Cambridge Housing Authority

What Cambridge Housing Authority does

Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA) is a quasi-governmental public housing authority established in 1935 under Massachusetts state law, governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners appointed by the Cambridge City Manager and the Massachusetts Governor. The agency owns and manages approximately 3,000 hard units of state and federally funded affordable housing within the City of Cambridge and serves more than 5,000 low-income households — covering roughly 10% of the city's population — through five core programs: Family Housing (80% AMI cap), Senior/Disabled Housing, Single-Room Occupancy (50% AMI cap), the MTW Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program, and Permanent Supportive Housing for individuals exiting homelessness.

CHA's core operating platform is built on standard housing management software and three self-service portals (Applicant Portal, Landlord Portal, PBA Owner Portal) that handle waitlist management, applicant status, and landlord onboarding rather than any proprietary technology stack. Application intake is waitlist-based with preference criteria for Cambridge residents, veterans, and emergency cases; Permanent Supportive Housing referrals flow through the Cambridge Coordinated Access Network (C-CAN).

The business model is funded primarily by federal HUD sources (public housing operating subsidies, Capital Fund grants, HCV funding) and state sources (Massachusetts DHCD LIHTCs, MassDevelopment tax-exempt bonds), supplemented by tenant rents set at approximately 30% of adjusted household income. Since HUD approval of CHA's portfolio-wide Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) conversion in December 2013 — the fifth largest RAD deal HUD has approved — CHA has converted 2,338 of 2,427 federally assisted units (96% as of 2024) to project-based Section 8, unlocking over $640 million in construction activity since 2010 with private financing partners Wells Fargo and Citibank. Recent strategic activity has shifted toward supportive housing acquisition (16-18 Wendell Street, 2024), preservation of historic affordable housing (Mass Ave buildings, 2026), a Homeownership Opportunity Program (June 2026), and paid development consulting across 12 communities in Massachusetts and Maine. CHA also holds AHAB National Affordable Housing Accreditation, the seventh U.S. housing authority to earn the designation.

Name

Cambridge Housing Authority

Legal name

Cambridge Housing Authority

Website

https://cambridge-housing.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cambridge Housing Authority is a quasi-governmental public housing authority, founded in 1935, that owns and manages approximately 3,000 units of affordable housing in Cambridge, Massachusetts, serving more than 5,000 low-income families, seniors, and disabled individuals through federal and state subsidy programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Housing and Rental Assistance

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Other Community Housing Services (624229), Temporary Shelters (624221), Other Residential Care Facilities (6239)

SIC

Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513), Services-Social Services (8300), Lessors Of Real Property, Nec (6519)

akta.pro primary industry

Public & Affordable Housing Programs (Subsidies, Vouchers, Public Housing) (BPAIANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Affordable & Subsidized Housing Property Management (LIHTC, Section 8) (BPAJAFAD), Housing Voucher & Rental Assistance Programs (Tenant-Based/Project-Based) (FSALAKAI), Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB), Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC)

Keywords

• Affordable housing programs
• Public housing management
• Rental assistance vouchers
• Supportive housing services
• Housing development consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Government Subsidies and Federal Funding: Primary revenue comes from HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) funding including public housing operating subsidies, Capital Fund grants, and Housing Choice Voucher funding. The agency also receives tenant rent payments based on income (typically 30% of household income).
2. RAD Conversion Financing: Through HUD's Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program, CHA leverages private financing, Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTCs), and partnerships with financial institutions to fund major capital improvements to housing developments.
3. Rental Income: Tenant rent payments based on income-based formula (typically 30% of adjusted household income), supplemented by project-based vouchers under RAD.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cambridge Housing Authority owns and manages publicly supported rental housing and administers rental assistance for low-income families, seniors aged 58+, people with disabilities, single adults, voucher holders, and people experiencing homelessness in Cambridge.\nIt operates Family Housing, Senior/Disabled Housing, Single-Room Occupancy, Housing Choice Voucher, and Permanent Supportive Housing programs, with applicants accessing assistance through waitlists and online portals.

