Chelsea launches $20,000 forgivable down‑payment program for first‑time buyers; appointment to Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board advanced

City staff updated the Chelsea City Council on the administration’s efforts to expand affordable housing and announced a first‑time homebuyer down‑payment assistance program that will provide forgivable loans of $20,000 to income‑eligible long‑term Chelsea residents purchasing their first home in the city.

The communication said the program will be funded through the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and that a request for proposals is open to select a qualified administrator to run the program. The administration said the program is intended to lower barriers to homeownership, increase economic mobility and reduce displacement. A strategic housing plan is under review and expected to be completed in June 2025, staff said.

The administration’s internal review reported that since 2015 the city has facilitated 23 affordable housing projects creating 482 units: 78 homeownership condominiums and 404 rental units. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board and the Community Preservation Committee have opened new grant rounds for predevelopment, rental assistance and new affordable housing creation.

Separately, the council received a communication recommending the appointment of Ben Cares, director of housing and community development, to serve on the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board to fill the unexpired term of Deputy City Manager of Operations Devon Fields while she is on maternity leave; the council moved the appointment to second reading. A councilor also suggested engaging Chelsea Restoration, a local organization that has helped more than 250 families purchase homes, to advise on program design.

The administration asked the council to accept and file the communications; councilors moved the items to the appropriate next steps for review and subsequent action.