ROBUST RESPONSE TO EMERGENCY RENTAL SUPPORT PROGRAMS

REPORT ON THE AMHERST MUNICIPAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST MEETING (7/9/20)

The meeting was conducted via Zoom webcast and was recorded.

All Trust members participated, except for Town Manager Paul Bockelman.

Also participating: Nate Malloy, Town Planner, Rita Farrell, Advisor, and John Page, Assistant to the Trust

Resignations From the Trust
Trust Chair John Hornik announced the resignations of Nate Budington, Chair of the Community Preservation Act Committee, who is moving to Williamstown and Joanne Campbell, Director of Valley Community Development Corporation for the past twenty years. Both Budington and Campbell have been strong advocates for affordable housing and will be missed, he said.

Hornik announced that as many as ten people have applied to fill vacancies on the Trust though he is unsure if all are still interested. Interviews will be conducted soon.

New Funds From Massachusetts Housing Program
Malloy said that he received notification from the Massachusetts Housing Program of a $60 million home ownership program for homebuyers earning up to 120 percent of Area Mean Income. This program is aimed at creation of multi-unit buildings and offers developers $150,000 per affordable unit created. Malloy thought East Street School might qualify. He will enquire about further details and report back.

Malloy stated that he is working on finalizing a contract for a wetlands consultant to survey the East Street School site. Since people are now allowed back in the building, he is hoping to also get a report on any hazardous conditions inside.

Emergency Rental Support Program
The majority of the meeting concerned the Emergency Rental Support program which launched earlier in the week. This program is for Amherst residents who have lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic and have problems paying rent. The Trust earmarked $250,000 of CPAC money for this program. Jana Tetreault of Community Action of the Pioneer Valley, which will administer the program reported that Community Action had received 26 applications in the four days that the program has been open. Twenty-two applications are complete. Three applicants are ineligible; two live in subsidized housing and one lives in Leverett. Community Action has separate money to help those in subsidized housing. Only five applicants are behind in their rent, but the rest are concerned about their ability to pay once unemployment checks end.

There was considerable discussion about the application form, especially the gender and race sections. Tetreault said they are required to collect name, birth date, and gender to confirm identity. State Representative Mindy Domb, who was in the audience, suggested replacing the “other” under gender with an “x” for nonbinary applicants, since that is what the RMV uses on drivers’ licenses. It was agreed to put an option to decline answering other sensitive questions. 

Although the initial response was robust, Trust members brainstormed as to how to reach more people who might be interested in the program. Malloy and Hornick will reach out to more agencies that might have people in need of rental assistance. It is hoped the program can serve about 80 families and possibly be extended from three to six months with additional funding. The application can be accessed on the Amherst web site www.amherstma.gov.

Wayfinders in Northampton is administering a new state program under the Rental Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program, which includes mortgage payment support. Acceptance is on a first come, first serve basis, And there is a new Emergency Rental Assistance Program, administered through the Massachusetts Housing Department, Citizens’ Housing and Planning Administration, and the Department of Housing and Community Development.

Supportive Housing At 132 Northampton Road
The Amherst Zoning Board of Appeals twice discussed the supportive studio apartments proposed for 132 Northampton Road. The first meeting was a presentation by Valley Community Development Corporation with some questions from the Board. The second meeting entailed mostly public comments. Laura Baker of Valley CDC said that although most of the comments were positive, there was some intense criticism from people who live nearby. She encouraged those who support the project to continue to give feedback either by writing to Malloy or Maureen Pollack of the Planning Department or by speaking at the next ZBA meeting on August 6.

CPAC Funds For First Time Home Buyers
Hornik announced that CPAC included $234,000 for the first-time homebuyers program to be administered by Valley CDC, and $200,000 for the Housing Trust in their recommendation for fiscal year 2021. These recommendations were approved by the Town Council on June 15.

40R Zoning
Malloy stated that it seems the discussion of 40R overlay zoning in the Planning Board will not be held on July 15, but has been postponed to the August 5 meeting.