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Housing lottery listings

Smartphone book

new

The Melnea Apartments – 7 Apartments Available
Get the papers — click 
431 Melnea Cass Boulevard
Roxbury – Deadline to Apply is June 17th

35 affordable apartments out of 168 units in the development are available
The Kinloch Apartments
104 Turnpike Road, Chelmsford, MA
View rent prices and the application details
Must Apply by June 1, 2019
Phone: 978-256-7425, ext. 21
Email lottery@chelmsfordha.com


150 Camden
deadline May 29th – get papers < — click
6 Income Restricted Apts
150 Camden Street
South End

older
When a deadline date passes, there may still be a chance when the property manager decides to keep them open. There are many reasons for them to do that. Phone them or email the address on file in the links.

Dorchester – Keystone Apartments for Elderly
Apply before May 15th
Click here for the papers

21 Units available in Brighton, MA
Gabriel Apartments – APPLY ONLINE
Apply before May 15th
click here for the papers

Burlington Apt Lottery – rents $1,273 – $1,700
The Reserve at Burlington – get the papers
20 Corporate Drive
Burlington MA
Housing Lottery Deadline – June 17, 2019

older listings

Lucky Strike Residency $1,094 – 1,449 per month
3 income-restricted apartments for rent
281 Adams Street, Dorchester, MA 02122
Application deadline – April 23, 2019
1 Studio,  one 1-BR, one  2BR == Lottery Papers required.

Chapel Hill Landing
Homes for Sale: 3BRs $228,00, 4BRs $241,000
Off Hospital Road at 1 Stoneridge Way
Medfield, MA
Open house and on-site application consultation – April 30th. 5-7PM
Click for the brochure with contact info.

Hyde Park – Six income-restricted rental apartments
735 – 745 Truman Parkway
rents are $1,094 – $1,449 depending on size
Apply Online here: www.TrumanParkwayLottery.com
Or call to have an application mailed 781-992-5305
Deadline – apply by April 23rd, 2019

Click for more choices.

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Root Root! for URBAN BANK the startup micro-lending donation service for the unhoused that is just getting started.

URBAN BANK

“Unhoused?” We have never heard that term before. It is definitely something thought up by some cool SAAS-enabled tech startup in Boston, operating on  Ruby on Rails or some kind of web tech,  wouldn’t you think? 

Now here comes  UrbanBank, a new mobile micro-donation platform that enables users to give the homeless access to essential items for health, like a toothbrush.

NICE!   Find out more at 
http://www.bu.edu/innovate/profile/urban-bank/

The Urban Bank is a real business with a real chance to make a real difference.
http://www.bu.edu/innovate/profile/urban-bank/

Contact: Mackenzie Bullard, bullard@bu.edu 

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Section 8 housing list and news

Section 8 Massachusetts

news

April 2019 – Boston Mayor Martin Walsh releases 1,000 new Section 8 rental housing vouchers to support those who suffer from chronic homelessness. The vouchers will be issued by the Boston Housing Authority through four programs that assist homeless individuals: Coordinated Access System referral program, the Rapid Rehousing program, the Moving On program and the Leading the Way Home Program.  Section 8 vouchers allow individuals and families with low incomes to only spend about 30 percent of their income on rent and utilities, with the voucher covering the rest of costs.

Boston Section 8

The Boston Housing Authority administers a Section 8 program. view web site

Housing eligibility varies by Public Housing or Section 8/Leased Housing programs. BHA staff evaluate each individual application and make an eligibility decision. Here are some general guidelines that BHA uses to assess your eligibility. 

Massachusetts Section 8

Section 8 housing choice voucher program is the federal government’s major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market.  The Massachusetts Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program Centralized Waiting List feeds Ninety-Nine (99) Massachusetts housing authorities who use this one computerized list. All applicant information entered onto this list can be accessed and updated by any and all participating housing authorities.  View the Centralized List website for Section 8 applications and information. The Massachusetts Centralized Section 8 Waiting List will remain open indefinitely. The Waiting List is updated at least every two (2) years. 

