Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston has been awarded an $888,000 state grant to transform a long-vacant and blighted property in Roslindale into four highly energy-efficient affordable homes.

Gov. Maura Healey’s administration and MassHousing announced the award June 29 as part of $8.1 million in Neighborhood Stabilization Program grants that will fund affordable housing projects throughout Massachusetts.

The grant will cover a significant portion of the cost to renovate a single-family home near Roslindale Square into two condos and to construct two additional condos in a second building on the site of a collapsed barn behind the home. The project recently won Habitat for Humanity International’s annual Best in Sustainability award for its use of cutting-edge design elements that will significantly decrease the homes’ energy use, reduce the future homeowners’ utility costs, and support the city’s climate resiliency goals.

“We’re grateful to MassHousing and the Healey administration for their continued commitment to providing relief for families impacted by the housing crisis in Greater Boston and across the Commonwealth,” Habitat Greater Boston President and CEO Jim Kostaras said. “This grant funding will allow Habitat Greater Boston to build on the financial support we receive from our network of generous donors and continue producing critically needed affordable homes for hardworking families who need them.”

The project is in the final permitting stages. Habitat Greater Boston plans to break ground on the site before the end of this year, pending approval from the city.

The Boston Planning and Development Agency acquired the Walter Street property in 2020 as part of a broader anti-blight and wetlands dumping cleanup effort in the neighborhood; the BPDA designated Habitat for Humanity of Greater Boston to redevelop the property for affordable housing. 

“The Neighborhood Stabilization Program helps revitalize neighborhoods and expand homeownership opportunities by transforming underutilized properties into affordable housing,” Gov. Healey said in an announcement of the grant awards. “We have to use every tool in our toolkit to address our housing crisis, and rehabilitating blighted properties is key to increasing our housing supply and strengthening our neighborhoods.”

The Neighborhood Stabilization Program provides deeper levels of construction subsidy than were previously available through state sources, allowing municipalities and their development partners to address the impacts of longstanding neglect. MassHousing administers the Neighborhood Stabilization Program on behalf of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.

Four additional Habitat for Humanity affiliates in Massachusetts received grants in this round of funding: South Shore Habitat for Humanity, Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts, Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity, and Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity.

MassHousing launched the Neighborhood Stabilization Program in 2022. To date, the program has awarded $12.7 million in funding, resulting in the construction or substantial rehabilitation of 87 homes, including 46 new homeownership opportunities for lower-income first-time homebuyers.

“Neighborhood stabilization efforts build on MassHousing’s mission-driven work to strengthen households through homeownership,” said MassHousing Executive Director Chrystal Kornegay. “Working collaboratively with mission-oriented developers, Neighborhood Stabilization Program grants will help rehabilitate substandard homes, transform vacant lots into new homeownership opportunities, and uplift neighborhoods across the Commonwealth.”