AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN MASSACHUSETTS, GLOUCESTER MA

This packet contains specific information on the affordable housing program and application process for the affordable rental apartments being offered at Halyard. Halyard invites you to read this information and submit an application.

Please hold on to this packet until you have leased an apartment as it will be a useful guide throughout the entire process.

The first apartments will be ready for occupancy in Spring of 2021.

 

APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 2:00 PM ON FEBRUARY 12TH, 2021. APPLICATIONS POSTMARKED BY THE DEADLINE MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN 5 BUSINESS DAYS FROM THE DEADLINE.

 

Halyard is a 200 unit rental apartment community located in Gloucester on 4 School House Road. There will be 30 affordable apartments ready for occupancy starting in 2021. All affordable apartments will be rented to households with incomes at or below 80% of the area median income through this application process. The affordable units will have high end finishes, access to all onsite amenities, and free parking. For a further description of the units and the development, please read page 19. The unit mix of the affordable units is as follows:

 

* The rents are set annually using a calculation that determines the “affordable” rent, which is based on the Area Median Incomes for the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy HMFA, therefore the rents of units are subject to change. Tenants are responsible for paying the full amount of rent each month. Rents are not based on each applicant’s income (unless they already have a Section 8 voucher already or similar). Tenants will be responsible for paying gas (heating, hot water) and electricity (including cooking). Water and sewer are included in the rent, as is one free parking space. Pets are allowed, smoking is not.

 

Since it is possible that there will be more interested and eligible applicants than available units, the Developer will conduct a lottery to rank the eligible applicants for the program. The application and lottery process as well as the eligibility requirements are described in this information packet.

 

Halyard does not discriminate in the selection of applicants on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, age, ancestry, children, familial status, genetic information, marital status, public assistance recipiency, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran/military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Persons with disabilities are entitled to request a reasonable accommodation in rules, policies, practices, or services, or to request a reasonable modification in the housing, when such accommodations or modifications may be necessary to afford persons with disabilities an equal opportunity to use and enjoy the housing.

 

 Q: How long will the designated apartments remain affordable?

A: As a current resident only, you are considered income eligible for an affordable unit as long as your household earns an income that does not exceed 140% of the current applicable income limit for a household of your size (see Yearly Eligibility and Rent Review for more details). If the Area Median Income decreases or the total utility allowance increases, rents will drop. If the AMI increases or the utility allowances decrease, the rent may increase as further described in the Regulatory Agreement.

 

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

 

Q: Who is eligible to apply for the affordable apartments in Halyard?

A: In order to qualify for an affordable unit:

1.) Households must have income and assets that qualify within the parameters as highlighted in this section.

2.) Household priority will be given based on household composition. For questions on household size and composition, please read “Household Size and Composition”.

3.) Households cannot own a home upon move-in. All homes must be sold before leasing a unit.

4.) Households, or their families, cannot have a financial interest in the development and a household member cannot be considered a Related Party.

 

Additionally, some of the apartments will be disabled-accessible and some of those apartments will also have features for persons with hearing impairments. All households may apply for these apartments but households in need of the features of the apartment will get top priority, regardless if the apartment is designated as local preference or not. For questions on priority by need of a disabled accessible or hearing-impaired apartment, please read “Disabled-Accessible and Hearing-Impaired Unit Information”.

 

Q: What are the income eligibility requirements?

A: To be eligible to lease an affordable apartment, annual household income must be within a particular range, set by maximum and minimum income levels as follows:

 

To be eligible to apply to lease affordable apartments, the combined annual income for all income sources of all income-earning members in the household must be at or below eighty percent of median income for Boston-Cambridge-Quincy HMFA. All sources of income are counted, please see details below.

 

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