by iwd Tina | May 12, 2021 | Housing News
The 21st consecutive (and 1st virtual) Affordable Housing Development Competition drew to a close with the recent announcement that Lancaster Commons, a proposal for a multi-phased, mixed-use project with 48 affordable rental units that aims to rehabilitate and reactivate an underutilized rural site of historic significance in Lancaster, received the first-place prize. Lancaster Commons was developed by a student team from Harvard University and MIT in collaboration with Metro West Collaborative Development, Davis Square Architects, and a finance mentor from Community Development Assistance Corporation.
Graduate students in architecture, real estate, planning, finance, public health, and policy, from Harvard, MIT, Tufts, UMass – Boston and Wentworth Institute of Technology, some studying in distant time zones, joined together to form seven teams in partnership with New England affordable housing organizations.
Second place went to Baycrest Commons, a proposal to create a 100-unit mixed-income apartment complex on an underutilized site in Portland, ME. Reservoir Village, which proposes to create 58 affordable units for families and seniors at the site of an Episcopal church in Franklin, MA, as part of a community inspired by the themes of sanctuary, belonging, and nature took third place with an honorable mention going to Remond Green, an all affordable family housing development in Salem, MA.
Please view the full press release from the Federal Home Loan Bank Boston.
The full development proposals can be viewed at:
- Andrews Mill, North Smithfield, RI
- Baycrest Commons, Portland, ME
- Lancaster Commons, Lancaster, MA
- Remond Green, Salem, MA
- Reservoir Village, Franklin, MA
- The Paraclete Residences, South Boston, MA
- Willow Park, Watertown, MA
by iwd Tina | May 11, 2021 | Housing News
On May 11, 2021, the Senate Committee on Ways and Means released its FY2022 state budget proposal. The proposal provides increased funding for many of CHAPA’s affordable housing budget priorities, including for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program, the Alternative Housing Voucher Program, Public Housing, Housing Consumer Education Centers, and DMH rental subsidies.
CHAPA’s full language analysis of our budget priorities also includes a description of changes made to the program language. For MRVP, these changes include reducing the tenant payment share from 40% of a household’s income to 30%.
Senators have until Friday, May 14, to file amendments to the budget proposal. The Senate will then debate and finalize its budget proposal the week of May 24. Please stay tuned for action alerts on how you can take action to help make the strongest possible budget for affordable housing, community development, and homelessness prevention!
The budget will then go to a conference committee to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions.
Overview of CHAPA Budget Priorities
by iwd Tina | May 5, 2021 | Housing News
On May 5, 2021, D.C. District Judge Dabney Friedrich vacated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) federal eviction moratorium, which was set to expire on June 30, 2021. The federal judge ruled that the Public Health Service Act did not give the CDC the legal authority to impose the moratorium. However, the Department of Justice immediately appealed the decision vacating the CDC moratorium and the judge granted a temporary stay of the decision pending the appeal.
This means that the federal eviction moratorium currently remains in effect as of Thursday, May 6, 2021.
An estimated 40 million Americans were facing eviction during the pandemic, according to a report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition. The CDC moratorium protected millions of renters at risk of losing their homes, but it has faced several legal challenges. Some courts have ruled that the CDC has the authority to issue the order and rejected efforts to stop the ban, while others have ruled in favor of landlords. While the ruling does not affect state or local eviction moratoriums, Massachusetts’ eviction moratorium ended on October 17, 2020.
The Baker-Polito Administration, MassHousing, Citizens’ Housing & Planning Association (CHAPA), and the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Organizations (MACDC) created a five-point Eviction Diversion Pledge, which solidified a commitment from Massachusetts property owners and operators to work with tenants facing financial difficulties because of the pandemic and supporting housing stability during the ongoing fight against the spread of COVID-19. The pledge originally asked for a commitment through March 31st, 2021, with 73 property owners committed, representing 141,792 homes across the Commonwealth.
“CHAPA is disappointed with yesterday’s news of the overturned federal eviction moratorium. We applaud the Biden Administration for immediately appealing this ruling to protect renters and our nation’s public health,” said Rachel Heller, CEO of CHAPA. “Regardless of the status of this federal case, we call on all Massachusetts landlords and property owners to recommit to the Eviction Diversion Pledge, continue to abide by the eviction moratorium, and proactively work with residents to help them access all available emergency rental assistance so they can stay in their homes.”
If you signed the previous Pledge, please sign up again through this new form so we can confirm your extended commitment through June.
