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Contact Information
Monday - Wednesday
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Thursday
8:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Friday
8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Phone
(617) 625-6600 ext 2581Referral Form
Formulario de Referido
Formulário de Encaminhamento
Fòm Referans
50 Evergreen Ave.
Somerville, MA 02145
United States
Employee Directory
Jump To:
The Office of Housing Stability (OHS) is open Monday-Wednesday, 8:30-4:30; Thursday, 8:30-7:30, and Friday, 8:30-12:30. OHS serves all Somerville residents, landlords, and property owners, regardless of income or language spoken. If you or a client you are working with have a question or need further assistance, please fill out the referral intake form completely.
Need special assistance?
Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy in advance at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or apomeroy@somervillema.gov
Direct Services:
Currently, the Office of Housing Stability offers the following direct services:
- Help accessing financial assistance for rent, mortgage arrears, and start-up rental costs.
- Case management to help stabilize tenancies.
- Housing search services including applications for affordable housing and Section 8 vouchers.
- Support accessing emergency shelter.
- Advocacy and referrals for legal services and tenant organizing.
- Outreach and education about tenant rights.
- Advice, information, and workshops for Somerville tenants, landlords, and advocates.
- Anti-displacement policy advocacy.
Our Mission
To prevent the involuntary displacement of Somerville residents who are in the process of eviction or at other risk of losing their housing; to rehouse those without stable housing or who otherwise need to relocate; and to support the enactment of policies and the creation of programs to combat displacement and enhance tenants’ rights.
2024 Citywide Mailer: It takes a Somervillage to tackle the housing crisis! We sent this mailer to Somerville residents in July. Please connect with us! (Links in PDF are live)
- Connect with the Office of Housing Stability (OHS) to help keep Somerville housed.
- Comuníquese con la Oficina de Estabilidad de Vivienda (OHS) para ayudar a mantener las viviendas en Somerville.
- Entre em contato com o Escritório de Estabilidade Habitacional (OHS, em inglês) para ajudar a manter a comunidade de Somerville em suas casas.
- Konekte ak Biwo Estabilite Lojman (OHS) pou ede kenbe moun Somerville gen lojman.
- समरभिललाई बासस्थान बनाउनका लागी सहयोग गर्न आवास स्थिरताको कार्यालय अफिस अफ हाउसिङ स्टेबिलिटी (OHS) सँग जोडिनु होस्। यसका लागी क्यु.आर.
- 聯繫住房穩定辦事處,以獲取協助繼續住在薩默維爾。
- 联系住房稳定办事处,以获取协助继续住在萨默维尔。
Workshops
OHS workshops are in person unless otherwise noted. The City of Somerville can provide you with an interpreter in your language for free. To request an interpreter, please contact us at somervillema.gov/ContactSomerviva or call 311 (617-666-3311) at least 7 days in advance of this event.
