Housing Navigator Massachusetts told the Long Term Services and Supports and Health Equity Subcommittee of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities that its searchable database lists more than 216,000 income‑restricted rental units and is free and available 24 hours a day.

Tori, the community manager for Housing Navigator Massachusetts, said the nonprofit’s tool is designed to increase transparency in the affordable housing market and to let renters and service providers search by affordability, accessibility features and program type. “An important thing to stress here is that it is a tool available 24 7, and it's free to access,” Tori said.

The presentation explained two primary affordability filters on the site: rent based on income (typically calculated as about 30% of household income and adjusted if income changes) and fixed below‑market rents tied to area median income (AMI). Tori used a numeric example to show how voucher holders and low‑income households might choose between the two: for a two‑person household earning about $31,200, rent‑based units would cost roughly 30% of income, while a fixed below‑market unit could exceed that household’s ability to pay without a voucher. She illustrated voucher matching with a hypothetical payment standard of $2,124 and noted that minimum income rules do not apply for voucher holders.

Abby Warner, who leads data, research and compliance for Housing Navigator, described the organization’s data work and public dashboard. She said the search tool launched in August 2021, that the group now aggregates income‑restricted permanent rental listings statewide, and that it has begun recurring research (including a recent partnership report with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council) to identify supply gaps by municipality. Warner said the organization is supported primarily by the state through the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and by a network of housing nonprofits that helped establish the project.

Emma Ryel, who works with property owners and managers, clarified what the site includes and excludes: it publishes income‑restricted, permanent rental housing but does not list market‑rate private rentals, transitional shelters, homeownership opportunities or medical nursing/rest homes. Independent and assisted living units with an affordability component are included when eligible.

Committee members pressed the presenters on two recurring limitations. First, commissioners asked whether AHVP (Alternative Housing Voucher Program), mobile vouchers and MRVP applications were open. Presenters said voucher issuance and application rules have shifted this year — some programs have been paused or limited amid federal funding uncertainty — and urged users to contact voucher administrators directly (for example, CHAMP for MRVP) for current status. Second, several members asked how many people are waiting for accessible units. Warner and Ryel said Housing Navigator does not collect applicant‑level data, does not host applications on its site, and therefore cannot report exact waitlist counts; they said the site only redirects users to owner/manager application pages and shows listings and badges for accessible units.

Presenters described outreach efforts to increase visibility: expanded social media presence, attendance at provider conferences and in‑person convenings, flyers in public libraries and partnerships with independent living centers and disability commissions across the state. Commissioners suggested the subcommittee help by sharing materials; Housing Navigator agreed to provide a fact sheet and links to reports.

Cochairs also used the meeting to set follow‑up goals: they asked a MassHealth representative to attend the subcommittee’s January meeting to brief members on Medicare/Medicaid developments, and agreed to explore providing more frequent dashboard trends and reports.

The subcommittee adjourned after a motion to adjourn was made, seconded and approved by voice vote; an exact roll‑call tally was not recorded on the transcript.

What's next: Housing Navigator will share links and reports with the commission, the chairs will invite a MassHealth representative to a future meeting, and the presenters said improving data frequency and considering better data connections with application systems are priorities for 2025.