Category: breaking news

Posted on

THREADMARK on track to open after fire.

Threadmark to re-open soon after fire.  Here’s a look at the rental rates units at Threadmark will be going for when it re-opens after the fire.

Studio $515, $1030 and $1056.00 per month depending on your income.

1BR lottery rent rate is $552, $1104 or $1261.00 depending on income.

2BR lottery rent is $662, $1324 and $1,567 depending on income.

* Lottery rent rates only are being shown.
No other sizes are listed for lottery.

Thirty-five rent reduced apartments were offered by lottery.

INCOME LIMITS WERE:

Household size of 1 person with  income between $20,610 and $41,220 qualify for lottery.

Two person households with conbined Income between $23,550 and $47,100 qualify for lottery.

Three person households with combined income between $26,490 and $52,980 qualify to for lottery.

The sales sheet offers units to Household (HH) sizes of four  to six persons for  income steps from $29,430 to $68,280 at upper limits  by HH size.

r.

 

Posted on

How to file online for subsidized housing in Massachusetts. Did you know?

How to File Online for Subsidized Housing in Massachusetts.

Subsidized housing properties are  where you pay 30% of your income to tent that unit.  Housing authorities own the buildings. But private developers own buildings where some are offered by Lottery. Housing Authorities or ( HA ) use the Wait List system. There are benefits to go digital and saving time plus having a digital bot walk the streets looking for vacancies for you.

Step one:  COMPLETE THIS FORM

Step Two: Give it to your housing advocate working your case. Ask them to file it with Housing Works.  If you don’t have an advocate hold it. Tell us you want to file it electronically and we will work with you on that.

New Open Waitlists ( subsidized 30% income type) have opened in the towns of Lynn, Lunenberg, Stoughton, and Boston.

Depending on the Authority or Property, these lists are open to:

Families
Individuals
Elders
Persons of any age with various disabilities
Veterans

Online filing will:

– Automate most of the filing process.

You start with a paper form.

– the filing generates pre-filled applications to all subsidized/affordable housing;

– the system will show a list of other advocates working with the same clients;

– the system prints instant charts of all the places a client has applied;

– the system creates pre-addressed letters to mail out to every place a client has applied.

Or you can do it manually – by calling each public housing about the openings.
click for a list of authorities

When you want to file digital, you start by returning a paper application.

This is the paper application —  View the Application form here.

You return it to people who are authorized to enter it into the digital system.

People who do this may work with agencies and its their job – if you have a case with them.

If you don’t have an open case request filing help.

 

 

Posted on

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

a dollar for an idea

” [ How to Get More Dollars Added to a Section 8 Housing Voucher to Cover Rising Boston Rents ] ”  is a better title  for the how-to article on WGBH’s web site..  T

But the article was  titled “Boston’s Poor Forced To Find 2017 Apartments At 2005 Rental Rates,” posted December 12, 2017 written by BIANCA VAZQUEZ TONESS of WGBH News, and  posted at this 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.

 

 

 

 

Posted on

Recent news about affordable housing you can use

Lottery Highlights

Community Development Corporations, city officials and affordable housing advocates actively seek new applicants  for apartment lotteries and waitlists. When there are hundreds of Affordable Rental Units announced, there could be 100 applications returned for each one, or thousands to a development with just 30 or less affordable units.

As you know these new construction projects can be highly sought after for there is demand for qualified tenants in the market rate space as well as in the income restricted and public, subsidized, low-income space. I need not tell you how competitive it can be The LOTTERY evens the playing field when it works the right wa – that is — when there are no backroom or politically influenced deals made.

But as you know, some applications are dead on arrival due to missing information or simply that the person applying is not qualified to apply. Lottery is bidding, Know that 50% of a winning formula is Showing Up; 25% is luck and you need it, so 75% of your lottery placement score is probably going to be determined by the fit of your family to the available unit size and scope of the project; your credit score is a big deal, your landlord history is a big deal, and  your proven ability to pay the rent no matter how high or low it is, is a very big deal.

Here’s a quick summary of recent affordable priced lotteries and home ownership sales.

2 Bedroom house for sale in Roslindale  on market for $246K where market rate could be $280k

APARTMENTS
Brockton – a waiting list opens at Brockton Trinity Village
Dorchester – Now leasing leasing at Upper 1474 Dorchester Ave 02122.
Brookline affordable housing lottery opens APRIL 19th for 45 Marion Street Apartments.  Renting studios and 1 BRs from $785 to 958.
Norwood, MA Rental Lottery. New construcction apartment rentals. Thirteen 1BR $1,134 per month, twenty-two 2BR for $1362/mo, three 3BR for $1,566.00. Sizes range from 826 to 1400 per square feet. Each unit has a washer, a dryer, and there’s
Haymarket Square One Canal Street — 22 apartments available by lottery
HUB25 at 25-35 Morrisseuy Blvd, Dorchester – Thirty-six New BRA Income Restricted
apartments for rent. The maximun annual household income to qualify for one person is $48,250, two persons $55,000, three person $62,000, four persos $68,950, five persons $74,000, six persons $80,000.

 

Here’s a list of housing authorities you ask about vouchers and Section 8  that are just outside Boston.

Cambridge – http://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/housing/

Newton, MA –  http://www.newtonma.gov/gov//planning/hcd/affhouising/default.asp

Click here to get the [ Building Managers Short List  ] where  rents are capped at 30% AMI. The list has locations,  property manager names and their email addresses and phone numbers.

The Massachusetts Centralized Housing Choice Section 8 Waitlist sign-up
screen is [ here. ]