October 10, 2024: OHS Workshop with Working Credit: Building Your Credit. 6PM, Somerville Housing Authority Mystic Activity Center, 530 Mystic Ave. Somerville, MA 02145. Registration link: https://bit.ly/OHSCreditBuilding
Sign Up for OHS Alerts and Newsletter
Meet Our Team
Ellen Shachter
Director
eshachter@somervillema.gov
(781) 307-3307 (work cell)
(617) 625-6600, ext. 2580
Yo hablo español
Fred Berman
Co-Deputy Director
fberman@somervillema.gov
(617) 335-2864 (work cell)
(617) 625-6600, ext. 2590
Susan Chimene
Co-Deputy Director
schimene@somervillema.gov
(781) 296-4002 (work cell)
(617) 625-6600, ext. 2591
Isabel Aguerrido
Housing Intake Supervisor
iaguerrido@somervillema.gov
(617) 702-6159 (work cell)
(617) 625-6600, ext. 2581
Yo hablo español
Lydia López
Client Services Manager
llopez@somervillema.gov
(781) 254-2285 (work cell)
(617) 625-6600, ext. 2582
Yo hablo español, eu falo português
Sonia Conde
Senior Case Manager
sconde@somervillema.gov
(617) 366-7531 (work cell)
Yo hablo español
Vartika Govil
Housing Case Manager/Special Initiatives
vgovil@somervillema.gov
(781) 808-7239 (work cell)
मैं हिंदी बोलती हूँ।
Ben Lappen
Housing Case Manager/Special Initiatives
blappen@somervillema.gov
(617) 366-7341 (work cell)
Yo hablo español
Eben Forbes
Rental Assistance Advocate
eforbes@somervillema.gov
(781) 789-6575 (work cell)
Yo hablo español
Ana Ramalho
Rental Assistance Advocate
anagomesramalho@somervillema.gov
(781) 808-7102 (work cell)
Eu falo português
Pennie Taylor
Program Development, Policy, and Communications Coordinator
ptaylor@somervillema.gov
(617) 366-7416 (work cell)
Yo hablo español
Yanna Shakes
Housing Intake Specialist
yshakes@somervillema.gov
(781) 823-9495 (work cell)
(617) 625-6600, ext. 2581
Jill Currier
Housing Case Manager/Special Initiatives
jcurrier@somervillema.gov
(781) 823-9269 (work cell)
Kelli Rodrigues
Housing Case Manager/Special Initiatives
krodrigues@somervillema.gov
857-270-4479 (work cell)
Yo hablo español
Our Impact: One Client's Story
A Place to Call Home
Two years ago, Surinder, a recent widow and single mother, received notice that her landlord was raising the rent on the apartment she shared with her daughter and her mother. Surinder had lived in this home for 15 years, ever since she moved from India to Somerville to live with her husband. Between Surinder’s widow benefits and earnings from her job at Dunkin Donuts, this multigenerational family could no longer afford to live in their own home.
With the threat of eviction looming, Surinder reached out to the Office of Housing Stability. OHS director Ellen Shachter advocated with Surinder’s landlord and convinced him to let Surinder’s family extend their stay at their original rent while OHS assisted them in a search for affordable housing. Waitlists for affordable housing are long, so Surinder’s family eventually moved into a temporary home with a roommate. The rent was still too high long term, and they missed their privacy, but it bought them time to keep searching for affordable housing.
OHS helped Surinder navigate her application to the 100 Homes Program, a partnership between the City of Somerville and Somerville Community Corporation that creates and preserves affordable housing. Ellen ensured that Surinder’s family was placed on the priority waitlist because they had been displaced through no fault of their own.
Six months later, Surinder’s family moved into their new home. Although lower than market price, the rent still exceeded 50% of Surinder’s income. In order to make this apartment truly affordable, OHS helped Surinder apply for a section 8 voucher, which guaranteed that the family’s rent would not exceed 30% of their income.
Today, Surinder’s family lives together in a two-bedroom apartment in East Somerville, close to the Somerville Public Library, Foss Park, and many local businesses and restaurants. They are grateful to be part of this close-knit community. Surinder greets her neighbors by name, and her daughter has friends in the neighborhood. Surinder works locally at a Dunkin Donuts while her daughter attends the nearby middle school. The whole family has appreciated spending time together during the COVID-19 pandemic, enjoying the privacy of their own home and outdoor space at the nearby park. Surinder can relax knowing that she has an affordable and stable apartment that her daughter and her mother love. She is the happiest she has felt in a long time, since for the first time in almost two years, Surinder’s family has a permanent place to call home.
Are you at risk of eviction?
- Call the Office of Housing Stability (OHS) for information, referrals and advocacy, 617-625-6600, Ext. 2581. No income limits. All languages accommodated.
- Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services, 617-603-1700,
- De Novo, 617-661-1010
- Call CAAS for the homelessness prevention program, 617-623-7370 or atienken@caasomerville.org
Are you homeless and need help finding shelter or transitional or permanent supportive housing?
Are you homeless and need help finding shelter or transitional or permanent supportive housing?
If you are not a City of Somerville resident and would like to find local housing resources, use the EOHLC resource finder tool.
