City of Revere Response to COVID-19: July 1, 2020 Update
July 1, 2020
Mayor Arrigo Announces $1 Million in Rental Assistance for Revere Families Impacted by COVID-19
Lottery Application Available through July 15
July 1, 2020 – The City of Revere’s Emergency Response Team continues to monitor impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and develop policies and procedures to maintain public health and safety for all in Revere. As of July 1, the Revere Board of Health has been notified by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health of 1,825 positive and probable cases of COVID-19 in the City of Revere. The City is averaging 5.6 new cases each day.
Today Mayor Brian Arrigo announced the dedication of $1 million in Federal funding to provide rental assistance to Revere residents at risk of eviction or homelessness due to inability to pay rent as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. All eligible applicants will be entered into a lottery, which will remain open through Wednesday, July 15. The distribution of the funds will be administered by Metro Housing Boston, the state’s largest regional housing services organization. Additional details and criteria are available at Revere.org/rentalassistance.
“With Covid-19 housing protections set to expire at the end of the summer, we know many Revere families are concerned about their ability to stay in their homes, and that evictions are likely to disproportionately impact communities of color,” Mayor Arrigo said. “We want to provide some relief to our residents who have found themselves without an income or a safety net. In Metro Housing Boston, we’ve engaged experts in this area to administer the lottery and distribute direct funds as quickly as possible.”
Residents in need of rental assistance can view the criteria at Revere.org and must complete an application to enter the lottery, which will create an order of response and prioritize applicants if there are more applicants than available funds. The amount of assistance renters receive will be determined after taking into account other sources of income. The maximum contribution will be no more than $1,000 per month and the maximum subsidy per household will be $4,000.
“We continue to see demand for rental assistance surge in Massachusetts communities, and Revere is no exception,” said Felisha Marshall, Director of Housing Supports at Metro Housing. “We’re proud to partner with the City of Revere to bring much needed relief to the community and look forward to working with residents in need of support.”
Upon selection in the lottery, applicants’ property owner or agent must sign an agreement to halt any current eviction proceedings and not start eviction proceedings for the arrears that are covered by rental assistance funds.
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