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Advocates press for $300M 0‑Carbon Renovation Fund to retrofit affordable housing and public buildings
Summary
Senator Adam Gomez and a coalition of mayors, housing advocates and nonprofit lenders asked the Joint Committee to support H.3577/S.2286, a 0‑Carbon Renovation Fund to finance deep energy retrofits for affordable housing, municipal buildings and environmental‑justice communities.
Senator Adam Gomez told the committee H.3577/S.2286 would provide capital to help retrofit existing residences and public buildings and to prioritize gateway and environmental‑justice communities. "This bill aligns with our 0 carbon future by maximizing energy efficiency through building envelope upgrades, electrifying building systems, including on‑site renewable energy generating sources, and renovating with low‑embodied carbon materials where possible," he said.
Local officials and housing advocates described projects that require funding beyond existing Mass Save and grant streams. Brianna Longo Cone, mayor of Medford and co‑chair of the Metro Mayors Coalition, said her city faces multimillion‑dollar HVAC projects in two middle schools and that municipalities lack revenue-raising authority to cover such costs. "Without additional funding and the inability to raise additional revenue at the local level, many of our region's buildings, some of the oldest in the nation, will remain in dire need of repair," she told the panel.
Affordable‑housing advocates and LISC's deputy director, Emily Jones, said decarbonization at scale for existing affordable units can add roughly $50,000–$150,000 per unit compared with standard rehab work, and a state fund would leverage local dollars and preserve affordable units. "If we don't invest in building decarbonization now, we are going to pay the price tomorrow through increased hospital visits and other downstream costs," Jones said.
Faith and community organizations framed the fund as an equity and moral imperative. The Reverend George Clifford, of Massachusetts Interfaith Power and Light, called funding for low‑income retrofits a matter of ecological justice and public health.
Ending: Proponents asked the committee to report H.3577/S.2286 favorably and to identify capitalization mechanisms, including but not limited to the MassReady/affordability proposals under consideration.
