ACTION ALERT: What You Can Do Today to Prevent Evictions
When the eviction moratorium expired on October 17th, the Baker Administration launched an Eviction Diversion Initiative with $171 million in resources and a new framework that encourages mediation between tenants and landlords to prevent evictions and homelessness. This Initiative will help thousands of people stay in their homes, but its success requires commitments from property owners and tenants.
CHAPA and MACDC are encouraging property owners of all sizes to sign onto the housing pledge below, ensuring opportunities for renters to access available resources and avoid evictions while keeping properties stable. Additionally, we all need to get the word out so that people who are unable to pay their rent know about these resources and how to access them quickly.
Sign the Housing Pledge
If you own rental housing, please join affordable housing owners and developers in 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, create payment plans, and other measures to help residents stay in their homes.
If you own or manage rental housing, please sign onto the housing pledge by end of day, November 11th. This pledge is for property owners of any size and requires a commitment to the following tenets through March 2021.
By signing the housing pledge, you will:
- Abide by and support the current CDC eviction moratorium
- Proactively engage with residents and create payment plans
- Support and accept rental assistance payments
- Promote rent adjustments for Section 8/MRVP families
- Encourage structured & interactive mediation
More details on each of these tenets can be found at the link.
Beacon Communities, Homeowners Rehab, Inc., Madison Park Development Corporation, NeighborWorks Housing Solutions, Preservation of Affordable Housing, The Community Builders, Trinity Financial, and Winn Companies initiated and signed the pledge.
Help Get the Word Out About Available Resources
We can all help people stay stable in their homes by sharing information about what resources are available for renters who are behind on their rent.
If you are struggling to pay rent or know someone who needs help paying rent, please call 2-1-1 or reach out to the Housing Consumer Education Center in your region, who can help you access and apply for rental assistance programs like RAFT, ERMA, and local programs in your city or town.
If you can’t pay your rent because of COVID-19 or have received an eviction notice, you may be protected under the federal eviction moratorium in place through December 31st. You must notify your landlord in writing in order to be protected by the federal moratorium. Visit MassLegalHelp to learn more about the federal moratorium, including whether you are protected by the moratorium and how to notify your landlord in writing.
See DHCD’s website for sample social media posts in English and Spanish to spread the word online about these resources.