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Public Housing Authority Brief for Massachussetts Wait List Openings

HousingWorks is a service that lets you locate AND APPLY TO subsidized and affordable housing options in one sweep

There are OPEN Waitlists in almost every Massachusetts county says Housingworks!

HousingWorks specializes in 30% of incone is your rent charge subsidized housing. Public Housing Authorities (PHA) have it.

There are over 200 PHAs in Massachusetts Cities and Towns.

If your income is extremely low. If you can move to anywhere a PHA has an opening, inform your case worker to use HW.

They can input your application electronically.

Click to search ♥ HousingWorks.net.

 

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Maximum affordable rental apartment prices set by the BRA.

[ dowloadable apartment lottery leads ]

The Boston Redevelopment Authority set maximum rental prices for affordable apartments in Boston City limits based on a percentage of the area median income of $66,000 a year for one person.

Affordable rental rates will begin at $1,024/mo for studio apartments, $1,194/mo for 1 bedroom, $1,365/mo for 2 bedrooms, and $1,535/mo for 3 bedroom units at BRA designated properties owned by many different developers, property investors and community development corporations.

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The annual salary of the working poor.

Working poor individuals and families are the focus  of many government programs. The Wikipedia defines the working poor as [ working people whose incomes fall below a given poverty line. Depending on how one defines “working” and “poverty,” someone may or may not be counted as part of the working poor. While poverty is often associated with joblessness, a significant proportion of the poor are actually employed. ]

In Boston Massachusetts, the working poor family has 5 household members and an income of $28,800. For comparison, the American Community Survey reports that an average Boston family has a median household size of 2.47 and income of $52,433. In the US the median household size is 2.6 and the US median household income is $51,425.

Income-restricted, rent reduced, subsidized rental apartment rates are intended for the working poor and the entry level middle class family. Each development has different income criteria. For example, the Oxford Ping On development in Chinatown accepted families with annual household income of $20,000.

But most properties advertised as “Affordable Apartment Rentals” or Workforce Rentals expect the income for a household of one to be at least $34,000 to support rents of $1,050 mo.

 

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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. ]

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Brand new Fenway Park Luxury Apartments use this lease contract language.

Van Ness interior

These are excepts of the the apartment rental lease language in rental contracts offered by most Boston luxury apartment buildings for tenants who are going to rent one.  The lease for subsidized or the  affordable rental units set aside may possibly be different.

—

LEASE EXCEPT
[ Residence: Up to 24 months of rental history may be verified on present and previous residence. A positive record ofprompt monthly payment, sufficient notice, and no damages is expected. For applicants who are homeowners, permission must be granted to verify payment history with the bank or lending institution.
Credit Report: An unsatisfactory credit report can disqualify an applicant from renting an apartment at this community. An unsatisfactory credit report is one that reflects past or current bad debts, late payments or unpaid bills, liens, judgments or bankruptcies. If an applicant is rejected for poor credit history, the applicant will be given the name, address and telephone number of the credit reporting agency that provided the credit report (but not be told the content of the credit report). An applicant rejected for unsatisfactory credit is encouraged to obtain a copy of the credit report from the credit reporting agency, correct any erroneous information that may be on the report, and resubmit an application to this community.
Employment/Income: Stable employment record and income verification shall be required. In order for an applicant to be approved, he/she must generally earn on a gross monthly basis a minimum of two times the gross monthly leased rent. Acceptable income verification if required may include: a paystub; a letter from the employer; the most recent W-2 form; or, for self-employed or non-employed applicants, a copy of the most recent tax return or certified verification from his/her company accountant or from a bank showing a balance sufficient to pay rent for 24 months.

Criminal Background: Grounds for rejection of an applicant or occupant may include, but are not limited to, any felony conviction or arrest record. We also do not lease to applicants with certain misdemeanor arrests and convictions.

Verification is through state public records.

Co-signers / Guarantors In the event a co-signer/guarantor is required, he/she must complete an Application for Occupancy and meet all income
and qualifying standards. A co-signer/guarantor will be fully responsible for the Lease Agreement if the occupying resident(s) default.
Subletting Subletting is prohibited at this community …..]

END of EXCERPT

 

 

The Affordable Units Rent for These Prices
at the new Van Ness luxury apartments at Fenway ParkVan Ness Affordable Lottery Rates

 

 

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Boston Minority Business Sales exceeded $500 million among MBEs supplying the state.

Most private companies won’t air their financial laundry in public.
But the Government will and they have.