If you own or manage rental housing, please sign this Pledge to work with tenants who have fallen behind on rent. The Pledge includes helping renters access rental assistance, complete the necessary paperwork to benefit from the national eviction moratorium (regardless of its status in federal court cases), create payment plans, and other measures to help residents stay in their homes. This pledge is for property owners of any size and requires a commitment to these tenets through June 2021.
More details on each tenet of the Pledge can be found on the Google Form.
As of June 1, fourteen property owners committed to the Pledge through June 30, representing 3,739 homes across the Commonwealth. The property owners include:
Ace Tayloe
B’nai B’rith Housing
Capstone Communities LLC
Caritas Communities
Erik Nottleson
Fenway Community Development Corporation
FHRC Management Corporation
Hebrew SeniorLife
Hildebrand
Jeff Hecht
Jonathon Feinberg
Leslie Belay
Standard Communities
by iwd Tina | May 4, 2021 | Housing News
On April 23, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) posted proposed amendments to the 2021-2022 Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP). The proposed amendments are to reflect the affordable housing funding competitions for 2021 and to change competitive scoring requirements related to development teams and minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBE) policies, practices, and procurement.
The amendment has been posted to DHCD’s website at the following link: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/qualified-allocation-plan.
DHCD will hold a virtual public hearing on the proposed amendment on Thursday, May 13, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. If you wish to participate in the virtual hearing, please contact Bertha Borin at (617) 573-1309 or bertha.borin@mass.gov to receive the access codes for the hearing.
Written comments can be submitted by e-mail to rebecca.frawley@mass.gov or catherine.racer@mass.gov. If you would prefer to mail your comments, please contact DHCD directly to be provided with the street address to use. Comments may be submitted prior to the close of business on May 20, 2021.
The QAP is a document that Massachusetts is required to develop in order to distribute federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTCs), which can be awarded only to affordable housing developments that fit the QAP’s priorities and criteria. The QAP must spells out DHCD priorities and specify the criteria it will use to select projects competing for tax credits.
by iwd Tina | May 3, 2021 | Housing News
During the early hours of April 29, the Massachusetts House of Representatives concluded debate on its FY2022 state budget proposal. The budget includes strong investments in CHAPA’s affordable housing priorities. The House proposed increases for Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP), Alternative Housing Voucher Program, Public Housing, Housing Consumer Education Centers, the Tenancy Preservation Program, and DMH Rental Subsidies.
The House also included an important program change for RAFT which will allow applicants to access up to $10,000 in emergency housing assistance beyond the COVID-19 emergency. The House budget also allows families to access the maximum benefits for both RAFT and HomeBASE, if eligible.
Unfortunately, the amendments advocated for by CHAPA on MRVP, HomeBASE, and Community Preservation Act recording fees for affordable housing were not adopted during the budget debate. CHAPA thanks all the Representatives who sponsored and co-sponsored these amendments.
Thanks to Speaker Mariano, House Ways and Means Chair Michlewitz, and all House members for supporting affordable housing, homelessness prevention, and community development resources in the final House FY2022 state budget proposal!
The State Senate will debate its budget proposal this May. Please stay tuned on the next steps for the senate budget advocacy!
Table of FY2022 Priorities in House Budget
by iwd Tina | Apr 30, 2021 | Housing News
On April 30, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) posted a Request for Responses (RFR) for a Fair Housing Initiative.
DHCD is soliciting proposals from eligible respondents to provide fair housing advocacy and services across Massachusetts. DHCD’s primary objectives for this Initiative are:
- Increasing housing choice for voucher holders across the state
- Addressing gaps in funding for fair housing enforcement under the State’s anti-discrimination law, ch. 151B, particularly public/rental assistance recipiency
- Addressing lead paint discrimination
- Addressing co-occurring discriminatory bases, including race, national origin, and familial status
DHCD plans to use up to $500,000 per year over an initial three-year pilot period in Moving To Work Block Grant funding flexibility to award funding to a selected fair housing enforcement agency or agencies to identify fair housing compliance and enforcement issues across privately-owned housing in DHCD’s jurisdiction, investigate discriminatory practices, and provide enforcement assistance for households with a housing voucher.
Additionally, the funding will be used to develop best practices and education for low-income households and owners regarding fair housing including but not limited to advertising and outreach, as well as educational offerings on fair housing rights and responsibilities. The clients served under this activity may include households with housing assistance vouchers outside of the participants in DHCD’s Housing Choice Voucher Program.
Responses are due no later than 4:00PM on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Responses received after that date and time will not be considered. This RFR has been posted on the Commonwealth’s procurement and solicitation system, COMMBUYS.
