WORCESTER, Mass. - Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey was in Worcester Wednesday to discuss housing, something she describes as her administration's biggest priority.

"This is job one," Healey said. "To get more housing around the state."

The Healey-Driscoll administration believes 200,000 is the minimum number of housing units Massachusetts needs to address the state's demand.

"What's going to hold Massachusetts back is us, right," said Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll. "If we don't collectively get our game together around meeting our housing needs. State, local officials, private sector, public sector, building the type of housing we need in all the places we need it."

Healey, Driscoll, and members of their administration spent Wednesday morning listening to voices in the community on how to get more people into a better, permanent living situation.

"We recognize that density is good for our neighborhoods, it's good for our downtowns, it's economic development," said Tim Murray, President and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The roundtable was part of the governor's newest campaign to call attention to what the administration calls an "urgent" issue.

Members of Worcester's business community also shared their concern about the rising cost of housing, including leadership at Worcester's Fisher Contracting.

"About 80% of our laborers and carpenters are probably renters," said Fisher's President and CEO Charran Fisher. "I think renters face the biggest challenge when it comes to affordable housing. So, that's been scary just being here in Worcester trying to hire local folks."

An estimate by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities says the Affordable Homes Act, when combined with funds from the October 2023 tax relief bill, could fund or enable the construction or preservation of over 45,000 homes. Almost half of those would be reserved for low-income households.

"$4.1 billion bond authorization along with 28 policy changes is really going big and bold," said EOHLC Secretary and former Worcester City Manager Ed Augustus. "Hopefully, we're in the period of time where the legislature will be voting on this and getting those tools in our toolbox so that we can hurry up and build and preserve more housing."

Healey and Driscoll also putting an emphasis on competitiveness, saying without the proper amount of housing, it's getting harder to retain workers in Massachusetts. The governor and members of the administration will be traveling to numerous communities over the next two weeks or so to continue to discuss her housing agenda.