The diversity supplier marketplace exists for two reasons. 1) government regulations. 2) the marketplace demands diversity.

The Massachusetts state Supplier Diversity Office recorded  $991,590,145 in total Commonwealth spending attributed to its Supplier Diversity Office targeted minority business sector in FY2014 ( certified as MBEs, WBEs and SBPP goods, services and construction.)

Minority MBEs ( minority business enterprises ) sold $247,150,817 to the state. An amount of $574,818,148 was sold by Women Business Enterprise (WBE) to the state.  Another $16,263,222 went to MBE’s in direct construction related contracts from state buyers and $12,411,914 went to WBEs or white women owned companies in direct construction related contracts from state buyers.

See the Annual Report from the source.

Boston Mayor Walsh has hired a Diversity Chief to oversee where his tight $2.2B a year is going.

Firms owned by white women who apply for the state WBE SDO designation are being classified as certified WBE minority enterprises when approved. Other minorities are given MBE or M/WBE status.

The  Massachusetts Gaming Commission licensed vendor designation is a new group classifications for a business because the state has never had licensed casinos before. In the beginning, this new industry segment is pumping a collective $250 million per year into minority-owned firms.

You won’t be able to do much business with a casino in Massachusetts unless you get a license as a vendor from the gaming commissioners.

The Boston MBDA  Minority Business Development Agency has helped position minority companies with large federal source awards.

Early Morning Software has a DBE activity monitoring software product it sells to corporate and government procurement departments. $36 Billion annually is the US market size for diversity spend by these corporations that have to track it.

When the local MBTA agency buys product from a vendor, anything over $25,000 is bidded out but when its less, they choose to buy from vendors in the system. Companies should be certified DBE ( over $1 mil a year in sales ) to get the big bucks from the T.

The KEOLIS transportation company runs locomotives over Massachusetts commuter rail lines. Its Manager of Purchasing and Materials in concert with the KEOLIS  Director of DBE,EEO and Diversity intends to award 17% of its annual direct spend to the best minority DBE,WBE,MBE and SDVOB certified suppliers it can source if the incumbent purchasing managers release their grip on controls they hold close due to the hostile takeover by KEOLIS.

The Diversity SmartTrack online Massachusetts web site tracks 14,000 purchase orders flowing to and from buyers to minority vendors.

The City of Boston’s Economic Chief John Barros is working on splitting up a $1.8 billion capital budget for contract procurement into smaller sizes in the $100K range so that smaller companies have a better chance on winning some awards. The city’s total budget is over $20 billion dollars.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission publicizes these diversity spend numbers:

Penn National Gaming is opening a slots casino  in Massachusetts and MGM is opening a casino in Springfield Massachusetts.  MGM set a goal of  $50 million per year budgeted for minority businesses. Penn will be spending millions on minority businesses too.

WYNN is opening a casino near Boston Massachusetts.  A DBE goal of 15% and up to $120 million per year  has been set by Wynn for doing business with minorities.

The money casinos bring to the table are in addition to the ambitious goals for minority business inclusion regional institutions such as the Boston Red Sox, Harvard University, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Raytheon, Bank of America and others have been working with for quite some time.

The Boston Minority Business Market size is sharply up over years past. It probably has surpassed minority spending levels the Big Dig Tunnel era claimed.

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INK BLOCK Apartments Affordable Rental Rate Price List

INK BLOCK Affordable Apartment prices

There was a lottery held about a year ago with 41 New Affordable Apartments were offered for rent.

Rents for the affordable units were:

14  Studios rented for $1,020 with 570 sqft
20 1BR rented for $1,190 720 sqft
6  2BR rented for $1,361 1,050 sqft
1 3BR rented for $1,531 1,440 sqft

The affordable units had MAXIMUM household incomes of:
1 Person – $46,100
2 Person – $52,700
3 Person – $59,300
4 Person – $65,850
5 Person – $71,150
6 Person – $76,400

*Income Limits are subject to change when the BRA publishes the annual Income Limits

The First Lottery was held in 2014 from Nov 17th thru Nov 25th. The office handling the rental development and affordable units was the SEB Office, 165 Chestnut Hill Ave #2, Brighton, MA 02135.

These were the listed preferences in the lottery:

Asset, Use & Occupancy Restrictions apply.
Disabled households have preference for 8 accessible units.
Preference for Boston Residents.
Preference for Households with at least one person per bedroom.
Ink Block is a smoke free community

For more information or reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities, call 617.782.6900

 

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Here’s what affordable housing means.

