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 department of housing and community development may require that not less than 75 per cent of newly issued vouchers be targeted to households whose income at initial occupancy does not exceed 30 per cent of the area median income; provided further, that the department 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 department, 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 until the implementation of a payment standard by the department, each household shall pay not less than 30 per cent of its monthly adjusted income but not more than 40 per cent of its monthly adjusted income for rent at initial occupancy; provided further, that until the implementation of such payment standard, the monthly dollar amount of each voucher shall be the department-approved monthly rent of the unit less the monthly amount paid for rent by the household; provided further, that any household that is proven to have caused intentional damage to its rental unit in an amount exceeding 2 months of rent during any 1-year period shall be terminated from the program; provided further, that if the use of a mobile voucher is or has been discontinued, then the mobile voucher shall be reassigned; provided further, that the department shall pay regional administering agencies not less than $50 per voucher per month for the costs of administering the program; provided further, that subsidies shall not be reduced due to the cost of inspections; provided further, that beginning on January 1, 2023, for newly issued vouchers and at the time of income recertification, relocation and otherwise required interim recalculation for households with existing vouchers, the department 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 will 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 department for tenant-paid utilities; provided further, that the payment standard shall not exceed 110 per cent of the area-wide fair market rental 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, and shall be not less than 100 per cent of that area-wide fair market rental, except that a reduction by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in such fair market rental shall not reduce the payment standard applied to a household continuing to reside in a unit for which the household was receiving assistance at the time the fair market rental was reduced; 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 both project-based and 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 receives tenant-based assistance with respect to any 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, may not exceed 40 per cent of the monthly adjusted income of the household at the time a household initially receives tenant-based assistance with respect to any dwelling; provided further, that households receiving tenant-based assistance under this section may pay more than 40 per cent of the monthly adjusted income of the household, at their option; provided further, that this amount may not exceed 40 per cent of the monthly adjusted income of the household in the first year of occupancy; provided further, that the department 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 department shall not enter into commitments that shall cause it to exceed the appropriation set forth in this item; provided further, that participating local housing authorities may take all steps necessary to enable them to transfer mobile voucher program participants from the Massachusetts rental voucher program into another housing subsidy program; provided further, that the department's approved monthly rent limits for mobile vouchers issued or leased on or after July 1, 2022 shall not be less than 100 per cent or exceed 110 per cent of the area or small area fair market rent, except as necessary as a reasonable accommodation for a household member with a disability, as determined by the department, based on unit size as established annually by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development; provided further, that the requested rent level for mobile vouchers shall be determined reasonable by the administering agency; provided further, that for mobile vouchers currently leased, the new rent limit shall not begin until the anniversary date of the lease; provided further, that the department may assist housing authorities at their written request in the immediate implementation of a homeless prevention program utilizing alternative housing resources available to them for low-income families and the elderly by designating participants in the Massachusetts rental voucher program as at risk of displacement by public action through no fault of their own; provided further, that not later than December 1, 2022, the department of housing and community development shall submit a report to the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on housing on the utilization of rental vouchers during the last 3 fiscal years under this item and item 7004-9030; provided further, that the report shall include, but not be limited to, the: (i) number and average value of rental vouchers currently distributed in the commonwealth in each county and in each municipality; (ii) average number of days that it takes for a household to utilize a voucher after receiving it from the administering agency; (iii) number of households that reach the date by which they must lease up their voucher without having found an available unit; (iv) number of households that apply for an extension by the deadline to lease up their voucher and the number of extensions granted; (v) actions taken by the department to reduce the wait time for households to lease up their voucher; (vi) number of distributed vouchers available to be utilized; (vii) number and type of new vouchers issued after July 1, 2022; (viii) number of families on a waitlist for an available rental voucher; (ix) average number of days that it takes for project based vouchers awarded by the department to be utilized after the award is made; and (x) obstacles faced by the department in its efforts to provide the information detailed in the preceding provisos, if applicable; provided further, that the report shall comply with state and federal privacy standards; and provided further, that the department may expend funds from this item for costs related to the completion of the voucher management system, prior appropriation continued