Click here –>  for more infoDownload

Search for Section 8 by Zip Code 

CLICK HERE to Search with a zip code.
The HousingWorks Net Boston non-profit created a unique Section 8 search engine for Massachusetts properties and waitlists. 

Section 8 Legal Help

Consult Greater Boston Legal Services, Inc. – website    They are one of a number of organizations offering Section 8 legal assistance when trouble arises with landlords and Section 8 tenants.

Section 8 Federal HUD Information

Look at the Massachusetts Area Section 8 Locator Map.   Click to Access.

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Cambridge affordable housing opportunities

City Hall Cambridge

City of Cambridge affordable housing is owned by non-profits,  Town Hall, and there are privately-owned affordable housing units. Low income applicants are charged 30% of their income for rent when selected into the program.  The Community Development Department (CDD) is accepting Preliminary Applications.  To be considered into the Inclusionary Housing Rental Program you must apply.  You can view the eligibility requirements here and download the application. 

Housing in the Middle-Income program is for households with an income between $60,000 to $100,000. The Maximum Income Program allows incomes between $90,000 and $150,000.

A number of departments and organizations are building and renting affordable housing in the City of Cambridge. Click here to view the list.

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Are you eligible for an Affordable Apartment. Yes, you probably are. Here’s why.

affordable rental living space forms

A household who earns from $22,650 to $200,000 a year can be eligible for below market rate rents and purchase prices. That household could be yours.

Here’s why.

Your Income Matters.  The Federal Housing and Urban Development Department established income guidelines for every region of the United States. These regulations are used to fix rental prices to what properties rent and sell for.  

The rules created an Income Eligibility Chart.

In most of Massachusetts and the Metro Boston area, a household with an income of at least $22,650 can rent a 30% AMI studio apartment for $470.  Each AMI level raises the amount of rent.

Where Section 8 can be used, you get a price break.

See Rents

See Income limits

View more charts here.

On the Market now 

SALE: deadline for app is May 8th, 2019
Address: 11 Iffley Road, Jamaica Plain MA 02130
3BR, home for sale – 65% AMI $192,000 apply here

Rental: deadline to apply is May 15, 2019
Keystone Apartments,  151 Hallet Street Dorchester
Rent is 30% of your adjusted Gross Income
1 BR – restricted to elderly.
income limit. $56,000-$64,000 – APPLY  
( 30% of $56,000/12 ) is the month rent

Affordable Housing Lottery
The Reserve at Burlington
20 Corporate Drive, Burlington, MA
Studios @ $1,293, 1BRs @ $1,470, 2BRs @ $1,632, 3BRs @ $1,792
Apply here before June 2019
*Rents subject to change.
Utilities not included.
Tenants will pay own Gas Heat, Gas Hot Water,
Electric Cooking, Electricity, Water and Sewer.



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Legal help when landlords say no to Section 8 or disability checks.

Landlords who say no to Section 8 housing vouchers or disability checks when you pay the rent  are breaking the rules. Fortunately you can do something about it.

Call 617-884-7568 to report your trouble or visit the Suffolk Law Housing Discrimination Testing Program web site at http://www.suffolk.edu/law/hdtp 

Suffolk Law’s Housing Discrimination Testing Program (HDTP) is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to work in partnership with the Boston Fair Housing Commission to eliminate housing discrimination in the Boston metro area through testing, enforcement and education.

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How to get hundreds of dollars added to Section 8 housing vouchers in Boston.

a dollar for an idea

“Boston’s Poor Forced To Find 2017 Apartments At 2005 Rental Rates,”

written by BIANCA VAZQUEZ TONESS of WGBH News
 link   https://news.wgbh.org/2017/12/12/

Be sure to read it and learn the trick.

Why should they have to ask for this increase?

This problem is caused by elected officials in Massachusetts government. Policy makes a difference.  When they don’t get it right, it is a #FAIL.  Politics is the control of a limited amount of fixed resources.

The article says …  “xtremely hard,” said 35-year-old Ashesha Rockette.”