Looking for ways to support people during the EA shelter crisis? Resources from the MIRA Coalition here: bit.ly/MAShelterCrisisResources
Homeless Individuals:
If you are experiencing Literal Homelessness (living in a place not meant for human habitation (e.g. street, car, camp), or in a shelter) please stop by the Somerville Homeless Coalition Engagement Center, open 9AM-5PM (closed 1-2 for lunch) Monday-Friday at 1 Davis Square, Somerville; call 617-623-6111 or visit https://somervillehomelesscoalition.org/engagement-center/
Homeless Families:
If you are homeless or about to be homeless and you are pregnant or live with a child age twenty-one or younger you may be eligible for shelter through the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) Emergency Assistance Family Shelter Program (EA shelter)- click the link to learn more and apply.
Please be aware that wait times to be placed in EA shelter have significantly increased: in most cases you can expect to wait months, not days.
Learn more about Family Shelter Program Changes and how the waitlist works here: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/whats-next-after-becoming-ea-eligible-the-contact-list-and-more
EA shelter guidelines are changing often, and eligibility can be complicated. If you need assistance, please contact our office.
What you need to apply:
- Proof of identity (examples: state issued driver’s license, birth certificate, or passport)
- Proof of family relationship. to be able to confirm that you & your children are all part of one family (examples: birth certificate, custody paperwork).
You will then have up to 30 days to provide other documents to show you are eligible for EA emergency family shelter. This includes:
- MA Residency Documents to prove that you are a resident and plan on staying here (examples: MassHealth registration, voter or school registration, any Mass. ID)
- Documents for Cause of Homelessness. EA shelter can only help families who are homeless for certain reasons. They can also help some families who do not have a safe place to stay (examples: eviction paperwork, documentation showing an inability to stay in your current home due to health, safety, or other reasons).
- Financial Information - Assets & Income. EA shelter is only for families who are below income and asset limits. (examples: pay stubs, bank statements) For more information visit https://www.mass.gov/how-to/apply-for-emergency-assistance-ea-family-shelter#income-requirements . (examples: pay stubs, bank statements)
- Citizenship or Immigration Documents. At least one family member must have an eligible immigration status. (examples: U.S. issued passport, green card, documentation that the United States is aware of the person’s presence and is not trying to make the person leave the country right away)
Information for Tenants
Tenants’ rights and responsibilities
For a summary of your tenancy rights in an eviction, read the HSNA.
Housing Stability Notification Act (HSNA)
The City of Somerville Housing Stability Notification Act requires landlords to provide a notice of rights and resources to new tenants at the start of a tenancy, as well as a separate notice of rights and resources to tenants at the end of a tenancy. Please note that these are two separate notices containing different information.
繁體中文 |
Kreyol Ayisyen 简体中文 |
City of Somerville The Tenant's Helper: A Handbook for Renters: TenantHandbook 2018.pdf
Attorney General’s Guide to Landlord and Tenant Rights
Tenancy
Security Deposits and last month’s rent
Legal handbook that goes through Security Deposits and Last Month's Rent, including what repairs can be covered by your security deposit.
Massachusetts General Laws about landlord's use of security deposit for repairs: Mass. Gen. Laws Chapter 186 § Section 15B
Template you can use to ask for a Security Deposit
Tenant screening – rights when you are applying for housing
Mass Legal Help “Pull Out Guide”
Chapter Two, Tenant Screening of “Legal Tactics: Tenants’ Right in Massachusetts”
Before you Move Out
Moving Out: Checklist, Giving Notice and Protecting Yourself
Eviction Information
Defending yourself Against an Eviction case: Answer Guide
Guide on How to file a Motion to Dismiss including a template
Preparing for Trial, guide to Discovery
Housing court forms in other languages
Fair Housing:
Fair housing laws protect all of us from discrimination based on: race, color, national origin, religion, gender identity, military status, age (except minors), sexual orientation, family status (e.g. have children), source of income (e.g. Section 8), disability, marital status, and ancestry.
If you believe you are being or have been discriminated against, you may file a Fair Housing Complaint with the City of Somerville’s Fair Housing Commission. To make a complaint, click here.
