YWCA at Hillside

YWCA Greater Newburyport
YWCA at Hillside
Hillside single-room occupancy is a pioneering affordable housing program that combines sustainable affordable housing, access to public transportation, and access to organic food. Single room occupancy means that single individuals will have private rooms and baths, but will share a kitchen and common rooms. To learn more about this exciting project, or to obtain an application, please read more below!
For Applicants
This project is funded by the Department of Housing and Community Development and Mass Housing. Therefore, it has eligibility requirements:
- Household size: Single occupancy only
- Housing is income restricted
- Preferences for homeless, an individual who needs wheelchair accessibility, or an individual who has a sensory disability.
- Rents are based on income level.
Pre-applications available here.
A Brief Summary of YWCA at Hillside
The YWCA at Hillside is a unique program designed to combine affordable housing with
sustainable living. As such, applicants seeking housing in this project must be aware of the design and intention of the facility as these designs will impact the lifestyle one adopts to live in the unit.
The YWCA at Hillside is a part of a larger community called the Hillside Center for Sustainable Living (HCSL). HCSL is a market-rate rental project owned and operated by Hall and Moskow, LLC. Many of the amenities available to HCSL tenants will also be available to YWCA tenants once the HCSL project is complete.
Net Positive A project is considered “ Net Positive ” when it produces more energy than it consumes. YWCA at Hillside will use electricity generated by solar panels located on the parking solar canopies directly across from the property. During the summer, the panels will produce more electricity than the building consumes, during the winter the building will consume more electricity than it produces. Over the course of a year, it is anticipated to generate more electricity than it uses.
Sustainability Goals
The building is designed to meet LEED for Homes standards and is pursuing a Platinum Level Certification. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a green building rating system that provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings.
The building is also designed to meet the Passive Housing Institute US standards. Passive Housing is designed to minimize or eliminate the need for external heating or cooling of the home. This is done through insulation, positioning the building to take advantage of sunlight and more. Again, the goal is to create a sustainable place to live. In the case of the YWCA at Hillside, care was taken to design and install the smallest HVAC system that met all code requirements given the load of the building.
Organic Farm
HCSL has a Permaculture Master Plan for the site that is being realized as each phase of the project is completed. Permaculture is the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient. This small-scale agriculture will be integrated with the site and provide some food for residents. In addition, HCSC will incorporate a greenhouse onto the site producing organic food for sale. YWCA tenants will be encouraged to walk along the paths but are reminded that the produce seen growing on campus belongs to the community as a whole and will be distributed through a managed system. YWCA will work with HCSL and local donors to ensure tenants are able to access the food produced by the farm at no or minimal cost. Tenants will be required to work together to share the vegetable, fruits, eggs, and honey made available to them through this process.
Transportation
YWCA at Hillside is located near the downtown of Newburyport and the Newburyport IndustrialPark. The bus runs along Pond street which is 1/10th of a mile from the units. Employment opportunities are within walking distance as well as situated on the bus line. Bicycle storage will be provided once the HCSL barn is completed and tenants will have access to renting electric vehicles charged on site (there is a separate fee and registration for this service).
Funding
We have received funding from the Department of Housing and Community Development, Mass Housing, Newburyport Community Preservation Fund, Charlesbank Homes, and a private donation.
YWCA will be seeking ongoing donations to ensure tenants have access to Community-Scale Agriculture (CSAs) either produced on-site or locally.



get in touch
facility hours
Mon-Fri: 6 am - 7:45 pm
Sat: 8 am - 1 pm
Sunday: CLOSED