7004-9024 Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program

For the Massachusetts rental voucher program to provide rental assistance for low-income families and elderly persons through mobile and project-based vouchers; provided, that the income of eligible households shall not exceed 80 per cent of the area median income; provided further, that the executive office of housing and livable communities may require that up to 75 per cent of newly issued vouchers be targeted to households whose income at initial eligibility does not exceed 30 per cent of the area median income; provided further, that the executive office may award mobile vouchers to eligible households currently occupying project-based units that shall expire due to the non-renewal of project-based rental assistance contracts; provided further, that the executive office, as a condition of continued eligibility for vouchers and voucher payments, may require disclosure of social security numbers by participants and members of a participant's household in the Massachusetts rental voucher program for use in verification of income with other agencies, departments and executive offices; provided further, that if a participant or member of a participant's household fails to provide a social security number for use in verifying the household's income and eligibility, then that household shall no longer be eligible for a voucher or to receive benefits from the voucher program; provided further, that subsidies shall not be reduced due to the cost of inspections; provided further, that the executive office shall provide assistance using a payment standard so that the required household payment for a household choosing a unit with gross rent less than or equal to the payment standard shall be not more than 30 per cent of the household's monthly adjusted income, with "gross rent" defined as the contract rent plus an amount allowed by the executive office for tenant-paid utilities; provided further, that the payment standard shall be set, at the discretion of the executive office, at up to either 110 per cent of the current area-wide fair market rent or 110 per cent of the current small area fair market rent, both as established by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for the same size of dwelling unit in the same region, except as necessary as a reasonable accommodation for a household member with a disability or as otherwise directed by the executive office; provided further, that if the gross rent for the unit does not exceed the applicable payment standard, the monthly assistance payment for the household for tenant-based assistance shall be equal to the gross rent less the required household payment, except that the required household payment in any project-based unit that is subsidized under another federal or state subsidy or public housing program shall be subject to applicable limits on tenant-paid rent under such federal or state program; provided further, that for a household receiving tenant-based assistance under this section, if the household chooses a unit with a gross rent that exceeds the applicable payment standard, the monthly assistance payment for the household shall be limited to the amount by which the applicable payment standard exceeds 30 per cent of the monthly adjusted income of the household; provided further, that even if a household with tenant-based assistance chooses a unit with gross rent exceeding the payment standard, at the time the household initially leases a dwelling, the total amount that the household may be required to pay for gross rent, including the amount by which the gross rent exceeds the payment standard, shall not exceed 40 per cent of the monthly adjusted income of the household at the time the household initially receives tenant-based assistance with respect to any dwelling; provided further, that the executive office shall establish the amounts of the mobile and project-based vouchers so that the appropriation in this item shall not be exceeded by payments for rental assistance and administration; provided further, that the executive office shall not enter into commitments that shall cause it to exceed the appropriation set forth in this item; and provided further, that the requested rent level for mobile vouchers shall be determined reasonable by the administering agency