From left: MassNAHRO Executive Director Thomas J. Connelly Jr., Senator Eldridge, and MassNAHRO President Gene Capoccia, Executive Director of the Leominster Housing Authority. (Courtesy photo)
State Senator James B. Eldridge, Senate Chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on Housing, has received the 2014 “Outstanding Public Service Award” from the Massachusetts Chapter, National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials (MassNAHRO) for his strong commitment to improving public housing across Massachusetts.
Senator Eldridge, who was presented with the award at MassNAHRO’s 2014 Fall Conference on Nov. 17 in Plymouth, was recognized for his key role in passage of public housing reform legislation that will significantly improve the delivery of services to residents served by local housing authorities across the state. He was also recognized as the lead Senate sponsor of a $1.4 billion housing bond authorization, the largest such outlay for public housing in Massachusetts history.
The reform measure, described by MassNAHRO as “the most comprehensive change in the state’s public housing program in more than 40 years,” was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Patrick in August. The legislation was crafted by the Committee on Housing after two years of drafting, deliberations, public hearings, and site visits to local housing authorities. It provides strategies to assist housing authorities with capital improvements, purchasing, unit turnover, waiting list management, and inter-agency collaborations while maintaining local governance of housing authorities.
