Affordable Housing and Services Collaborative completes Columbia-Uphams affordable housing project

Dorchester, MA Affordable Housing and Services Collaborative, Inc. (AHSC), a nonprofit organization that owns and develops affordable rental communities, has completed Columbia-Uphams, a 91-unit affordable family housing project on Columbia Ave.

The preservation/rehabilitation project combined two affordable housing properties, known as Columbia West Apartments and Uphams Corner Apartments, into a single housing complex, containing 91 rehabilitated affordable units, ranging in size from studios to three-bedroom units. The complex also includes units reserved for special populations.

AHSC first acquired the ownership interest of Uphams Corner Apartments, a 45-unit building, in 2018, followed in 2020 by acquiring the ownership interest in the 46-unit Columbia West Apartments. Following these acquisitions, AHSC, along with their longtime strategic partner Peabody Properties, submitted a financing plan to Mass Housing, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), and the city of Boston to consolidate both properties under one ownership entity controlled by AHSC and physically and financially reposition both properties. New financing was sought through the use of federal and state low-income housing tax credits and historic tax credit equity, as well as new construction/permanent and subordinate debt.

Columbia-Uphams is managed by Peabody Properties.

“The completion of Columbia-Uphams represents another step forward in our mission to preserve and expand affordable housing,” said Michael Mattos, president/executive director AHSC. “By unifying two long-standing residential communities into one revitalized development, we’re not only enhancing the quality of life for current and future residents, we’re reinforcing our commitment to inclusive, sustainable neighborhoods. We’re grateful for the collaboration with Peabody Properties and our funding partners who helped make this project possible.”