Paul Rebello, construction manager for the Habitat for Humanity Worcester affiliate, told the Town of Southborough Affordable Housing Committee on Zoom that the affiliate is aiming to increase production and partnership with area towns.

Rebello said the affiliate, headquartered in Worcester and serving 42 towns in Central Massachusetts, is targeting a goal of 30 new affordable housing units over three years and plans to scale its home-repair program to about 12 repairs per year. "Our board set a new strategic agenda for us, and they would like us to achieve or grow to achieve 30 housing units over a 3 year period," he said.

The proposal matters to Southborough because Habitat typically partners with towns that own vacant lots or properties acquired through tax taking, transfers a site to Habitat (often for $1) and signs a development agreement that involves the local housing trust and review by the state agency Rebello identified as EOHLC. "All of this is regulated by EOHLC, the state agency that covers affordable housing," he said, describing the required RFP and selection process for town-owned parcels worth more than $50,000.

Rebello described how Habitat prices homes to be affordable to households at roughly 30 to 60 percent of area median income (AMI), sells units rather than giving them away and limits monthly housing costs to about 30 percent of the household's income. "There's a misconception that Habitat gives away homes. We do not," he said. He added that families selected for Habitat homes perform about 300 hours of "sweat equity" prior to closing and typically provide a 3 to 5 percent down payment.

On financing and operations, Rebello said the affiliate frequently sells homes at prices below construction cost and relies on donations, volunteer labor and grants to close the gap. He also said the affiliate has moved from holding 0 percent mortgages itself toward arranging discounted mortgages through partner banks; the affiliate currently works with four banks, he said.

Rebello reviewed typical project timelines and budgets: construction of a single-family house usually takes about 14 to 15 months; permitting and site approvals can add 6 to 9 months; and a total project cycle from initial engagement to occupancy can be about two years. He said housing trusts typically provide a development subsidy in the range of 25 to 30 percent of a projectand that towns sometimes allocate Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds to support those subsidies.

Energy efficiency and long-term maintenance were highlighted as central to Habitat's approach. Rebello described building details the affiliate uses to reduce operating costs: mini-split electric heating, hybrid hot-water tanks, 2x6 exterior walls with continuous insulation, dense-packed cellulose, double-pane low-E windows, and a target air-change rate he quantified as "1.35 air changes per hour," well below a code limit he cited as 3. He said solar panels will be donated for an upcoming Sunderland Road project to offset monthly electric bills.

When committee members asked about unit types and lot capacity, Rebello said the affiliate will build duplexes, townhouses and multi-unit infill where zoning allows and said he is exploring accessory dwelling unit (ADU) footprints as a potential option. He described a recent donation from Mackenzie Scott that provided operating cash to help the affiliate undertake more projects without immediate external funding.

Rebello also described the standard Habitat plan used in Central Massachusetts (four bedrooms, two bathrooms, roughly 1,560 square feet) and noted the affiliate can adapt plans for three-bedroom ranches or smaller two-bedroom designs when sites require them. He said applications for units are often oversubscribed and that Habitat uses a lottery when multiple qualified applicants apply.

Committee members thanked Rebello and asked him to share the slide deck. Rebello agreed to send the presentation to the committee for posting and follow-up.

Ending: The committee did not take a formal vote on partnering with Habitat during this meeting; members indicated interest in identifying town-owned parcels that could be offered for development and in pursuing follow-up conversations with Habitat about specific sites and possible subsidies.