Tag: Section 8

Posted on

Amazon’s 50,000 promised jobs and the Section 8 Waiting list of 60,000 households are numbers with a lot of zeros.

Amazon job promises are gold coin to city revenue collectors.   Don’t let it just be about money, Boston. People you can download the latest lottery leads package where income-restricted earners can apply for affordable rentals or homes to buy before deadline from sources listed in  links.

Non-profit affordable housing advocates, community social workers, agencies, activists and local governments are stretching ahead to build as much affordable housing as they can. Then, all of a sudden, 50,000 jobs might come if Boston beats the competition and lands the new Amazon headquarters and those workers would buy a lot of units, adding even more pressure on the competition for units that people Who Need Them will be harder to get.

If THEY build that HQ here.

If they don’t come, okay – why would the cities not be building affordable housing on the million acre parcels at Suffolk Downs or at the Flower Exchange area designated for Amazon now?  Money? City Managers want revenue upfront. It takes a while to recoup affordable housing investments, It takes years. When an apartment building in the Charles River area was built, it had a 30-year agreement under it to keep lease rents affordable.

See what I mean.

Section 8 – A wait list report is due out on the 60,000 households on various Section 8 Housing Voucher WaitList across the state for vacant public housing priced units where no more than 30% what ever it is, of your income is charged out to rent. So, if you think it was you who couldn’t find a free Section 8 apt,  it ain’t just you.  The author of the report warns that the results will be very negative. He reports soon and we’ll let you know.

 

 

Posted on

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

download the lastest apartment lottery lead sheets here.

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.

 

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. ]