Mission Main Apartments, WinnResidential
Affordable Community of the Year Finalist

Mission Main is a mixed-income community, home to nearly 1,700 residents, in Roxbury’s Mission Hill neighborhood. Today, there are 535 units; 445 (83% of the total) are affordable for five income levels, and 90 (17% of the total) are market rate. The Mission Main Tenant Task Force (MMTTF) and WinnCompanies are a partnership that owns and manages the buildings on the 23-acre site, which belongs to the Boston Housing Authority (BHA).

Between December 1939 and March 1941, the BHA developed the community. The former “Mission Hill Housing Project" consisted of 1,023 public housing units located in 38 barracks-style buildings. By January 1942, it was home to more than 3,500 residents. Fifty years later, half of the units were occupied, with the rest abandoned or boarded up, and the community developed a reputation as “no man’s land,” marked by crime, vandalism, and decay.

In 1993, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the BHA and the Mission Main Tenant Task Force (MMTTF) $50 million through the HOPE VI program to revitalize the community. The BHA and the MMTTF selected a 50/35/15 partnership of WinnCompanies, Peabody Properties, and Cruz Companies to support the redevelopment.

The Mission Main Tenant Task Force advocated for tenants who were concerned about displacement. After all, Boston’s South End was experiencing rapid gentrification. The MMTTF worked with the BHA and WinnCompanies to establish trust with the resident population and neighbors alike, allowing them to be a part of the deal. In an unprecedented move, WinnCompanies allocated more than $3 million to be used at the MMTTF’s discretion to fund resident services and activities and promised to set aside two-thirds of the community for extremely low-income households (at or below 30% area median income).

The $120 million, three-phased project reduced the community’s density by one-third, creating private unit entrances and granting each building a front and back yard. The revitalization also introduced new playgrounds, a daycare facility, and a teen center, supported by an array of ambitious, self-funded resident service programs. Winn soon bought out Cruz and Peabody's stake in the partnership, choosing to grant more stake to the MMTTF. In 2023, the MMTTF became majority owners.

Winn and the MMTTF are about to embark on a new, 31-month rehabilitation project that will provide high-efficiency heating and cooling systems; replace kitchens, bathrooms, appliances, and windows in all apartments; upgrade the site's community room and family resource center; build 10 new playgrounds and install new outdoor seating; repair and repave sidewalks and parking lots; install a state-of-the-art security system and controls; extend high-speed broadband service; renovate all laundry rooms; and create new handicapped accessibility in 29 apartments while improving accessibility in common areas.

Winn’s knowledgeable staff supports the community, although the Mission Main Tenant Task Force has final say in all property decisions. This team includes a senior property manager, a senior community coordinator, a senior maintenance supervisor, five maintenance technicians, an administrative assistant, a site compliance manager, and two leasing and occupancy specialists. Due to its size and the variety of programmatic requirements, Mission Main also has a dedicated site accountant, responsible for compiling, processing, examining, and assessing account payable and account receivable transactions for the community.

Mission Main is also privileged to have the talents of Senior Community Coordinator Jayme Bonds. A native Bostonian who is dedicated through and through. "Resident services is my passion," says Ms. Bonds, "and it helps to keep me motivated. In my past, there was a time when I was in need and there weren’t services like there are today. Throughout my career of over 30 years, I have been fortunate to have leaders, supervisors, and coworkers who have shaped my outlook and provided me with the insights I now use to help residents."

Mission Main benefits from a myriad of community partners that provide services to residents across our Connected Communities outcome areas. Whittier Street Health Center, the Dimock Health Center, Brigham and Womens Hospital, New England Medical Center, Alzheimers Association, Senior Whole Health, United Health Care, Tufts Health Care, Open Arms for Healthcare, Mission Hill Health Collaborative, ABCD Parker Hill Fenway, Tobin Community Center, Nurtury Childcare, Excel Academy Charter Schools, Phillips Brooks House, Harvard University, the Boston Housing Authority, Metro Boston Housing, MassHousing, Wentworth College, 1st Armor Security, Mission Safe, Boston Police Department, City of Boston Mission Hill Liaison, Mission Hill Main Streets.