Subtotal your monthly expenses for these housing costs:

– rent or mortgage
– utilities
– taxes
– insurance and etc.

If it is equal to or less than 30% of your income, you are paying an “Affordable” rate for housing.

If you make $1,000 a month in income, $325/mo rent is too much.

Typically, the phrase “affordable housing” means any housing where the total housing costs are affordable (cost no more than 30% of income) for a family that earns no more than 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI).

In Greater Boston, 80% of AMI for a family of 2 is $51,400. For a family 4 it is $64,200.

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Snow wait Boston

My heart and soul looks forward to summer months and travel. But my body is skeptical. It could get Boston 2015 snow in suburbs unbearably hot this summer in 2015. While the February winter was unusually snowy and hard on the entire region and its structures, I didn’t seem to mind it all that much.  I marveled at the high snow banks and the sheer amount of it.
I will not marvel about hot hot sun heat if the humidity and weather is not comfortable. Well, there’s not much to do about these things but move, travel or bear witness to mother nature. Or, we can adapt!  We must.

 

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Complete Guide to Massachusetts M.G.L 40H certified CDCs

A CDC or Community Development Corporation is a non-profit organization formed to provide affordable housing inventory to residents living in Massachusetts.  This list was created in 2015. New ones may be operating. Please report  any links that no longer work or tell us about new CDCs not on this list.

CDC Directory

  1. Allston Brighton CDC
    Allston Brighton CDC
    20 Linden Street, Suite 288
    Allston, MA 02134
    Phone: 617-787-3874, Fax: 617-787-0425     
  2. Asian Community Development Corportion Boston
    ACDC now has five properties in its portfolio that includes 756 homes of which 375 are
    affordable. Three developments in Chinatown account for 702 newly built homes. ACDC received nearly 4,400 applications for the 95 affordable rental units in at the 300 suite building at 66 Hudson at One Greenway. Families begin moving into One Greenway August 2015.

     

     

  3. Belmont Town of Belmont Housing Trust and the HOME Consortium contact is  Jeffrey Wheeler in the Office of Community Development at 617-993-2666 or by e-mail at jwheeler@belmont-ma.gov . Belmont’s affordable housing developments are Waverley Woods Affordable Rental Housing Development (Zone 6, McLean District), B Street and  Brighton Street. Direct questions about applying for apartments or buying a home to  the Office of Community Development.
  4.  

    CDC of Southern Berkshire
    Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire (CDCSB)
    P.O. Box 733
    17 Bridge Street
    Great Barrington MA 01230
    p 413.528.7788, f 413.528.4978, info@cdcsb.org
    Over the last five years, we have leveraged over $13 million in public and private investment for southern Berkshire County and created fifty affordable housing units.

  5.  

    Coalition for a Better Acre (Lowell)
    517 Moody Street, Floor 3
    Lowell, MA 01854-4014
    Tel: 978-452-7523 | Fax: 978-452-4923 | info@cbacre.org
    Coalition for a Better Acre has has been responsible for the development of 425 residential rental units and sold an additional 50 homes to first-time homebuyers.

  6. Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corp
    Showcases apartments at 702 Washington Street Dorchester Ma 02124, 617.825.8888;
    173 Columbia Road, Dorchester MA, 617.287.9580 and 193 Talbot Ave., Dorchester MA 02124, 617.265.3200 on their web site. Manages 40 Fairmont Corridor coop apartments and has a lot on the ball in Dorchester.     
  7. Lexington Housing Partnership
    click for the current list of Lexington Affordable Housing Opportunities

     

     

  8. Randolph – the Town of Randolph has public housing. There is Elderly Drive built in 1967 with 48 one bedroom units on Mill Street; Sunshine Avenue was built a year later with 64 one bedroom units on Oak Street and there is DeCeIle Drive built in 1975 with 124 one bedroom units offNorth Street where the RHA or Randolph Housing Authority office  – Phone (781) 961-1400,
    Fax (781) 963-0251;  is located.   Checkout http://www.randolphhousingauthority.org/properties/
     
  9. Worcester Common Ground
    5 Piedmont Street Worcester, MA 01610 508-754-0908
    The WCG CDC finances community development. Over 128 affordable units are in its care.
  1. Worcester Community Housing Resources
    contacto con: Olivia Cepeda Office Manager/Finance Assistant (508) 799-0322 ext. 100.  See affordable houses and condos for sale and rentals for income qualified tenants on its web link above site.
  2. Worcester East Side CDC
    310 Highland Street Worcester, MA 016042, 508-799-6942
    See what they have to offer.

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