THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 2021 Page 13 BAKER | FROM PAGE 12 ed crisis.” Funding highlights include: • Income eligibility – households making up to 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) will be eligible for funding (RAFT has an eligibility threshold of 50 percent of AMI). • Longer-term assistance – households may be eligible for up to 12 months of rental arrears (plus an extra three months of stipends for future rent if funding allows and need is demonstrated) as well as overdue utilities arrears up to $1,500. All rent and utility arrears must have been accrued after March 13, 2020. Currently, RAFT and ERMA can provide up to $10,000 per household for rental arrearages or stipends. • Prioritization of funds for those most at risk, including those making less than 50 percent of AMI and those unemployed for 90 days or more. In addition, DHCD, in partnership with MassHousing and the Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP), will launch a new program to allow qualified owners of income-restricted units, as well as Local Housing Authorities, to apply for help directly on behalf of all their income-eligible residents with past-due rent. The Subsidized Housing Emergency Rental Assistance (SHERA) program will expedite relief for possibly tens of thousands of eligible tenants in need, while also allowing administering agencies to concentrate on applications from non-subsidized tenants in need of assistance. Federal resources will also be made available to families who are eligible for Emergency Assistance (EA) Shelter, by coupling ERAP rental assistance benefits with the existing HomeBASE benefit and housing services. This will help those who owe arrears and are at risk of becoming unhoused, and also those who are exiting EA shelter and transitioning into permanent housing. The Administration is also pursuing two pilot initiatives: The first will allow municipalities to provide targeted outreach and hands-on ERAP application support to communities with demonstrated need and hard-to-reach populations, and the second provides targeted outreach strategies to small landlords about the availability of ERAP and other state financial assistance programs. “Thanks to the hard work of DHCD and so many partners, we’ve transformed how we support families facing an eviction or a housing crisis during the pandemic. We’ve increased our dollar commitment, and introduced new, comprehensive services like free and low-cost legal aid and community mediation between tenants and landlords to help keep people housed,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy. “As we enter a critical stage of our economic recovery, it is absolutely vital to ensure families have access to safe, stable housing.” “These additional resources, combined with process improvements and expanded eligibility, have allowed us to adjust our relief programs to match the urgency required by this public health crisis. Over the last nine months, we have worked closely with our partners to create a better application process for applicants and administering agencies,” said DHCD Undersecretary Jennifer Maddox. “Thanks to our partners in the Legislature, the Courts, and our network of advocates, we’ve never been more ready to provide assistance to families in need.” “The addition of the federal dollars means we can serve even more households struggling to pay their housing costs and provide deeper resources to fully bridge the gap of what’s needed to stabilize tenancies,” said Regional Housing Network of Massachusetts Executive Director Stefanie Coxe. “This helps us further transform a homelessness prevention program into a disaster relief fund.” “The last year has shown how important our homes are to our BAKER | SEE PAGE 10
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