The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has announced the relaunch of the Receivership Expense Assistance for Creating Housing (REACH) program. This initiative aims to convert blighted residential properties into affordable housing units throughout the Commonwealth.
Previously known as the Abandoned Housing Initiative Receivership Fund (AHIR), the REACH program will offer up to $2 million to one or two organizations. These organizations will manage the funds and make loans to receivers who will handle projects focused on community revitalization and expanding affordable housing.
In a change from the AHIR, REACH will now permit receivers to borrow up to $250,000 per project. The program will also forgive up to 10% of loans on market-rate housing and 15% on affordable housing if rehabilitation costs exceed the home's sale price.
Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell commented, “The REACH program is an important tool in addressing our affordable housing crisis, offering critical funding that brings abandoned and blighted properties back into use. I am proud to announce the expansion of this program, which now will award even more money to expand housing opportunities and make our neighborhoods safer, more beautiful places to live.”
Since its inception in 2013, the program has provided more than $9 million for property rehabilitation, resulting in the repair of 109 blighted properties and returning 214 housing units to use.
The REACH program is managed by the AGO's Neighborhood Renewal Division (NRD). This division was formed from the Attorney General’s Abandoned Housing Initiative and works with local authorities to enforce the State Sanitary Code to rehabilitate abandoned properties. The NRD collaborates with cities and towns to address delinquent property ownership, encouraging voluntary repairs before resorting to legal action to appoint a receiver if necessary.
Under AG Campbell's leadership, the NRD has recovered about $1.14 million in previously unpaid taxes and municipal fees, completing revitalization on 31 properties across the state.
Applications for the REACH program are due by 5:00 pm on April 25, 2025. More information and application details are available on the AGO’s website.