An unsigned letter published in Brookline.News on Thursday, Aug. 27 alleges Victory Programs is seeking approximately $1 million from Brookline for renovations and operations at 16 Williams Street.
The anonymous letter writer claims the nonprofit told neighbors during the town's selection process that its proposal was "fully funded" and would require no town support. A competing nonprofit bidder withdrew after being told town funding would not be available, the letter states.
"If this funding request comes to a Town Meeting vote, members should factor in that going from 'no town money' to 'we need a million' looks very much like a bait-and-switch," the letter states.
No formal warrant article or funding request has appeared on any Town Meeting or Select Board agenda as of Friday, Aug. 28. No public response from Victory Programs or town officials addressing the "fully funded" representation appears in available records.
What the record shows
Town records complicate parts of the letter's timeline. According to draft minutes from the town's Housing Advisory Board, Victory Programs COO Alex Train and CEO Sarah Porter presented a detailed funding breakdown for the project at the board's July 1 meeting, estimating renovation costs of $900,000 to $1 million and saying the nonprofit "expects to submit a formal Affordable Housing Trust Fund funding request in the fall." That meeting took place nearly two months before the anonymous letter was published.
Victory Programs' own July 2025 response to the town's request for proposals, filed during the selection process, also described a financing plan combining an acquisition loan with an existing $2.5 million federal earmark "and other sources of funding," including state housing programs, philanthropic support and the organization's own reserves — a structure that already anticipated funding beyond the acquisition loan itself.
The competing bidder, the Brookline Community Development Corporation, had proposed relying on $1 million to $1.5 million in town grants and $1.5 million to $2 million in state funding, according to Brookline.News' 2025 coverage of the selection process. BCDC president Deborah Brown said at the time that "for us, it was going to be an uphill battle, and for Victory, they have most of the money in hand" — a comparison suggesting the two proposals were never simply "no town money" versus "full town money," but differed in degree.
What's confirmed
Victory Programs finalized its $3.3 million purchase of the three-story house in June. PCI Fund, a national lender, lists a $3 million acquisition loan for the project on its own website. The Select Board approved Victory Programs' bid in August 2025 over neighbor opposition, granting the nonprofit a right of first refusal to buy the property from the Price Center.
The nonprofit plans to house up to 10 families, primarily mothers recovering from substance abuse and their young children. CEO Sarah Porter has said the organization expects about 18 months of renovations before welcoming residents.
Neighbor Susan Fried raised the funding issue in a statement published in Brookline.News on Aug. 25, noting that Victory Programs is planning to ask for funding from several town sources for its renovations.
Victory Programs has agreed to a Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) deal, voluntarily paying 25% of the property taxes it would owe as a non-exempt organization. It also committed to maintaining the home as affordable housing permanently.
An open house at the property is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 14 at 5:30 p.m.
