Tag: Section 8

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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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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 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.

 

 

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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. ]