Product overview

Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA) operates a comprehensive affordable housing portfolio providing rental housing and rental assistance for low-income families, seniors, and persons with disabilities in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The organization manages approximately 3,000+ units of state and federally funded housing across multiple programs including Family Housing, Senior/Disabled Housing, Single-Room Occupancy (SRO), Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8), and Permanent Supportive Housing. CHA also operates digital service portals including the Applicant Portal, Landlord Portal, and PBA Owner Portal. The organization has undergone significant transformation through HUD's Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program, converting 96% of its public housing units to Section 8, enabling over $640 million in capital improvements since 2010. CHA provides housing assistance to more than 5,000 low-income households.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Family Housing Program Federally supported rental housing for single persons and families in Cambridge, offered across more than 30 family properties to households with income at or below 80% of Area Median Income.
• Senior/Disabled Housing Rental housing reserved for elders aged 58+ and persons with disabilities in Cambridge properties owned and managed by CHA.
• Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) Program Shared housing with private lockable single rooms and common kitchens and bathrooms for income-eligible single individuals, with a 50% Area Median Income limit.
• MTW Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program (Section 8) Rental subsidy program allowing eligible households to rent privately owned market-rate apartments, with voucher holders typically contributing 30% of income toward rent.
• Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Long-term affordable housing combined with voluntary supportive services to help residents maintain housing stability, with placements managed through the City of Cambridge referral process.
• Homeownership Opportunity Program Program designed to expand homeownership options for eligible CHA residents and voucher holders.
• Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) Conversion HUD demonstration program that converts public housing to Section 8 project-based assistance; CHA had converted 2,338 of 2,427 federally assisted public housing units, or 96%, as of 2024.
• Family Stability and Savings (FSS) Program Voluntary five-year asset-building program operated with Compass Working Capital to help families build wealth through education, credit repair, and homeownership.
• Applicant Portal Secure web-based tool through which applicants can access, update, and view housing waitlist information.
• Landlord Portal Online portal for landlords participating in CHA's Housing Choice Voucher program.
• PBA Owner Portal Online portal for owners participating in property-based assistance through CHA.
• Development Consulting Services Development consulting provided to other housing authorities in Massachusetts and Maine, including support for property modernization and redevelopment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of 2,427 federally assisted public housing units converted to RAD as of 2024
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Compass Working CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Nonprofit financial services organization partnering with CHA on Family Stability and Savings (FSS) program - a voluntary five-year asset-building program helping families achieve goals in education, credit repair, homeownership, and child savings accounts.
• Transition HousecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2013Cambridge's domestic violence agency providing emergency shelter and transitional housing. Partnership forms 'Pathways to Permanent Housing' providing supported housing for domestic violence survivors eligible for subsidized housing. Also provides Community Liaison working with CHA residents.
• Cambridge Coordinated Access Network (C-CAN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated referral system for Permanent Supportive Housing. Manages waitlist of people experiencing homelessness for CHA's PSH units including 16-18 Wendell Street.
• Eliot Community Human ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMassachusetts social services organization providing case managers and clinical services at CHA's Permanent Supportive Housing properties including 16-18 Wendell Street (3 case managers + clinical director) and 116 Norfolk Street (4 case managers).
• Cambridge Health Alliance PACEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram for All Inclusive Care for the Elderly providing 24/7 on-site staffing and elder supportive services at Millers River, JFK, and LBJ Apartments.
• Medford Housing AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHA partnering with Medford Housing Authority on modernization of Saltonstall Apartments ($105 million project, 222 units including 22 new units) and Walkling Court redevelopment.
• Belmont Housing AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHA collaborating with Belmont Housing Authority on redevelopment of Sherman Gardens property.
• City of CambridgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership including CDD for Inclusionary Zoning program, Affordable Housing Trust funding, and various affordable housing initiatives. CHA invests in Cambridge families supporting 10% of city population.
• Alliance of Cambridge Tenants (ACT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCitywide tenant organization representing public housing residents and voucher holders. ACT Board provides formal communication channel between tenants and CHA administration.
• Somerville Cambridge Elder ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Supportive Living Program at Millers River Apartments, providing case management services and activities comparable to the Supportive Living Program at Manning Apartments.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Boston Housing Authority: Boston Housing Authority (BHA) is a similarly-sized Massachusetts public housing authority operating federal public housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs in an adjacent high-cost rental market. BHA manages a comparable multifamily public housing portfolio and administers Section 8 vouchers, making it the closest geographic peer to CHA.

Regional players

• Somerville Housing Authority: Somerville Housing Authority (SHA) operates public housing and voucher programs in neighboring Somerville, MA, serving similar low-income families, seniors, and disabled households. It is a direct regional peer within Greater Boston sharing the same high-cost market dynamics.
• Medford Housing Authority: Medford Housing Authority (MHA) is a Massachusetts housing authority currently partnering with CHA on the $105M Saltonstall Apartments modernization. As a regional peer collaborating directly with CHA, MHA operates a similar federal public housing and voucher program model.
• Belmont Housing Authority: Belmont Housing Authority is a Massachusetts housing authority collaborating with CHA on the Sherman Gardens redevelopment. It operates a comparable federal public housing program serving a similar suburban Boston low-income population.

Broad incumbents

• New York City Housing Authority: NYCHA is the largest public housing authority in the United States, operating approximately 162,000 Section 8 units and 335,000 public housing residents. NYCHA operates the same federal public housing, Section 8, and RAD program model as CHA at vastly greater scale.
• Chicago Housing Authority: Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) is one of the largest U.S. housing authorities administering public housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, and RAD conversions. It operates an overlapping program mix with CHA, including senior, family, and supportive housing programs.
• San Francisco Housing Authority: San Francisco Housing Authority (SFHA) operates federal public housing and Section 8 voucher programs in another of the country's highest-cost housing markets. SFHA shares CHA's structural positioning as a public housing authority serving low-income households in an extremely expensive market.
• District of Columbia Housing Authority: District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) administers public housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, and supportive housing programs in Washington, D.C. DCHA operates a comparable federal housing program portfolio and serves a similar low-income population in a high-cost urban market.
• MassHousing: MassHousing is Massachusetts' quasi-public state housing finance agency providing mortgage financing, rental housing financing, and affordable housing programs statewide. As CHA's state-level counterpart for affordable housing finance and LIHTC administration, MassHousing is a complementary institutional peer.
• Los Angeles County Development Authority: Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA) administers the largest Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program in the United States along with public housing. LACDA operates a program mix and HUD-funded operating model that directly parallels CHA's federal housing delivery structure at much greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CambHousing
• Facebookfacebook.com/761187610673324
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cambridge-housing-authority

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Cambridge Housing Authority