For more information on your rights and responsibilities, and tenant resources, visit the Housing Commission website here or call the Commission at 617-625-6600, x2584.
Mass Fair Housing: Get Help.
MassLegalHelp information on discrimination here.
Reporting your own case can make change happen! See this case: Rental Applicants Using Housing Vouchers Settle Groundbreaking Discrimination Class Action Against SafeRent Solutions.
Rental Assistance
Do you owe rent? Please reach out to our office for a referral. We may be able to assist an application to a local or state program.
- RAFT: The Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program provides short-term emergency funding to help you with eviction, foreclosure, loss of utilities, and other housing emergencies.
- Let's see if you might be eligible for RAFT. (google.com)
RAFT Application Portal: Home (mass.gov)
- Let's see if you might be eligible for RAFT. (google.com)
- Somerville Homeless Coalition (SHC) Rapid Response Program has Rental Support and Services including Rental Start Up Costs, Short-term Rental Subsidies, and Eviction Prevention. Visit here.
- The Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) Housing Advocacy Program can help if you owe rent and are at risk of eviction. Learn more here.
- Somerville Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Program
-
From March-June 2024, OHS joined the Somerville Family Learning Collaborative (SFLC)’s Office of Basic Needs and Housing Support to enroll 200 Somerville households in the Somerville Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Program. 130 OHS clients who experienced housing instability in the past year were determined eligible and invited to enroll in the program. Participants will receive $750 per month for one year. This program is funded by the City of Somerville, using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and private charitable donations. We are working with the Collins Center and the Center for Social Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston on evaluation of the program and look forward to sharing what we learn.
Basic Income programs have existed in the United States in various forms since the 1960s. They are gaining support and popularity in recent years, as studies show that these programs can change people's lives for the better. They were created to improve the financial health of people struggling to make ends meet, by giving monthly payments.
Participants can use the payments in whatever way they need to improve their lives and financial stability.
- Somerville Municipal Voucher Program
-
The Municipal Voucher Program (MVP) is a new and innovative program using City funds to provide deeply affordable housing for some of Somerville’s most vulnerable residents. The MVP prioritizes vouchers for families that are ineligible for federal affordable housing resources, have children in the Somerville schools, and are facing significant housing instability. This enabled the City to target this resource to those in the community that were otherwise most likely to be displaced from Somerville.
The MVP program is now up and running with over twenty families already benefiting from the program and more to come. We expect to be able to house twenty-nine families with existing funding.
Some of the vouchers are project-based, so voucher holders could move into new apartments served by the program. Other vouchers were lease-in-place, so selected voucher holders can stay in their current apartments. Still others have been issued mobile vouchers so they can find housing of their choice on the open market.
OHS client and son are happy in their new MVP apartment, March 2024.
Property Owner Resources
The SomerVIP program offers incentives for renting to Section 8 voucher holders.
- For more information visit: https://somervillehomelesscoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/SomerVIP-Flyer-new.pdf
- To fill out a pre-application, click here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOzUs3aqGVYXoo731Dw0X0DGviqqncZslvbhgdePdReSKEqg/viewform
Housing Stability Notification Act (HSNA)
The City of Somerville Housing Stability Notification Act requires landlords to provide a notice of rights and resources to new tenants at the start of a tenancy, as well as a separate notice of rights and resources to tenants at the end of a tenancy. Please note that these are two separate notices containing different information.
繁體中文 |
Kreyol Ayisyen 简体中文 |
Full HSNA ordinance text
Fuel assistance
SOMERVIVA
- Need legal help? Volunteer Lawyers Project represents low-income landlords of 2-3 family homes statewide: https://vlpnet.org/get-help/
- Initiate a Landlord RAFT application: The Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program provides up to $7,000 per 12-month period to help your tenants with back rent or with "startup costs" for a new unit. Examples of "startup costs" are first and last month’s rent and a security deposit.
