Gov. Healey pushes for additional housing to keep people living and working in Mass.

Gov. Maura Healey, appearing on WBUR's Radio Boston Tuesday, said her administration sees securing more housing in Massachusetts as its top priority.

"There is no issue that I am moving with greater urgency and intention than this issue of housing," said Healey. "And hopefully we can work with the Legislature, get something done, and get something done soon. We need shovels in the ground."

Healey lamented findings from a much-discussed study from the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce that showed 25% of Bostonians between the ages of 20 and 30 are considering leaving Boston within the next five years, in large part due to high housing costs.

The affordability problem spans generations, the governor said, with long-term residents struggling to pay rent or buy homes in the state. Compounding the issue, Healey added, is that  out-of-state employers appear less inclined to move to Massachusetts if their workforce cannot afford to live here.

The governor noted her administration has proposed a $4.1 billion bond bill aimed at spurring housing development.

State action on housing development and zoning, which is usually a local policy matter, has been a source of contention between Healey's administration and various municipalities. The administration must roll out and enforce the MBTA Communities Act, a law that passed with broad support under Healey's predecessor, former Gov. Charlie Baker. It requires municipalities served by the transit system to rezone to allow for more multi-family units.

While most communities  complied with the law, some towns pushed back. Milton voters rejected a town zoning proposal, and as a result, the state rescinded grant funding that would have supported environmental projects in the town. Milton now also faces a lawsuit by state Attorney General Andrea Campbell.

The governor emphasized her support for the MBTA Communities Act, but said the law is part of a set of policies, including her bond bill, needed to support housing development.

"The fact is, not any single city or town can solve the housing challenge, housing crisis in this state," Healey said. "It's going to require collective action."

"We're not looking to take away local control at all," Healey added. "But we are looking for everybody to realize that if we don't meet this moment and work together ... we're going to see people leave the state, and we're going to suffer for that."

The creation of more housing appeared top of mind for the governor. When asked about other problems, like how to fill existing vacancies in public housing units, Healey cited development once again as part of the solution.

Earlier this month, WBUR reported that more than 2,000 public housing units sat vacant despite a "90-day push" by the state to fill them. Healey largely blamed the vacancies on  too many units being "uninhabitable," adding her administration had "inherited" the issue.

She said the state's lack of housing was the root of the problem, and that many people on public housing waitlists had housing vouchers they could not use because of high rent.

"The math doesn't work for people because the rents so exceed what's available in terms of the voucher limit. This is the fundamental problem here," Healey said. "Rents are way too high; housing prices are way too high."

"We need more units. We need more housing. We need to drive down costs," she added.

In the wide-ranging conversation, Healey also touched on the overburdened state family shelter system She said she supports the state Legislature's proposal to limit  how long families can stay in the shelter system. She blamed U.S. Congress for failing to act quickly to "fix a broken immigration system" and slow an influx of new migrants into the country.

Healey also spoke about her decision to not disclose when and where she goes when she departs Massachusetts.

The governor left the state for four days in February, but her team did not publicly announce where she went, according to reporting from the Boston Globe. Unlike previous administrations, Healey's team said last fall it would stop giving advance information about the governor's personal travel plans but would include details on calendars released later.

"With respect to personal time and personal family time, I'm going to continue to keep that personal," Healey said.