Abundant Housing Massachusetts Announces 2026 Housing Abundance Awardees

Senator Brendan Crighton

State Senator Brendan Crighton is being recognized for his continued leadership on housing policy in the Massachusetts Senate.

Crighton has served as the lead Senate sponsor of the YIMBY Bill and sponsored legislation to promote Yes in God’s Backyard, which would expand opportunities for multifamily housing on land owned by religious institutions. He has also played a leading role in efforts to advance accessory dwelling units, duplexes, and other housing reforms across Massachusetts.

Crighton and his office have also been longtime partners of Abundant Housing Massachusetts, including participating in AHMA’s annual Lobby Days and engaging directly with housing advocates from across the Commonwealth.

Partner of the Year: Andrew Mikula

Andrew Mikula is being recognized as AHMA’s 2026 Partner of the Year for his leadership in launching the Legalize Starter Homes ballot initiative and helping build the coalition behind Question 7.

Mikula helped transform an idea focused on minimum lot sizes and smaller starter homes into a statewide ballot initiative, bringing together housing advocates and partners around the issue. His initiative and collaboration helped lay the groundwork for the Yes on Question 7 ballot committee and brought greater attention to the ways local land-use regulations shape the types of homes that can be built across Massachusetts.

AHMA is recognizing Mikula for his partnership, initiative, and work to elevate the conversation around starter homes and land-use reform statewide.

Youth Affordable Housing Coalition (YAHC)

Represented by Darin Spence and Erin Crawford

In just over a year, the Youth Affordable Housing Coalition has grown from one young advocate’s vision into an emerging youth-led organization bringing a new generation into the pro-housing movement. Through research, campus organizing, and advocacy, YAHC is creating opportunities for young people to develop the skills and knowledge to become housing advocates in their schools and communities.

YAHC is being recognized for demonstrating the important role young people can play in housing advocacy and community organizing and for creating new opportunities for youth voices to shape the future of the pro-housing movement.

Rookie of the Year: SouthCoast Places for People

Presented to Will Gardner

SouthCoast Places for People is being recognized as one of AHMA’s 2026 Rookies of the Year for its growing impact on housing and quality-of-life issues throughout the South Coast.

The New Bedford-based organization has mobilized residents around local land-use reforms, including advocacy supporting New Bedford’s reduction of parking minimums for new housing. The organization has also partnered with WHALE and the South Coast Chamber of Commerce to launch Neighborhood Builders, an initiative designed to cultivate a diverse ecosystem of local, small-scale developers.

Though relatively new to AHMA’s affiliate network, SouthCoast Places for People has already demonstrated the impact local advocates can have on removing barriers to housing and empowering residents to shape the future of their communities.

Homes Not Handcuffs Coalition

Represented by Fernando León and Michael Hitchcock

The Homes Not Handcuffs Coalition is being recognized for grassroots organizing in Pittsfield in response to a proposed ordinance that would have criminalized homelessness following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2024 Grants Pass v. Johnson decision.

Formed by local advocates and organizations, the coalition used community organizing, nonviolent protest, extensive public testimony, and public awareness efforts to keep the issue at the forefront of the local conversation. The proposed ordinance was ultimately abandoned as city leaders pursued a Peer Support Outreach Program through the Board of Health rather than a law-enforcement-centered approach.

The coalition’s work demonstrates how sustained local organizing and coalition-building can shape public policy and create alternative approaches to community challenges.