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BOSTON
- Tuesday, December 29, 2020 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Administrator of
the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) Kate Bennett today announced an
extension on the moratorium on nonessential evictions for BHA public
housing residents until March 1, 2021. The moratorium offers housing
stability to BHA's public housing residents and reduces coronavirus risks
associated with the processing of its nonessential eviction cases.
Nonessential evictions include all eviction proceedings except for those
related to criminal activity, and those that are necessary to protect the
health and safety of BHA residents, employees, and others.
"It's
been a difficult year, with a dueling public health and economic crisis
that has hit our communities hard," said Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh.
"This moratorium continues to serve the best interests of both our
residents who struggle to make ends meet and of our city as a whole, as we
fight to maintain the health and safety of our city."
The
Boston Housing Authority was the first major housing provider in Boston to
implement a moratorium on non-essential
evictions in March 2020. Its previous extension was set to expire at
the end of 2020.
"A
safe, stable home is the best protection our residents have in battling
coronavirus, and it is critical that we take the steps we can to keep our
residents safely housed through this pandemic," said BHA Administrator
Kate Bennett. "The vaccine is on its way, and there's cause for
optimism going into 2021, but now is not the time to take our foot off the
gas. There were reasons we put this moratorium in place, and those reasons
are still with us."
"This
moratorium has given public housing residents some extra peace of mind at a
time when many families are struggling," said Matilda Drayton,
President of the Alice Taylor Tenant Task Force. "BHA has been a
strong partner for residents this year as we have worked together to keep
our families and communities safe."
Any
BHA program participant who is unable to pay current rent during the
pandemic should notify their housing manager or landlord through text, email
or printed letter and establish a plan for repayment. Although there is an
eviction moratorium currently in place for public housing, it is temporary,
and tenants are still required to perform their contractual obligation to
pay their rent.
BHA
program participants facing a financial hardship must reach out to BHA to
re-certify their income and reduce their monthly payments. Statewide
financial assistance for rent is available through RAFT funding.
Since
the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Boston and the BHA have
taken swift action to protect homeowners and renters from eviction, and
have made resources available to help residents stay in their homes. In
March, BHA and the Boston Public Schools (BPS) announced
a new partnership to house up to 1,000 families with BPS students at risk
of displacement and experiencing homelessness over the next year.
Building
on the Mayor's support of promoting housing stability, the City has also
made $5 million available to almost 1,400 households in Boston through the Rental
Relief Fund to assist tenants who were unable to make their rental payments.
The City has also enacted the Housing
Stability Notification Act which requires landlords to provide
information to tenants on resources available to help avoid evictions. The Landlord
Pledge was created during this time to encourage landlords to work with
their tenants on payment plans and strategies to keep tenants in their
homes. To date more than 30 landlords have signed it including some of the
largest property owners in the City.
In
addition, the City has contracted with Greater Boston Legal Services to add
additional attorneys to assist tenants facing eviction. The Office of
Housing Stability (OHS) has expanded the Housing Court Navigator Program
that assists tenants who are in Housing Court and need financial, legal or
other assistance.
This
effort supplements the City of Boston's work in partnering with banks and
mortgage lenders. Currently, 17
banks and mortgage lenders have signed on to a pledge, issued by the
Mayor, which provides homeowners with at least a three month loan deferment
from lenders.
The
City has also taken steps to enhance services to help homeowners, many of
whom are small landlords, to meet their own financial obligations, make
critical repairs, and stay in their homes. The Boston
Home Center (BHC) has partnered with the City of Boston's Tax/Title
division to send multi-lingual inserts in tax bills to more than 8,000
homeowners who are past due in property taxes to let them know that help is
available from the City. The Boston Home Center also sent multi-lingual
notices to 10,000 homeowners, in neighborhoods with traditionally high
foreclosure rates, informing them of assistance available through Foreclosure
Prevention and Intervention services. | 
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