Housing Authority optimistic about financial security, approves 2026 budgets

Waltham Housing Authority Executive Director John Gollinger said the WHA is “holding its own” financially as it goes into the new year.

Gollinger, who made the pronouncement at WHA’s meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 13, said the WHA’s funding did, however, see losses. The agency lost $400 in federal program funding for fiscal 2026 and sustained its largest losses from the state’s Chapter 689 housing program, which provides group housing options for adults with mental illness, developmental disabilities, and physical disabilities. 

Gollinger said the city might need to raise rents on Chapter 689 units in the future. “Not that we have to make money on them, but we don’t want to lose money,” he said.

Despite the dip in state and federal funds, Gollinger said the WHA is on solid financial ground. The WHA’s reserves are growing, and all of its programs made money last October, which is the last month for which it has updated financial data. Jane Isnore from the WHA’s financial team added that the organization’s operating reserve increased from $2.5 million in 2024 to $3.1 million in 2025 and predicted it could go up to $3.4 million in 2026.

Gollinger added that the WHA has filled nearly all of its job openings and is looking to fill only one more position, which is on the maintenance team.

He also reported that, in accordance with state guidelines, the WHA is applying with the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities to increase all its expenditures in the 2026 fiscal year by 5%, apart from utilities, which the EOHLC reimburses fully, and salaries, which it is increasing by 3%. 

The one exception is the executive director’s salary. Gollinger said he had applied to increase the salary to the full applicable amount so that the board would have an easier time finding a replacement for him when he retires, saying that it would be “someday soon.”

Also at its Tuesday meeting, the board passed five budgets for the new year: the 400–1 budget, which represents the housing authority’s operating subsidy; budgets for Chapter 689 and Chapter 667 state housing programs, as well as a state rental assistance program; and a budget for the federal 13G Elderly Housing Program.

Additionally, the WHA:

• Announced that it had begun asbestos abatement work at Beaverbrook Apartments, which may take up to a year to complete.
• Approved a construction log for all current contracts for its ongoing or upcoming construction projects.
• Approved a no-cost extension for a project at the Chesterbrook Gardens apartments, explaining that the contractor cannot continue work on external buildings until temperatures are more favorable.
• Received a report on the program’s housing units noting that seven federally-funded and six state-funded units are vacant; the report also noted that the WHA had 526 work orders in December, has received 162 in the year to date, and has conducted 72 inspections so far this month.