Live Well Springfield Transforming Communities Initiative (TCI)

Background

The LWS Springfield Transforming Communities Initiative-TCI is funded by Trinity Health of New England / Mercy Medical Center and the Massachusetts Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds. TCI is one of nine sites across the country that Trinity is funding to address health and equity disparities for communities using a policy, systems, and environmental change framework. Utilizing the priorities of the Community Health Needs Assessment, we engaged the advisory committee and broader community to narrow down to one issue out of thirteen to improve health and address health disparities in the city of Springfield. Through a Root-Cause Analysis and priority ranking exercises, the committee chose housing as the main need of the community. The TCI committee is entering its fourth year of a five-year project aimed at addressing affordable housing, housing conditions, and homeownership. The committee then narrowed down all the ways they could tackle the issue of housing to four main areas on a statewide and local level.

Goals

Advocate for the bill, “An Act Promoting Access to Counsel & Housing Stability in Massachusetts,” which will support low-income families & communities of color facing eviction or foreclosure and continue funding to build out a sustainable, long-term program.
Advocate for the City of Springfield to secure funding for the Springfield Housing Trust Fund through local & state resources.
Work with community partners and grassroots organizations to understand the need for a tenant support office in Springfield and residents' immediate housing support needs.
Partner with grassroots organizations to advocate to improve rental conditions at Springfield Gardens and other commercial properties.

Partnerships

Advisory Committee

Technical Assistance Partners

Milestones & Accomplishments

In 2023, the committee identified housing as a top priority issue for Springfield.
In 2024, we were awarded the Massachusetts Community Health and Healthy Aging Grant, securing funding for the next five years.
In 2024, the Access to Counsel pilot program was passed within Governor Healey’s state budget as a line item, receiving $2.5 million in funding.
In 2025, we hosted the first Live Well Springfield TCI Housing Resources Fair, which brought together 29 community vendors and over 200 attendees to share resources and support for individuals at all stages of their housing journey.

Learning & Evaluation Reports

As part of our work, the TCI Springfield Committee creates annual reports for our funders and community partners, showcasing the year's accomplishments. We invite you to review the Springfield Transforming Communities Initiative Annual Report, which highlights our efforts from January to December 2024.

Initiatives

TCI News

Springfield Comprehensive Housing Plan Resident Advisory Committee Kickoff

By Rusty Polsgrove • April 13, 2026

In February, the Transforming Communities Initiative partnered with the City of Springfield and CZB Inc. to host the first of four Resident Advisory Committee meetings in support of the upcoming Comprehensive Springfield Housing Plan. The meeting brought residents together with housing experts and city partners to ensure that the lived experiences of Springfield community members help shape the direction of the plan. The Housing Plan will be guided by both a Steering Committee and a Resident Advisory Committee. The Steering Committee includes a diverse cross-section of city leaders, with representatives from city government, housing authorities, real estate and development, financial institutions, nonprofit and public health organizations, and local industry. The Resident Advisory Committee, convened by the Live Well Springfield Coalition, includes grassroots organizing partners, Way Finders’ Voices of the People resident advocate group, and resident advocates from Live Well Springfield’s Transforming Communities Initiative. Together, these two committees bring a blend of policy, community, and market expertise to guide housing strategies that reflect both institutional knowledge and lived experience. The City of Springfield selected CZB, Inc. as the consultant to develop Springfield’s first comprehensive housing plan. The Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts will serve as the community engagement partner, convening the Resident Advisory Committee and advising on CZB’s outreach efforts. During the session, residents engaged in discussion with Charles Buki of CZB about the challenges they are experiencing in Springfield’s housing landscape. Participants raised concerns about vacant properties in neighborhoods, the struggles faced by small landlords, and the burden of rapidly rising property taxes for homeowners. Residents also discussed the impact of inflation, the prevalence of low-quality rental housing, and the “cliff effect” experienced by individuals and families attempting to transition out of homelessness or government assistance. These conversations are an important step in ensuring the housing plan reflects real community needs. The Transforming Communities Initiative will continue working with the City of Springfield and CZB through September to support community engagement as data collection, analysis, and creation of strategies for the housing plan move forward. The City of Springfield Comprehensive Housing Plan Process will continue through September. This April you can expect to see CZB hosting Open Houses throughout the City, inviting community members to view the initial research findings about the Springfield housing market and give feedback about the issues they’ve seen in their interactions with the housing market.