The beating heart of Mission Main is Ms. Willie Pearl Clark, a pillar of Boston's Mission Hill neighborhood since the 1970s. As the longtime co-chair of the Mission Main Tenant Task Force (MMTTF), she is well-known across Roxbury and Mission Hill for her diligent advocacy for Mission Main households and the city's marginalized communities. Over the decades, Ms. Pearl has witnessed not only the tragedies of the community but also its triumphs.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Mission Main became notorious for drug trafficking, gang violence, and decay. It gained national attention in 1989, when a rich white Bostonian, Charles Stuart, murdered his pregnant wife and claimed a black man carjacked and shot them in Mission Hill. Boston police began a month-long manhunt, utilizing stop-and-frisk tactics that disproportionately targeted the black community. They arrested a resident of Mission Main and treated him as guilty until Charles's family revealed that Charles murdered his wife and lied about the carjacking.

HBO's "Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, and Reckoning" is a three-part documentary that explores the Stuart murder case. The series demonstrates how Boston's predominantly white law enforcement and media fell for Stuart's racist bait and examines the impact that it had on Mission Hill, Mission Main, and Boston's black community. Additionally, The Boston Globe produced a nine-part original investigative podcast that HBO presented, as well as an eight-part investigative series for The Globe.

In 1993, tragedy struck again. Ms. Pearl's son fell victim to a fatal shooting, emphasizing that poverty and despair spare no one. Ms. Pearl refused to let these tragedies destroy her neighborhood and intensified advocacy for Mission Main residents. She utilized her background as a community organizer, hosting annual National Night Out celebrations with Boston Police, and selecting Winn to redevelop the community in 1998.

In 2023, 25 years after Winn's redevelopment transformed their community, the MMTTF became the majority owners of Mission Main. A series of public and private transactions will ensure the site's permanent affordability, fuel a $66 million renovation, and provide comprehensive social services and high-speed internet for every household. In June 2023, WinnCompanies dedicated the Mission Main community center to Willie Pearl Clark in honor of her fearless leadership and dedication to the community.

In November 2023, Mission Main was among ten properties statewide given $27 million in funds by Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey's administration to support extensive energy retrofits, energy efficiency upgrades, building system electrification, and onsite renewable energy generation. The $680,000 award will fully electrify two buildings, totaling 17 apartments.

As of December 2023, occupancy is hovering around 90% since the operations team is keeping units offline to act as hospitality units during occupied renovations so that tenants can live in them during the day. The annual turnover for affordable units is roughly 10%, which allows for a steady flow of new tenants and maintains a vibrant community.

Mission Main's exceptional location on Mission Hill is close to numerous medical facilities, educational institutions, public transit, and community organizations, making it easy for residents to explore the city and accomplish their daily tasks. However, its dedicated team members maintain resident loyalty and set the community apart from competitors.

Our Connected Communities team introduces the Mission Main Tenant Task Force (MMTTF) to organizations we've worked with successfully in other communities; for example, Fresh Truck delivers fresh produce and nutritious food options straight to our residents; X-Cel Education runs an on-site HiSET and GED High School Equivalency Exam Preparation Program and job placement curriculum; and Phillips Brooks House Association and Nurtury Childcare provide on-site after-school programming for kids and daycare services, including programming during school vacation weeks at Boston Public Schools. The community's upcoming redevelopment will introduce free high-speed internet for all low-income Mission Main residents.

Additionally, the regional, senior management, and Connected Communities teams collaborate with the MMTTF to organize community events. These activities include annual family fun days in the summer, neighborhood walks with the Boston Police Department, and Halloween haunted houses. Further, the team organizes collection drives to distribute hygiene supplies, winter coats, and toys to give away to residents during the holiday season. These activities cater to residents of all income levels, fostering a sense of community and creating a positive, inclusive environment.

Mission Main Apartments performed exceptionally well in the first 8 months of 2023. The site is $663k ahead of its NOI goal, thanks mostly to its very strong market GPR growth and reduced vacancy. In-place unit rents have increased by 6.3% over the first 8 months of the year. The site has a great staff of employees, and despite significant inflation, this wonderful group of leasing and maintenance professionals has managed to keep expenses on budget and even deliver savings, mostly in utility costs, through utility enhancements done through its redevelopment. Total operating expenses show savings of 9% on budget, most of which are attributable to utility costs. All of this has been made possible with significant construction and redevelopment of this property, which has been under way since the start of 2023.