Funding will support construction of the Brooke House Village Center, a community space serving older adults and residents of the Olmsted Village neighborhood.
MATTAPAN, Mass. — U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley joined local officials, community leaders and residents last week to celebrate $500,000 in federal funding for the construction of the Brooke House Village Center, a multi-generational community space that will serve residents of the future Brooke House senior housing development and the broader Mattapan community.
The funding, secured by Pressley through the Fiscal Year 2024 federal spending package signed into law by President Joe Biden, will support the village center on the ground floor of the Brooke House senior living community. The space will host resident services, fitness classes, lifelong learning opportunities, arts and cultural programming, and front desk services for residents and members of the surrounding Olmsted Village community.
During the visit, Pressley led a roundtable discussion with leaders from 2Life Communities, elected officials, community organizations and residents.
“Families in the Massachusetts 7th and across the country are grappling with a housing and affordability crisis, and we must use every tool available to invest in our people and deliver the resources they need to survive and thrive,” Pressley said. “While Trump and Republicans continue harming our elders and families, I’m so grateful to the team at 2Life for their partnership in affirming housing as a human right and I’m so proud to deliver this investment to help make the Brooke House a reality.”
Lizbeth Heyer, president of 2Life Communities, said the project is about more than affordable housing.
“We’re deeply grateful to Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley for her steadfast partnership in making Brooke House a reality,” Heyer said. “This transformative community represents far more than affordable housing, it’s an investment in healthy aging, intergenerational connection, and the services that help older adults thrive with dignity.”
State Sen. Liz Miranda said the project will allow more older adults to remain in their communities.
“I’m grateful to Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and to all of our seniors who are demanding and deserving of the opportunity to age in place,” Miranda said. “I don’t want to build a community without our seniors, I want to build a community where they are celebrated, valued, and loved right here at home.”
State Rep. Russell Holmes said the investment addresses a longstanding need for affordable senior housing in Mattapan.
“Our community deserves this much needed investment into the neighborhood,” Holmes said. “We anticipate the 127-apartment Brooke House build will begin in late summer and the construction of Lena New Boston’s 52-unit Russell House will begin this fall, bringing this long-awaited project into fruition.”
Brooke House is expected to open in early 2028 and will provide 127 affordable apartments for older adults with household incomes of up to 60% of the area median income, with additional subsidies available for lower-income residents. The development will be built on the former Boston State Hospital campus in Mattapan and is designed to support aging in place through universal design, accessibility and sustainability.
Since Fiscal Year 2022, Pressley has secured approximately $50 million in federal community project funding for projects across Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District.
