowell, they focus on urban renewal and neighborhood stabilization.
- Harborlight Homes
283 Elliott Street, Beverly, Massachusetts 01915. Phone: 978-922-1305.
Unique Feature: A leading North Shore non-profit that focuses on creating affordable housing for seniors and families in high-cost coastal towns.
- Lawrence CommunityWorks, Inc.
168 Newbury Street, Lawrence, Massachusetts 01841. Phone: 978-685-3115. Website: https://www.lawrencecommunityworks.org/.
Unique Feature: Uses a "Network Weaving" approach to engage residents in collective community improvement alongside housing counseling.
- Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership
10 Kirk Street, Lowell, Massachusetts 01852. Phone: 978-459-8490.
Unique Feature: Known for their "Project Home" program, which has educated over 20,000 first-time homebuyers in the region.
South Shore, Cape Cod and Islands
- Housing Assistance Corporation (HAC)
460 West Main Street, Hyannis, Massachusetts 02601. Phone: 508-771-5400.
Unique Feature: The only HUD-approved housing counseling agency serving the entirety of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket.
- NeighborWorks Housing Solutions
169 Summer Street, Kingston, Massachusetts 02364. Phone: 781-422-4200. Website: https://nhsmass.org/.
Unique Feature: A massive regional powerhouse created by the merger of several South Shore agencies to provide a "one-stop shop" for housing needs.
- Plymouth Redevelopment Authority
11 Lincoln Street, Plymouth, Massachusetts 02360. Phone: 508-747-1620.
Unique Feature: Directly affiliated with the municipal government to provide specialized local housing rehabilitation and mortgage assistance.
- Quincy Community Action Programs, Inc. (QCAP)
1509 Hancock Street, Quincy, Massachusetts 02169-5200. Phone: 617-479-8181.
Unique Feature: Integrates housing counseling with early childhood education and energy assistance for a holistic family approach.
Central Massachusetts
- Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance
6 Institute Road, Worcester, Massachusetts 01609. Phone: 508-752-5519. Website: https://www.cmhaonline.org/.
Unique Feature: Serves as the primary coordinator for homelessness prevention services in the City of Worcester.
- NewVue Communities
470 Main Street, Fitchburg, Massachusetts 01420-8173. Phone: 978-342-9561.
Unique Feature: Covers the "Twin Cities" area (Fitchburg/Leominster) with a heavy emphasis on small business support for homeowners.
- RCAP Solutions, Inc.
205 School Street, Gardner, Massachusetts 01440. Phone: 978-630-6692.
Unique Feature: Provides unique housing services for rural communities, including specialized programs for water and waste management in rural properties.
Western Massachusetts
- UpSide413 - Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority
1 Fenn Street, Suite 4, Pittsfield, Massachusetts 01201-6279. Phone: 413-443-7138. View https://upside413.org/.
Unique Feature: Offers extensive landlord-tenant mediation and "dispute resolution" services to prevent court-based evictions.
- Cambridge Credit Counseling Corporation
67 Hunt Street, Agawam, Massachusetts 01001-1920. Phone: 800-757-1788.
Unique Feature: While national in scope, their primary physical counseling hub is in Western MA, offering high-tech virtual counseling modules.
- Springfield Partners for Community Action
721 State Street, Springfield, Massachusetts 01109. Phone: 413-263-6500.
Unique Feature: Offers a unique "Individual Development Account" (IDA) program that provides matching funds for first-time homebuyer savings.
- Way Finders
1780 Main Street, Springfield, Massachusetts 01103. Phone: 413-233-1500. Website: https://www.wayfinders.org/.
Unique Feature: The largest non-profit housing provider in Western MA, serving as the Regional Housing Consumer Education Center for multiple counties.
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