Somerville Affordable Housing Lottery: 1 Unit Available

SOMERVILLE, MA — An affordable rental opportunity is available at 100 Fellsway West, according to Mayor Joseph Curtatone and the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development.

Preference will be given to households who currently reside or work full time in Somerville (32 hours or more per week) and provide current verification dated within the last thirty days from the date a complete application is submitted.

See below for apartment details and eligibility requirements:

100 Fellsway West is a four story building with 19 residential units. Apartment 303 is on the third floor and includes an outdoor parking space as well as an in-unit hookup for a laundry machine and dryer.

Additional restrictions apply for the apartment available through the City of Somerville’s Inclusionary Housing Program including: 1) the head of household cannot be a full time student and 2) an asset limit of $250,000 excluding restricted retirement, college savings and health plans. Inclusionary units must be the household’s primary principal residence. The units cannot be subleased; rooms cannot be placed on AirBnB or similar websites. Households who move into these units are subject to annual income re-certifications to ensure their continued eligibility.

Interested applicants should prepare to proceed with an income certification after the lottery if their number is selected first from the lottery wheel; the Housing Division recommends households begin to collect their: 1) 2018 Federal Tax Returns (all pages and schedules), W2s and 1099s, and 2) the most recent three (3) months of all income and all asset (ex. Bank, Venmo/ Paypal statements) statements. The City reserves the right to request more income/asset information during the income certification.

The Housing Division will host an information session to review income and asset eligibility requirements, the application, lottery process and restrictions. The first information session will take place at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, October 30, 2019 in the third floor Community Room of the Visiting Nurses Association (VNA), 259 Lowell St. in Somerville.

Pre-lottery information and application packets will be available starting Monday, October 28, 2019 through 2 p.m. on Tuesday, November 12, 2019. October 28, information and pre-lottery applications can also be printed from the City of Somerville’s Inclusionary Housing Program website or picked up at the City Hall Annex located at 50 Evergreen Ave., City Hall located at 93 Highland Ave., and the Somerville Public Library branches. Complete pre-lottery applications must be submitted and received by the Housing Division located on the first floor of the Somerville City Hall Annex at 50 Evergreen Ave. by 2 p.m. on Tuesday, November 12, 2019. Applications must be completed and signed by all adult household members. Applicants must write “N/A” in sections that do not apply and should not leave any part of their application blank. Incomplete and late application will not be accepted. Applications submitted late, by piece-meal or in screen shots.

Complete and eligible pre-lottery applications received before the deadline will be included in the lottery scheduled to take place on Tuesday, November 26, 2019 at 11 a.m. in the Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall. Applicants do not need to attend the lottery to proceed with an income certification. The lottery will be available to watch on the Youtube at SomervilleCityTV. The winner will be notified immediately after the lottery and will have five business days to submit initial income and asset documents. Lottery results will be posted on the City of Somerville Inclusionary Housing website by Tuesday, December 3, 2019.

Complete applications can be submitted via email to inclusionary@somervillema.gov, via fax at 617-591-3235, or mail and in person at the Annex. The Housing Division is open from Monday-Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. If you have any additional questions regarding this opportunity please contact Andres Bueno at 617-625-6600 ext. 2584.