A still image from the video celebrating The Planning Office of Urban Affairs 50th anniversary. Pilot photo
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BOSTON The Planning Office for Urban Affairs marked its 50th anniversary in 2020, a time when the economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic made clear the vital need for safe, stable, affordable housing.
Cardinal Richard Cushing and Msgr. Michael Groden created the Planning Office for Urban Affairs (POUA) in 1969. Though it is affiliated with the Archdiocese of Boston and considered one of its social service agencies, it functions as a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It was founded upon the idea that housing is a matter of social justice.