The Lyndia Opens as New England’s Largest Supportive Housing Development

The Lyndia is the largest permanent supportive housing (PSH) development in New England, with 140 of its 202 units serving people who have been chronically homeless.

Located in Boston’s Jamaica Plains neighborhood, the development is a partnership of The Community Builders (TCB), a national leader in affordable housing development, and Pine Street Inn (PSI), Boston’s leading provider of services for chronically homeless individuals. 

“The Lyndia shows that larger-scale permanent supportive housing can work. … To be able to say ‘Here it is, and it’s successful’ is powerful,” says Andy Waxman, senior vice president of real estate development at TCB.

The organizations transformed an underutilized industrial site into a new mixed-income community. In addition to the PSH units, there are 62 affordable studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units for low- and moderate-income families. Both partners are providing a range of services for the residents.

The Lyndia is also influential because it reformed city policy after one nearby property owner filed a lawsuit over parking requirements, delaying the project a year. The case led Boston leaders to eliminate parking requirements for affordable housing throughout the city, reducing barriers for future projects.

The $123 million development is financed by an array of public and private sources, including Boston Medical Center, underscoring the growing recognition that stable housing leads to improved health outcomes and lower health care costs.

The community is named after longtime PSA leader Lyndia Downie.