To apply for RAFT, both a tenant and a landlord must complete corresponding applications. If the application is approved, payment will be submitted directly to you. Visit https://www.mass.gov/how-to/how-landlords-can-apply-for-raft - RAFT funding is also available to low-income homeowners who are at risk of foreclosure. Eligible homeowners may apply through the Emergency Housing Payment Assistance Portal.
- Know the Anti-Discrimination Laws on Housing Vouchers- see a guide for Property Owners and Landlords from the Fair Housing Alliance of Massachusetts here.
Housing Search
Searching for Market Rate Housing
New OHS Housing Search guide includes:
- How to prepare and what documentation you need for housing search.
- Basic steps on how to rent a unit or a room.
- Tools to use for market rate housing search.
- Resources for moving costs.
You can review the Housing Search guide in the following languages:
- English: Searching for rental housing
- Spanish: Búsqueda de vivienda para alquilar
- Portuguese: Buscando imóveis para alugar
- Haitian Creole: Chèche kay pou lwe
- Nepali: भाडाको घर खोज्दै हुनुहुन्छ?
- Traditional Chinese: 尋找出租房
- Simplified Chinese: 寻找出租屋
If you are not sure what the income eligibility is for any given program, be sure to review the application or contact the housing provider for more information. For affordable housing programs that use HOME income limits, please view the income guidelines here. For the Somerville Housing Authority income guidelines for state and federal public housing and the Section 8 program, please see the next section for guideline links.
Where can I apply for affordable housing in Somerville?
Somerville Housing Authority
Somerville Housing Authority provides subsidized housing for eligible low and moderate-income families and elderly. To determine if you are income eligible for the federal public housing program, view the guidelines here. To determine if you are income eligible for state public housing, view the guidelines here. For the Section 8 income guidelines, click here. Please note there are different immigration eligibility criteria for state and federal housing programs, including public housing. Certain federal housing programs require certain types of recognized immigration status. Eligibility for state public housing does not include any immigration restrictions; households may apply regardless of immigration status.
Federal Public Housing
- Family Federal Public Housing Application
- Elderly/Disabled Federal Public Housing Application
State Public Housing
- Family State Public Housing Application
The state public housing application is now called the Common Housing Application for Massachusetts Public-Housing (CHAMP). You can now apply for state public housing through the CHAMP website. You can select all housing authorities you are interested in applying to but it is recommended that you only apply to towns and cities you are willing to live in. To apply for state public housing, you can visit the CHAMP website to apply online or download a hard copy of the application here.
- Elderly/Disabled State Public Housing Application
You may complete the CHAMP application online or download a hard copy of the application here.
Project-Based Vouchers
- Elderly/Disabled: Capen Court Application
- Elderly/Disabled: Waterworks Application
Centralized Section 8
- Apply for the Centralized Section 8 waiting list here.
Somerville Housing Authority offers emergency status for eligible households applying for public housing who are homeless or at risk of homelessness due to certain reasons. The eligibility criteria for emergency status slightly differ between state and federal public housing, please see below.
The conditions for emergency status are:
State Public Housing Emergency Priority | Federal Public Housing Emergency Preference |
A – Displaced by Natural Forces, such as a fire, earthquake, or flood | 1A – Displaced from federally subsidized units by Hurricane Katrina |
1B – Displaced by Fire or Natural Forces, such as a fire, earthquake, or flood | |
B – Displaced by Public Action, such as the building of a low rent public housing project, urban renewal project, or public sum clearance | 2 – Displaced by Public Action/SHA Action |
3 – Displaced due to Code Enforcement | |
C – Displaced by Landlord Action, such as no-fault eviction | 4A – Displaced due to No Fault Eviction ** |
D – Displaced by Acute Medical Emergency | 4C – Displaced due to Medical Emergency |
E – Displaced by Abusive Situation | 4B – Displaced due to Domestic Violence |
** For federal public housing, no-fault evictions can include some evictions for nonpayment of rent where there was a loss of income, marital separation, or other no-fault reason the tenant was unable to pay their rent. See the Somerville Housing Authority Admissions and Continued Occupancy Plan for the exact definition of no-fault eviction.
