Real Estate
Emergency Rental Assistance Available Now In Town Of Needham
Funding is available now to help Needham residents who have lost income due to COVID-19 make rent payments in the coming months.
April 15, 2021
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NEEDHAM – Thursday, April 15, 2021 – Funding is available now to help Needham residents who have lost income due to COVID-19 make rent payments in the coming months. Income levels have been adjusted since the program was launched in the Fall of 2020 to reflect updated 2021 income levels.
Approved by Special Town Meeting in October, the Emergency Rental Assistance Program includes $120,000 from the Community Housing Reserve and the Community Preservation Fund, both overseen by the Community Preservation Committee. The program is also funded through a grant of $50,000 from the Massachusetts Covid-19 Relief Fund, secured for Needham by the Foundation for MetroWest.
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“The rental assistance program offered by the Town of Needham has been incredibly helpful as the pandemic continues to create financial challenges for people like me who work in the service industry,” said Kimberly Collyer, a Needham resident who was laid off from her job as a bartender due to Covid in March 2020. The Emergency Rental Assistance Program allowed Collyer to cover her rent for six months. “I appreciate the community’s willingness to support this program.”
Qualified residents may receive assistance covering 50 percent of their rent, up to $1,500 per month, for up to six months if funds remain available . To qualify, applicants must reside in a private rental unit, including affordable Chapter 40B units, in Needham. Residents must earn at or below 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI). All participants will be required to document loss of income due to COVID-19.
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Households living in Needham Housing Authority units, having a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) subsidy, or other housing subsidy, are not eligible for this program as those residents are already entitled to rent reductions if their income is reduced. Residents of nursing homes are also ineligible.
The Emergency Rental Assistance Program is administered by Metro West Collaborative Development. Awarded rent relief funds will be paid directly to recipients’ landlords.
This press release was produced by the Town of Needham. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
