BOSTON – Pine Street Inn, New England’s largest homeless services organization, and The Community Builders (TCB), national developers of affordable housing, announced the grand opening of “The Lyndia,” a 202-unit building in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood, with 140 apartments for people moving out of homelessness and 62 apartments for income-eligible families.
The 140 units represent the largest development for housing with support in New England.
At a ceremony, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, leaders from Pine Street Inn and TCB, state and city officials, RODE Architects and other public and private partners celebrated the building’s opening with tenants and community members. The building, located at 3368 Washington St., is named in honor of Lyndia Downie, who has dedicated her entire 40-year career to ending homelessness, including the last 25 years as president and executive director of Pine Street.
“3368 Washington Street represents our unwavering commitment to ensuring every Bostonian has a safe, stable place to call home,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “With supportive services on-site and a strong community network, these new apartments provide a foundation for residents to rebuild their lives. I am grateful to our partners and the community for making this vision a reality.”“Everyone has a role to play in meeting our housing needs in Massachusetts and partners like Pine Street Inn and The Community Builders embody our mission of ensuring homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring. I am grateful for the new housing being created here for formerly homeless and low-income people,” said Chris Thompson, Undersecretary of Housing Stabilization, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
The Lyndia helps meet the increased need for large-scale housing with support in Boston. Architect-designed by Boston-based RODE Architects, it was uniquely built to be a welcoming, dignified, community-oriented environment for individuals moving out of homelessness, as well as income-eligible families. The innovative public-private nature of the project and the strong support of community groups in Jamaica Plain serve as a model for the development of similar housing with support residences in Boston and beyond.
“The opening of this new building marks a milestone for Pine Street Inn, bringing our total to more than 1,000 units of housing – 1,100 to be exact – for people moving out of homelessness,” said Downie. “The building offers 140 units of housing with support, the largest development of its kind in New England. Together with The Community Builders, our development partners, we are creating a community where people can rebuild their lives, along with staff who support tenants in remaining stable and housed.”
“This grand opening is personal to me,” said Andy Waxman, senior vice president of real estate development for The Community Builders. “For many years I’ve lived with my family in Jamaica Plain, blocks from 3368 Washington St, and even closer to another long-standing building for housing with support. I know it works, for residents and for a neighborhood. The partnership that brought this project to reality is a powerful combination – a permanent home, when paired with strong support services, provides a critical platform for personal growth, stability, and increased independence. Today’s ribbon-cutting celebrates the collaboration that made it possible.”
The 165,501-square foot building includes more than 13,000 square feet of community space and an additional 13,400 square feet of outdoor space for residents. Amenities include laundry facilities on each floor, social gathering spaces, a library and high-speed internet. Pine Street will provide wrap-around and supportive services to residents as they transition to permanent housing, including making connections to community resources like medical and mental health care, life skills, job training and jobs, or volunteer opportunities. TCB connects residents in the 62 family units to opportunity and economic mobility with TCB Community Life coaching. The building also features 26 pieces of original artwork throughout the building, all produced by artists with a connection to Jamaica Plain or other Boston neighborhoods and curated by Ivey Bueno, who specializes in community-focused art.
“We believe strongly that good design is for all, so we’re honored to collaborate with Pine Street Inn and The Community Builders in delivering The Lyndia, a model for thoughtful, accessible, and equitable design,” said Eric Robinson, principal and co-founder of RODE Architects. “We leaned on our commitment to creating a sense of home and place, with hospitality-driven amenities that will transform the lives of community members who need them the most.”
Sources of funding included public and private lenders and investors: City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Housing; Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities; MassDevelopment; Bank of America; Barings, Inc.; The HYM Investment Group, LLC; Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation; Boston Medical Center; Corporation for Supportive Housing; M&T Bank; and The Life Initiative. A robust group of philanthropic partners contributed to the project. Major philanthropic funding came from Bank of America; Liberty Mutual Insurance; MassGeneral Brigham; MassMutual; and Suffolk Cares.
