$171M Plan Unveiled To Help As Eviction Ban Set To Expire

Gov. Charlie Baker said a new $171 million plan will help renters and landlords as the state's eviction ban comes to an end this weekend.

The Republican governor made the announcement late Monday afternoon. He said the plan was put together by his administration and the Massachusetts Trial Court "to manage the end of the moratorium," which is scheduled to end Saturday.

"The pandemic has created financial challenges for many individuals and families who are struggling with rent payments, and today we are pleased to announce a $171 million initiative to promote household stability, and provide more support for tenants and small landlords," Baker said in a statement.

The plan is funded by federal money and a COVID-19 supplemental budget.

Some $100 million of the money is for the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition program, which will help renters and landlords. Another $49 million is going to rapid rehousing programs, which aim to keep people from stretches of homelessness.

Other funds will go help cover legal services and mediations during the eviction process.

The plan comes as the threat of losing housing looms over tens of thousands of renters and homeowners in Massachusetts. The eviction ban, which forbids any non-essential evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, was issued in April and extended in July.

There has been concern that letting the moratorium expire could result in a wave of evictions. At least 80,000 Massachusetts households will have a hard time meeting housing and basic needs costs in October, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council said in a recent report.

"Without federal, state, or court intervention, Massachusetts is likely to see a significant wave of evictions and foreclosures in the coming months," MAPC said in its report last week. "As a result, more people may find themselves homeless or living in overcrowded housing —circumstances that contribute to the spread of COVID-19 and may extend the length of the pandemic. Small landlords unable to cover mortgage payments due to lost rent may be forced to sell their rental properties, accelerating the consolidation of the rental real estate market under the control of large corporate owners and trusts."

Demonstrators marching in Boston and Somerville Sunday implored the legislature to pass the Guarantee Housing Stability Bill, which supporters say will protect vulnerable renters and homeowners while also helping landlords.

"Extending the moratorium through January 1st would make a lot of sense," Rep. Mike Connolly, of Cambridge, who headed the bill, tweeted Sunday. "It would give tenants and landlords a chance to utilize the CARES Act funds the Gov is planning to pour into rental assistance — this could resolve many of the issues that may otherwise result in eviction."