In order to apply for emergency status, an applicant must provide proof of homelessness, impending homelessness, or health or safety risk in a current unit, and required documentation to prove emergency status. The Emergency Application for Federal Public Housing can be found here. Households can apply for State Public Housing with Emergency Priority through the online Common Housing Application for Massachusetts Public-Housing, found here.
For more information about Somerville Housing Authority, please visit the website here or contact SHA at:
30 Memorial Road
Somerville, MA 02145
Phone: (617) 625-1152
Accessing affordable housing in Somerville
How do I determine my income eligibility?
Different affordable housing programs have different income eligibility restrictions, usually based on Area Median Income (AMI) standards determined by The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The four main AMI categories are:
- Moderate Income: a household whose income is between 81% and 95% of the AMI
- Low Income: a household whose income is between 51% and 80% of the AMI
- Very Low Income: a household whose income is between 31% and 50% of the AMI
- Extremely Low Income: a household whose income is at or below 30% of the AMI
City of Somerville’s Inclusionary Housing Programs
- The City of Somerville’s Inclusionary Housing Programs include rental and homeownership units for applicants at various income levels. Each development has different income criteria for available units. Learn about Somerville’s Inclusionary Housing Program here.
- Get on the Affordable housing alert mailing list here.
Inclusionary rental units have shallow subsidies, meaning the rents are below market but do not fluctuate when income increases or decreases. There are minimum and maximum income requirements for inclusionary units. Where an applicant has a voucher, the minimum income rules do not apply. For homeownership you will need to get a mortgage pre-approval and attend a first-time homebuyers education program.
Statewide housing search tools
You can search for affordable rental opportunities using the Housing Navigator MA website. Search homeownership opportunities using the MyMassHome website.
Privately owned non-profit or for-profit multi-family housing:
In addition to the aforementioned affordable and subsidized housing programs, there are other privately owned non-profit and for-profit multi-family housing developments throughout the City of Somerville. The list below includes the contact information and addresses for such opportunities.
Clarendon Hill Towers – 617- 625-7150
Management company: FHRC Management Corp
Mailing address: 1372 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02144
Details: “deep” subsidies; one, two, and three bedrooms
Application: Download here: Clarendon Hill Towers Application copy.pdf
Cobble Hill Apartments -- 617-625-8920
Management company: CMJ Management Company
Mailing address: 84 Washington Street, Somerville, MA 02143
Details: “deep” subsidies; one and two bedrooms
Application: Apply via website or download a fillable pdf here: Cobble Hill Apartments 2022 Application copy.pdf
Note: The application form is updated every year; make sure you are using a current application.
Recommendation: Even if you use the fillable pdf, click on the “Apply via website” link, for alerts about waitlist closures. As of 11/16/2022, the waitlist for households with dependent children is closed.
Burton F. Faulkner Tower – 617- 628-2119
Mailing address: 25 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143
Details: “deep” subsidies; elderly or disabled; one and two bedrooms
Application: Download here: Burton F. Faulkner Tower Application.pdf
Kent Street Apartments – 617 628-0499
Management company: The Community Builders, Inc.
Mailing address: 32 Kent Street, Somerville, MA 02145
Details: “shallow” subsidies (flat rent); studio, one, two, and three bedrooms
Application: Apply via website or download application here
Mt. Pleasant Apartments – 617- 623-5810
Management company: Peabody Properties
Mailing address: 70 Perkins Street, Somerville, MA 02145
Details: elderly or disabled; one and two bedrooms
Application: Apply via website or download application here
Mt. Vernon I, II, III – 781-391-0700
Management company: High Street Property Management Corp.
