BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Mayor Marty Walsh said Boston residents who may be facing eviction during the COVID-19 pandemic can get help from the City.
At a press conference Friday, Mayor Walsh said recent unemployment numbers signal that "a very large number of tenants statewide and in Boston are having trouble paying rent, because of income loss."
"We created Boston's Department of Neighbor Development to help people stay in their homes," Walsh said. "If people get evicted, or if they leave their housing because they think they are going to get evicted, they often end up in our shelter system or doubling up with family and friends."
While the state's moratorium on evictions is set to expire on October 17th, Mayor Walsh said Friday the Boston Housing Authority's moratorium on evictions is in place through the end of the year.
The City also has a Rental Relief Fund available, which dedicates $8 million in federal stimulus funds to help Boston residents at risk of losing their housing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We have to come together as a city and a state to prevent these harms and protect public health," Walsh said. "To stay on the road to recovery, we have to make sure that no one is left behind."
Walsh also said the City's work to create affordable housing has not stopped during the pandemic.
"We have more than 1,300 affordable homes in construction," Walsh said. "Since August, we have approved hundreds of more units to move forward, including over 1,000 subsidized homes in East Boston at Suffolk Downs."
Walsh said the City will begin accepting applications on Monday for $25 million in Community Preservation Act funding, which supports "historic preservation, affordable housing, and parks and open space" in Boston.
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