HYANNIS – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has instituted a new eviction moratorium that replaces the one which recently expired.
The moratorium is targeted toward counties that have high levels of COVID-19, which includes Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket counties.
The Housing Assistance Corporation is advising renters to apply for the agency’s public and private funds to help pay for rent they owe before the eviction moratorium is lifted on October 3.
Housing Assistance has administered over four million dollars in financial assistance for renters and homeowners in the region.
Housing Assistance CEO Alisa Magnotta emphasized the importance of having a sense of urgency.
Once the moratorium ends, all back rent will quickly become due. She warned that tenants who lose their housing will have a very difficult time finding a place to live.
“Summer is always a difficult time for year-rounders to find housing and the pandemic has made this worse. In the past six weeks, we’ve seen fifty families with working parents come into our office for help to stay housed,” said Magnotta.
“Often their landlord has sold the property and there s simply nowhere for them to move,” she said. “They are staying on the couches of friends and family or sleeping in their cars, waiting out the summer in the hopes that more rentals will open up in the fall.”
To qualify for the eviction moratorium, tenants must meet the eligibility requirements, apply for assistance, fill out a declaration form outlining their eligibility, and give a copy of the form to their landlord.
“We strongly urge anyone behind on rent to access our COVID-19 and other financial assistance programs and start getting their rent back on track,” said Magnotta.
Housing Assistance is an advocate at the state and local level of increasing access to affordable housing for local workers.
“Each of us can help by speaking up at town meetings to support rezoning to allow the creation of multi-family rental properties, conversion of underutilized commercial space to housing, and Accessory Dwelling Unit bylaws that allow homeowners to create small apartments on their existing property,” said Magnotta.
Some relief programs have no requirement for a COVID-19 connection.
To learn more about available programs or access the application for assistance, click here.
To contact Housing Assistance Corporation call (508) 771-5400 or email HAC at [email protected].
By, Matthew Tomlinson, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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