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Appropriate uses of funds include, but are not limited to: Financial Assistance Application Haitian Creole, Financial Assistance Application Portuguese, Financial Assistance Application Vietnamese, Financial Assistance Application in Chinese, Metro Housing|Boston Applications with all required information and documentation will be processed more quickly than those with missing information and documentation. Note that the Tenant Application Code is different from their Case ID. Residential Assistance for Families in Transition could pay for moving costs, paying owed rent or utilities, security deposits or first/last months rent, among other uses. A lock icon ( Tenants can also apply directly. Chinese and Khmer applications are not fillable at this time and need to be scanned. This could be in the form of emergency rent assistance to avoid eviction (or help paying rent going forward, if the family applying is in search of housing or has already been evicted). ***Your account must have info entered for the Payee, Properties, and Payment Methods sections on your profile before you can apply. If your tenant is behind on the rent - or . If an asking rent price for a particular unit is above fair market rent or payment standard, discrimination law does not require a landlord to take less than the full rent to accommodate Section 8 recipients. Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT), a short-term Massachusetts rental subsidy program, is designed to help families who are at risk of becoming homeless transition into stable housing. The feedback will only be used for improving the website. This verbiage implies that families who receive rental vouchers may also receive RAFT funds, at least under certain circumstances. Sign up with to receive important news and updates. When you submit the application, you give consent to DHCD to search other state agency databases to see if your income has already been verified by another qualifying program. The rental assistance agreementincludes the following line: If the Participant's tenancy is terminated prior to the period for which any monthly rental stipend payments were made, I agree to return the unused balance of said funds to the Agency.. The RAFT program helps keep households in stable housing when facing eviction, loss of utilities, and other housing emergencies. The RAFT COVID programs stated optionality may leave landlords who opt out exposed to litigation. Please let us know how we can improve this page. Therefore, stronger definition is needed around the $10,000 optionality, either to protect landlords from harmful litigation based on discrimination charges, or to protect renters from a weakening of our important discrimination protections. Tenants and landlords can use mediation to resolve their problems without any court filing, or through court referrals. Landlords and property owners can (a) begin the RAFT application process for their tenants who may need to request financial assistance for overdue rent OR (b) complete the application once the tenant has submitted their application. The extra RAFT funds from the federal government were meant to be used within a specific amount of time. Additional documentation that backs up the applicants claim for needing funding may also be required. This could include families who are facing eviction. Eventually, that number increased, and families were able to access up to $4,000 in funds, with the possibility of reapplying after 12 months if they needed additional assistance. RAFT can cover utilities, moving costs, and overdue rent. For Landlords. MassachusettsCommunity Mediation Centersare offering free pre-courtmediationbetweenlandlords and tenants for lease disputesin addition to the summary process cases referred through the courts. Use this button to show and access all levels. Since each HCEC has its own website, we have tried to list the RAFT application links here: If any link doesn't work, visit the Housing Consumer Education Centers site, find the regional HCEC page, and then tell us which link to change. However, if you are unable to complete the application online, please emailhc@cmhaonline.orgor call508-752-5519, ext. I have one tenant who applied [to RAFT] and didnt receive a call back at all, she said. (May only be requested if connected to one of the housing crises listed above). To apply to Mass HAF, visit www.massmortgagehelp.org. %PDF-1.6 % Thank you! Not submitted means an application has been started, but not completed and turned in. Thank you for your website feedback! by Nomer Caceres. In 2020, this limit was increased to $10,000, but was decreased to $7,000 within a rolling 12-month period on Jan. 1, 2022. They will also be able to register multiple properties under one profile, as long as all of the properties have the same tax identification number. There are two additional tools for landlords and tenants to prevent an eviction. During(or after)the RAFT benefit period, the tenant violates a lease clause that is unrelated to payment of rent. Initially, families accessing RAFT funds received between $1,500 and $3,000 as a one-time payment, according to literature published by Metro Housing Boston. Landlord struggling because your tenant cant pay the rent? They may be eligible for assistance from the state that will send rent payments directly to you, the landlord. E-mail: info@metrohousingboston.org. Otherwise the CM will follow up with the property owner and possibly slow the approval process. Though mass.gov is not completely clear on whether current participants in the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) or Section 8 are RAFT-eligible, wording from the 2020 RAFT administrative plan states that If a family is using RAFT to move into a unit with a subsidy, proof of the total contract rent and of the tenants rent share must be provided. Examples include, but are not limited to, Notice to Quit, courtsummons, utility shutoff notice., Name, DOB, sex, race, ethnicity and SSN (when available) forall adultmembers of the household, Identification for the head of household (Examples: photo id, license, birth certificate,passport), Rental information: Lease/tenancy agreement, amount of rent,amount of arrears, whether they have a rental subsidy, Household income (see more details here on income verification), W-9 from payee (landlord/property owner). The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) can also help youfind a housing counseling agency (HCA). Search Eviction Records by Address (Beta). RAFT: Residential Assistance for Families in Transition No definition of the legality of opting out of RAFT COVID assistance emerged from these correspondences. A map of DHCDs regional administering agencies throughout the state with names in key.CC-BY SA 4.0 MassLandlords. Of the approximately $400 million allocated to Massachusetts in the March 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), 50% had to be spent by March 2022 to avoid clawback. Podemos ayudar. No, the agreement signed by the tenant and landlordremainsin effectfor its stated term,unless the parties agree to amend it. Thursday 8 AM 4 PM Section 8 is a housing subsidy, and RAFT is meant to be a short-term cash infusion to help families in a temporary difficult spot. A landlord who accepts RAFTfundingdoes not losethe ability to file for eviction due tolease violations that may occur in the future. So far it has generously covered over $50 million in rent arrears and going forward stipends. . The feedback will only be used for improving the website. Homeowners may access mortgage and other assistance through the federal Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF). Forgiveness of arrearages or acceptance of reduced rent are not program requirements. Low-income tenants may be eligible to receive help with paying their rent through the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and regional administering agencies. Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program Rent Relief, Utility Arrears, and Eviction Prevention Monthly updates, smart and relevant articles, and free premium content. RAFT Emergency Assistance - HRA - fcrhra Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) Program. C( QA%TD2*HTpA2EVHST0 QHH-W$2PgAEVA Once the application is in, the landlord will receive an email or call informing them an application has been started by one of their tenants. If you would like to speak with a foreclosure counselor regarding your options, a list of foreclosure counselors by region is available here. Families living in emergency shelters are not eligible for RAFT funds, and in theory, RAFT is the superior program, as the goal of the Commonwealth is to keep families out of shelters in the first place. Please remove any contact information or personal data from your feedback. hV\YZ^c3p*p #? If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site. People applying for RAFT must do so in the region where they intend to use their RAFT benefits. Presentation: RAFT (How to Apply on behalf of Renters), DHCD Announces New RAFT Application Portal Pilot Began Nov. 14, literature published by Metro Housing Boston, Housing Assistance Corporation RAFT Application, Franklin County Regional Housing and Redevelopment Authority RAFT Application, Berkshire Housing Development Corporation RAFT Application, Information for landlords on emergency housing assistance, Find your regional agency and income eligibility, The Housing Assistance Application Reference Guide, Statewide Rental Real Estate Networking and Training, Community Teamwork RAFT Application for North Shore, Lowell, Lawrence link coming soon, South Middlesex Opportunity Council RAFT Application for MetroWest link coming soon.