Rockette receives a state housing voucher that helps subsidize her rent. She is required to pay a third of her monthly income — $211 — toward the rent while the state kicks in the rest.

excerpt: The state’s Department of Housing and Community Development would not comment on the funding levels for the voucher program.

The state slashed the budget in the 1990s. Over the last few years, they’ve restored some funding, but that’s gone to increasing the number of vouchers, not the subsidy amount.

excerpt: At 2005 rates, you may also struggle to find a safe, working apartment that meets state housing standards, said Rockette. When Rockette eventually found a place in Hyde Park for $1,650, it was far from perfect. Last week, the water was turned off. There’s mold, and rodents. Her mailbox has never locked properly, so she misses important mail.

excerpt:  Two years ago, that meant the state was paying the difference between her third and a cap of $1,392 — the maximum amount she could spend on rent. Rockette was not able to find an apartment at that rate. She eventually negotiated a better deal with the state, but many people who rely on these vouchers are still locked into the cap, which was set back in 2005.

HEADLINE:  Dec 12, 2017,

Governor Baker announce a plan for 135,000 new housing units by year 2025

http://www.wbur.org/bostonomix/2017/12/11/bakler-new-housing-plan

In May 2016, the governor announced $1.1 Billion for housing investment in Massachusetts. Where is the happy ending to the story?

When policy makers in government allocate billions of dollars to cover necessary expenses, there is negotiation. Do you build more housing the less fortunate can afford? Do  you fix rusty bridges, replace underground the water pipes, cover cost of free insurance for  poor people? Do you build a new highway?

What do you do with fixed amount of money?

The answer never pleases everybody.

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A cool way to purchase a $500,000 house with a little help from Chan Zuckerberg.

bank cash

Let’s get right to it:

In high-priced housing markets, a home for $500,000 would require an ideal $100,000 down payment. Who has $100k laying around? Not too many people right. 

house with a huge porch in Newport RI

Well, if you are a teacher or eligible professional, here’s an option to consider:

  • If the house cost $500,000 in high priced market
  • Downpayment required is $50,000
  • You put $50,000 down
  • A Chan Zuckerberg co-funded LANDED initiative  pays $50,000
  • The balance is $400,000 ( ya need a mortgage )
  • The funder arranges the $400,000 mortgage
  • The mortgage is paid every month by ( Landed.com )
  • you live there MORTGAGE FREE, just pay utils, upkeep, overhead.
  • years pass by
  • House is sold for  for $550,000
  • Why not: teacher or busy professionals moves on
  • Profit is $50,000 ( $550,00 minus $500,000 original cost)
  • Landed.com keeps 75% of the sales profit
  • Teacher/Professional keeps 25% of the sales profit
  • That’s it!
  • # the end

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The price is fixed for affordable housing homes on sale like these in Boston.

consulting and advice

The cost of houses for sale to the affordable housing pre-qualified consumer have been stable. They haven’t changed much in two years.

In these photos, one is $293,000 with low down payment, $425,000 hooks up a two-family spread on Forrest Street and the odd number of $343,000 buys two attached single-family dwellings in Dorchester DOT Boston.

APPLICATION LINK

These are housing lottery sales and they go down March 8th, 2019 when your application is due.

Smallwall.net Affordable Housing Finders
Real deal

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Mattapan apartment building with 347 units just sold for $65M or $187k per unit.

In a previous article we said it cost $20B to create 50,000 affordable apartments at a cost of $400,000 per apartment and the cash flow from 50,000 income-restricted tenants would pay for it a few times over a 15-year mortgage period.

SmallWall.net stands by those estimates because after we posted the piece, the Boston Business Journal published an account of the sale of 15 Bismarck Street, an apartment building in Mattapan with commercial office space and 14 Studio apartments, 143 1BRs and 190 2BRs named the Fairlawn Apartments.

sold recently

When 800,000 affordable housing consumers protest in the face of the relatively small number of affordable housing developers and budget sources, when they protest louder than a few of the 800,000 furloughed federal workers did, then you may see 100,000 new affordable housing units under construction in Greater Boston by next year.