Soaring Rents Squeeze Growing Rental Voucher Program
Housing advocates say Gov. Maura Healey’s proposal to boost it an additional 16 percent in fiscal 2026 only keeps up with inflation due to sky-high housing prices.
Letter to the Editor: Reviving Chapter 257 Will Imperil Small Landlords
Instead of extending outdated policies, as Banker & Tradesman called for in a recent editorial, we should increase housing production and create needs-based rental aid programs, where property owners receive the funds directly.
Advocates Appeal To Lift New Limit On Rental Aid
Housing advocates warned Tuesday that a Baker administration policy limiting rental aid eligibility has put help out of reach for tenants who are struggling to make ends meet, urging lawmakers to intervene and unwind the measure in the coming weeks.
How We Can Invest Today in a Better Tomorrow for Massachusetts
Returning to “normal” shouldn’t mean skyrocketing rents and home prices. Yet, that’s what we’re seeing happen across the state. It’s time we put the lessons learned over the last two years into practice to fix the housing crisis.
Baker: No New Applicants for Federal COVID Rental Aid
With federal money running out, the Baker administration announced that it is closing several pandemic-era emergency rental aid program to new applicants.
Why MassLandlords Has Sued DHCD Over Rental Assistance Records
We are asking the court to order DHCD release records on rental assistance applications, so we can see whether problems in the application process discriminated against renters of color and their landlords.
Rental Aid Changes Likely to Hurt the Needy, Landlords, Advocates Warn
Massachusetts renters who seek state aid to avoid eviction will face new requirements and a revised application process in less than a week, a sudden shift that prompted dozens of housing advocates to demand lawmakers intervene and stave off a “disgraceful and unnecessary outcome.”
We Spent $400M for Secret Housing
The Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development has denied MassLandlords’ request to see where rental assistance was spent, or where applications were denied. The result is that $400 million of our public funds were spent in secret, with no public oversight. Landlords should be outraged.
Eviction Aid Distribution Boosted, State Hopes for More Federal Money
The federal government is revving up to redistribute some unspent rental aid it steered to states during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Massachusetts hopes to be near the top of the list to receive an extra boost.
Treasury Reforms Rules for Rental Aid in Face of Lagging Distribution
States and localities have only distributed 11 percent of the tens of billions of dollars in federal rental assistance, the Treasury Department said Wednesday, the latest sign the program is struggling to reach the millions of tenants at risk of eviction.
Real Estate Rails Against New Eviction Freeze Bill
Real estate industry leaders and landlords lined up in opposition to a bill on Beacon Hill that would revive the state eviction moratorium, arguing that the hundreds of millions of dollars that remain available in rental aid prevent any need for the temporary ban.
Janey Open to Boston Affordability Rules Changes
Acting Mayor Kim Janey supports updating Boston’s inclusionary development policy including potential changes to maximum household income and the required sizes of affordable units.
Report Argues for Ongoing Rental Aid to Combat Mass. Housing Crisis
A new report from The Boston Foundation and the UMass Donahue Institute is calling for the state rental assistance infrastructure built up during the COVID-19 pandemic to be maintained once the current package of federal COVID aid expires.
Eviction Rules Get Post-Pandemic Extension
Landlords seeking to evict tenants will continue to face pandemic-era requirements when initiating cases, but no new eviction moratorium, under bills speedily making their way through Beacon Hill.
CDC Eviction Ban Extended Through June 30
The Biden administration is extending a federal moratorium on evictions of tenants who have fallen behind on rent during the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden Virus Aid Plan Adds $30B in Rent, Utilities Help
The Senate approved a sweeping pandemic relief package over Republican opposition on Saturday, moving President Joe Biden closer to a milestone political victory.
Biden to Meet with GOP Lawmakers to Discuss Virus Relief
President Joe Biden is set to meet Monday with a group of 10 Republican senators who have proposed spending about one-third of the $1.9 trillion he is seeking in coronavirus aid.
Biden Extends CDC Eviction Moratorium Through March
In one of the first acts of his new administration, President Joe Biden extended the federal eviction and foreclosure moratorium though March 31 as he prepares to ask Congress for an additional extension through September.
Biden Promises Extension of Eviction Freeze, Rent Relief
President-elect Joe Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion coronavirus plan Thursday to end “a crisis of deep human suffering” by speeding up vaccines and pumping out financial help to those struggling with the pandemic’s prolonged economic fallout.
Trump Relents, Signs COVID Relief
President Donald Trump has signed a $900 billion pandemic relief package, ending days of drama over his refusal to accept the bipartisan deal that will deliver long-sought cash to businesses and individuals and avert a federal government shutdown.
