DEVELOPMENT TEAM AND PARTNERS | OLMSTED VILLAGE, MATTAPAN, MA

A bold vision demands a bold team

In December 2021, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Department of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) designated 2Life Communities and Lena New Boston (LNB) as developers of the final 10 acres of the former Boston State Hospital site in Mattapan following a competitive Request for Proposals process. 2Life and LNB have formed a joint venture to develop Olmsted Village.

Together with our partner organizations, we are dedicated to creating a better community and a better world that empowers all people to live healthier, happier, more purposeful lives.

Olmsted Village site plan

Location adjacent to Olmsted Green

Location in Mattapan, MA

Development team

New Boston Fund brings development expertise, investment capital, and a track record of consistently delivering high quality, successful projects. New Boston Fund has delivered on all commitments made to the Department of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) and the Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC).

2Life has been at the heart of positive change in the affordable senior housing ecosystem since 1965. We are on a mission to ensure that all older adults have the opportunity to age in community: to live full lives of connection and purpose in dynamic, supportive environments. To that end, we develop, own, operate, and provide supportive services to every one of our communities.

Lena Park Community Development Corporation (LPCDC) — the nation’s oldest African American community development corporation — provides integrated programs, services, and access to resources that help youth and families in the Lena Park catchment area build healthy lives, healthy families, and a healthy community. As a provider of essential community programs and services, LPCDC receives many of the economic benefits of this development.

Program partners

Treehouse Foundation

Treehouse at Olmsted Village will be generationally inclusive and purpose driven. 2Life and its partner the Treehouse Foundation are expanding upon the award-winning Treehouse Foundation model that brings together foster, adoptive, and kinship families; young people at risk of aging out of the child welfare system alone; and older adults who become "honorary grandparents." All will live together in a safe and mutually supportive community that helps everyone heal and thrive. By empowering a caring, committed community to support its own members, the model decreases the overall cost of programs and services. Those with distinct needs will have a comprehensive array of support options offered in partnership with trauma-informed, on-site staff. The property includes 12 affordable rental apartments for foster, adoptive, and kinship families; 8 affordable rental apartments for transition-age youth, and 46 affordable rental apartments for older adults. MASS Design Group is the architect and has led a participatory design process that has shaped every part of the design. The building will promote safety, serenity, comfort, accessibility, and sustainability.

Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center

Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center (HSNHC) provides comprehensive community-based healthcare services in Mattapan. HSNHC sees first-hand the importance of stable and affordable housing in the lives of its patients. Locating a clinic within Brooke House to offer primary care and urgent care services will improve the care of at-risk older adults in both Olmsted Village and the greater Mattapan community. In addition, 2Life's resident services coordinators will gain the opportunity to collaborate with HSNHC providers to enhance resident-centric wellness services. And for the most vulnerable residents, who may experience transitions in care, such as returning from the hospital, a higher level of support is close at hand. This partnership will help to establish a replicable best practice for the integration of housing and healthcare.

Shattuck Child Care Center

The creation of dedicated space for the Shattuck Child Care Center within Brooke House enables the Center's long sought-after return to its original community while creating new opportunities for intergenerational interaction and enrichment. The Center has provided superior, affordable early childhood care and education for children ages 15 months through 6 years old since opening its doors in the Personnel Building on the grounds of the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in 1969. When the Commonwealth decommissioned the building, the Center relocated in 2017 to First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain, where it shares space with church and community functions. Dedicated space will allow the Center to build on its proven success, exemplified by the high percentage of enrollment from second and third generations of alumni families. Capacity will increase from 46 to 55 children per day.

Plummer Youth Promise

Plummer Youth Promises’ mission is to set a standard of excellence that improves outcomes for young people in or at risk of entering state care by deeply engaging youth, families, and the systems that impact them to develop permanent family relationships, skills, and community connections. Plummer Youth Promise is a direct service provider, a permanency technical expert providing consultancy services to other government agencies and providers, and a thought leader in the field of child welfare. Plummer serves individuals from birth through age 22 who are living in a variety of settings including group care, foster care, and independent living.