LAWRENCE — MassHousing has awarded $200,000 to Lazarus House in Lawrence for new and renovated sober housing for women and their children.
The award is part of $447,671 in grant funding to six nonprofit organizations to help create 12 affordable sober housing units and preserve 31, and to fund supportive services to men, women and families impacted by substance use disorder, MassHousing announced.
The grants come from the Center for Community Recovery Innovations, Inc., a nonprofit subsidiary corporation of MassHousing that helps nonprofit organizations create or preserve affordable sober housing in Massachusetts for individuals in recovery.
To date, CCRI has awarded more than $16.3 million in grants for the creation or preservation of over 3,000 units of substance-free housing, in 55 communities, serving recovery populations that include men, women, families, veterans, and the LGBTQ+ community.
“CCRI serves some of our state’s most vulnerable residents who are working to overcome or are impacted by substance misuse,” said MassHousing CEO Chrystal Kornegay. “This funding helps mission-based organizations that work every day to help people recover from addiction by providing quality housing in a sober setting with supportive services.”
The grant funds to Lawrence House will help create five new and renovate 31 sober housing units for women and their children in Lawrence.
Since opening its doors as an emergency shelter in 1983, Lazarus House has been serving people struggling with poverty from its base in Lawrence.
Its food and clothing programs assist families by stretching their dollars so they can afford rent and utilities. Emergency and transitional housing programs provide a place for homeless families and individuals.to live, stabilize, learn and grow.
The Center for Community Recovery Innovations issues an annual Request for Proposals to solicit projects for funding. The proposals that are selected need to meet CCRI’s current priorities and eligibility categories. The grants are typically used as one-time gap funding for capital projects that increase or improve the stock of affordable sober housing in Massachusetts.
Other proposals that provide services for residents in MassHousing-financed rental housing, specifically those that address alcohol and/or drug abuse or addiction, are also considered for funding. CCRI grant recipients must be 501c3 non-profit organizations and matching funds must be provided. All proposals and applicant qualifications are stringently reviewed and vetted by MassHousing.
MassHousing (The Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency) is an independent, quasi-public agency created in 1966 and charged with providing financing for affordable housing in Massachusetts.
The Agency raises capital by selling bonds and lends the proceeds to low- and moderate-income homebuyers and homeowners, and to developers who build or preserve affordable and/or mixed-income rental housing.
More grants for Lawrence businesses
LAWRENCE – Awards were given to 20 local businesses as the second round of Lawrence Business Grants were doled out this week.
The grant program aims at fostering business growth, strengthening the local economy and ensuring the continued success of Lawrence’s diverse business community, said Mayor Brian DePena.
In this second round, a total of $106,000 from the $500,000 allocated through federal ARPA funds was distributed to 20 local businesses.
Applications underwent a thorough review process led by the Economic Development Department and were approved by DePeña’s administration and the Lawrence City Council.
DePeña, a business owner himself, reiterated his commitment to advancing initiatives that drive economic development, create jobs and support the long-term sustainability of local businesses. He emphasized the significance of these grants, highlighting their dual role in stabilizing businesses facing recent challenges and enabling growth and modernization.
“This program is about empowering our local businesses — the backbone of our community,” he said. “By investing in their success, we’re investing in Lawrence’s future.”
“We celebrate these 20 outstanding businesses and their contributions to our city,” he said.
Polar plunge to help MRWC Feb. 2
PLUM ISLAND— A plunge into the icy cold waters off Plum Island next month helps raise critical funds for the Merrimack River Watershed Council.
The second annual “Polar Plunge 2025” is set for Sunday, Feb. 2 at 10:30 a.m.
All plungers must pre-register by Jan. 28th. Email info@merrimack.org to register.
Onlookers are welcome! After the plunge, a warm up and celebration will be held at the Sunset Club.
Bank recognized for diversity, inclusion
BOSTON — For the 11th consecutive year, Eastern Bank received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2025 Corporate Equality Index, the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality.
Eastern joins 765 U.S. businesses that also earned top marks this year.
“At Eastern, advancing LGBTQ+ equality, both within and outside our organization, is a focus we have supported for many years,” said Bob Rivers, Executive Chair and Chair of the Board of Directors of Eastern Bank.
“The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s leadership and advocacy are fundamental to helping all people prosper, and we are honored by their continued recognition of our efforts to create greater opportunity for our LGBTQ+ colleagues and the communities we serve through our workplace practices, benefits and policies, advocacy, volunteerism and Eastern Bank Foundation philanthropy,” Rivers said.
Eastern Bank has been a corporate leader in supporting equality initiatives through corporate practices and community collaborations. This includes providing healthcare insurance inclusive of transgender-related care and gender-affirming services, embedding inclusivity into training programs, and offering the Equity Alliance for Business to advance growth opportunities for underserved business owners, including in the LGBTQ+ community.
Eastern’s “Equality Under the Blue” Employee Resource Group meets regularly with senior leadership on issues of importance to the LGBTQ+ community, and helps to organize workplace practices as well as various community events including Pride events each June across the communities Eastern serves.
The CEI rates employers providing crucial protections to more than 22 million U.S. workers and includes Fortune magazine’s 500 largest publicly traded businesses, American Lawyer magazine’s top 200 revenue-grossing law firms, and hundreds of publicly and privately held mid- to large-sized businesses.
The CEI rates companies on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars: Non-discrimination policies across business entities, equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families, supporting an inclusive culture and corporate social responsibility.
Eastern’s efforts in satisfying all the CEI’s criteria earned a score of 100 and the designation as recipient of the Equality 100 Award: Leader in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion. The full report is available online at www.hrc.org/cei.
Inducted into College of Trial attorneys
HAVERHILL — Attorney Marsha Kazarosian of Haverhill has been inducted as a Fellow of the prestigious American College of Trial Attorneys.
The induction is viewed as remarkable achievement and testament to Kazarosian’s exceptional skill, dedication, and leadership in the legal profession.
The College is an invitation-only fellowship of exceptional trial lawyers from the United States and Canada who have demonstrated the very highest standards of trial advocacy, ethical conduct, integrity, professionalism, and collegiality. The College has no ties to any political party or any partisan endeavors, according to its website.
Elder Affairs office renamed
BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey this week signed legislation to rename the Executive Office of Elder Affairs to the Executive Office of Aging & Independence to better represent and reflect the values of older adults in Massachusetts.
Renaming the agency reduces negative images around aging, normalizes aging as a natural process, and recognizes that older adults value independence and self-determination, while emphasizing that the Healey-Driscoll Administration is here to support residents as they age.
“Our population of adults aged 60-plus continues to grow, and it is essential that we evolve to meet the changing needs of this group,” said Healey. “We want residents to feel reflected in our agencies and to know where to turn when they need support. I’m grateful to the Legislature for advancing this bill, and I look forward to seeing the work that our incredible team at the Executive Office of Aging & Independence will do for the people of Massachusetts.”
Healey proposed the name change in May. The new name was selected following significant research that included focus groups, surveys, and conversations with older adults, caregivers, service providers, and advocacy organizations.
This research revealed that aging adults do not connect with the term “elder,” and often associate the term with someone who is at the end of their life. Instead, residents prefer neutral terms such as “aging” and “older people.”
“We are all aging. Growing older is not one agency’s focus. Across the administration, policies and programs impact our older population,” said Aging & Independence Secretary Robin Lipson. “We are excited to work across the administration to make Massachusetts a better place for residents of all ages to grow up and grow older, together.”
In addition, the name change legislation replaces outdated language across state statutes, such as “elder,” “elderly person(s),” and “handicapped” with “older adult(s)” and “adult with a disability.”