Boston Council Committee Advances $79 Million in Federal HUD Housing Grants

BOSTON — June 12, 2026 — Boston City Council housing committee advances $79 million in federal HUD grants covering homelessness, housing, and economic development. The Committee on Housing and Community Development, chaired by District 5 Councilor Tania Pepin, heard presentations Friday on five grant authorizations: a $16.8 million Community Development Block Grant, a $4.8 million HOME Investment Partnerships allocation, a $3.9 million Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS grant, a $1.5 million Emergency Solutions Grant, and roughly $52 million in Continuum of Care homelessness program funds. Rick Wilson, Director of Administration and Finance at the Mayor's Office of Housing, told councilors that HUD funding represents "close to half of our budget" and warned that "costs are increasing" while grants remain "basically flat or even declining for many years." Wilson disclosed that the city has not yet received signed grant agreements for its COC-25 awards from HUD, and said two active federal lawsuits — one obtaining a King County, Washington injunction against DEI-related grant conditions, another in Rhode Island blocking HUD's attempt to move the Continuum of Care program away from Housing First — remain critical leverage. Councilors Erin Murphy and Jean-Claude Louis-Jean indicated strong support; no public testimony was submitted.