Mailing address: 92 High Street, Suite 22 Medford, MA 02155
Details: “deep” subsidies; one bedrooms
Application not available
219-225 Pearl Street – 781-395-1600
Management company: The 219 Pearl St. Realty Trust
Mailing address: 219 Pearl Street, Somerville, MA 02145
Details: “deep” subsidies and market rate; two and three bedrooms
Application not available
Pearl Street Park – 617- 625-8780
Management company: E.P. Management Corporation
Mailing address: 240 Pearl Street, Somerville, MA 02145
Details: “deep” subsidies; elderly or disabled; one bedroom
Application: Download here: Pearl Street Park Application copy.pdf
Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) Portfolio – 617- 591-0577
Management company: Wingate Companies
Mailing address: 7 Memorial Road, Somerville, MA 02145
Application: For most SCC properties, you may apply through Wingate Companies, however, some require you to apply through the Somerville Housing Authority. You may contact Wingate Companies to ask how to apply to one or more of the SCC properties.
SCC Properties:
- 33 Bow Street—16 affordable and two market rate units; two, three, and four bedrooms
- 75 Cross Street—eight affordable units; for formerly homeless households; one and two bedrooms
- 109 Gilman Street – six affordable units; three bedrooms; two units for formerly homeless
- Linden Street Apartment – 42 affordable units; one, two and three bedrooms
- Saint Polycarp Village – 24 affordable units; one, two and three bedrooms; four units for Department of Mental Health (DMH) clients; two units for chronically homeless
- Saint Polycarp Village 2 — 29 affordable units; one, two, and three bedrooms
- Saint Polycarp Village 3 – 31 affordable units; one, two, and three bedrooms
- Sewall Place – 13 affordable units; single room occupancy (SRO); 13 for formerly homeless
- Walnut Street Apartments – 12 affordable units; one and two bedrooms
- Union Square Apartments 181 Washington Street – 35 affordable units; one, two, and three bedrooms
OHS Policy Advocacy
Help lead Anti-Displacement Task Force rent stabilization home rule petition and new initiatives.
Passed Housing Stability Notification Act.
Passed strengthened Condo Conversion Ordinance.
Founded statewide “LOHA” Coalition to pass Real Estate Transfer Fee.
Serving on steering committees for statewide Access to Counsel, Eviction Record Sealing, and TOPA legislative coalitions.
Serving on steering committee for Senior Bridge Program (convened by Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless).
Serving on statewide steering committee to pass the Affordable Homes Act.
Somerville Housing Authority Residential Advisory Board policy advocacy.
The following articles and reports contain interesting information about housing, homelessness, gentrification and anti-displacement strategies. Posting of these articles and reports is NOT an indication that the City of Somerville or the Somerville Office of Housing Stability (OHS) endorse any particular strategy discussed. Articles appear here for informational and educational purposes.
Right to counsel in eviction cases
- Article from Curbed Boston about the Movement for Right to Counsel in Massachusetts:
https://boston.curbed.com/2019/2/20/18232604/massachusetts-legal-aid-evictions - Right to Counsel in Massachusetts website (fact sheets, legislative bills, campaign information)
http://www.massrtc.org/
Tenants' Rights
- Somerville's eviction moratorium, along with rental assistance, legal aid, and outreach, are key to housing stability during pandemic:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/09/01/business/federal-eviction-moratorium-ends-can-cities-alone-stop-wave/ - Boston follows Somerville's lead, banning evictions:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/08/31/metro/boston-announces-eviction-moratorium-effective-immediately - HUD enforces tenant's right to organize:
https://shelterforce.org/2019/07/24/after-19-years-hud-finally-puts-a-landlord-on-notice-for-interference-with-the-right-to-organize/?utm_source=sfweekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=073019 - New York passes a rule to eliminate broker's fees: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/nyregion/nyc-landlord-rental-broker-fees.html
- Article on the increasing automatizing of evictions in major U.S. cities: https://www.citylab.com/equity/2020/02/tenant-rights-rent-eviction-landlords-management-systems/606868/
Rent Levels and Rent Controls
- Article from Curbed Boston about high rents in Greater Boston
https://boston.curbed.com/2018/5/9/17332360/boston-rents-why-high-expensive - Report on Rent Stabilization Initiatives nationwide
https://www.policylink.org/resources-tools/our-homes-our-future - Article from the New York Times covering the New York State Legislators support for stronger tenant protections
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/nyregion/landlord-rent-protection-regulation.html - Huffington Post article on the unaffordability of housing nationwide
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rent-afford-state-salary-housing_n_5cb6e4aee4b098b9a2dc8297 - WBUR story on the 2019 "Out of Reach" report ranking Massachusetts as the fourth most expensive rental market
https://www.wbur.org/bostonomix/2019/06/19/rent-affordable-housing-crisis-income-ranking - City of Berlin in Germany freezes rents for 5 years: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/world/europe/berlin-gentrification-rent.html
Production of Affordable Housing
- Report on the needs and challenges around Middle Income Housing
http://www.mapc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/middleincomehousing.pdf - Strategies for using Medicaid dollars to pay for housing
https://shelterforce.org/2019/02/19/medicaid-dollars-for-housing/ - Aritcle on equity and inclusion in mixed income communities
https://shelterforce.org/2019/07/12/prioritizing-inclusion-and-equity-in-the-next-generation-of-mixed-income-communities/?utm_source=sfweekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=071519MovingBeyondPlace - Boston Globe article on the lack of families living in multi-bedroom apartments: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/02/03/business/report-fewer-families-are-living-bostons-multi-bedroom-homes/
Homelessness / Homeless Prevention
- Report by the Interagency Council on Homelessness on Family Homelessness
https://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/Homeslessness_in_America_Families_with_Children.pdf - Report on evidence based solutions to homelessness prevention
https://www.usich.gov/tools-for-action/homelessness-in-america-focus-on-families-with-children - Study finds that Massachusetts is the top state for economic insecurity for elders: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/11/19/massachusetts-tops-nation-new-index-economic-insecurity-for-elders-living-alone/y0K2iU60Nbi7xhcPncazeP/story.html
- How the City of Somerville fights Eviction with Information: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/globelocal/2020/02/20/somerville-helps-tenants-fight-eviction-with-information/fJRSPRiC0zddOMXHBAM9KO/story.html
Fair Housing
- Study showing that black renter households pay more for rent in the same neighborhoods as others
https://kinder.rice.edu/2018/09/14/study-black-renter-households-pay-rent-premium - Strategies for closing the economic divide in housing – report from N.Y. regional roundtable on strategies for housing inclusion and affordability
https://www.enterprisecommunity.org/resources/closing-divide-creating-equitable-inclusive-and-affordable-communities-8080 - How to overcome barriers to acceptance of Section 8 vouchers in Massachusetts
https://www.chapa.org/research-and-reports/exercising-choice-with-housing-choice-vouchers-may-8-2014 - What drives landlord participation in the Section 8 voucher program
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10511482.2018.1502202
Landlord Perspectives
- MassLandlord newsletters on a wide range of current Massachusetts housing policy issues
https://masslandlords.net/resources/newsletters/
“An Act promoting Housing Opportunity and mobility through eviction sealing”
Transfer Fee Act
- City of Boston proposes 2 percent tax to increase affordable housing stock: https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2019/12/09/compromise-plan-may-give-boston-tax-larger-real-estate-sales/HG3WAvvAk2Jq9R7myUyj1O/story.html
Homes Act Legislation (Sealing of Eviction Records)
- Text of bill: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/S824
Housing issues related to Zoning
- The state of Zoning of multi-family housing in Boston
https://ma-smartgrowth.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/03/FINAL_Multi-Family_Housing_Report.pdf
National Housing Data
- New report on national Housing trends broken down by state
https://www.jchs.harvard.eduhttps://s3.amazonaws.com/somervillema.gov.if-us-east-1/s3fs-public/Harvard_JCHS_State_of_the_Nations_Housing_2019.pdf - Joint Center for Housing Studies releases 2020 report on "America's Rental Housing": https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/americas-rental-housing-2020
LGBTQ+ Housing Issues
- New report on national Housing trends broken down by state
https://blog.silvernest.com/affordable-housing-and-social-isolation-issues-in-the-lgbtq-elder-community
Condo Conversion Ordinance
- Local realtor Rona Fischman shares her views on the new condo ordinance
https://4buyersre.com/welcome-condo-conversion-ordinance/
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