Waltham Offering Rental Assistance To Residents In Need

WALTHAM, MA – The city of Waltham is offering rental assistance to residents in need of support due to hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The assistance will be administered by the City of Waltham Housing Division with funding by the Community Development Block Grant Program through the CARES Act.

Applications will be accepted on a first come first served basis as long as funds are available. Those who received funds previously may not be eligible.

Daria Gere, of Watch CDC, said while the number of tenants facing eviction is currently low – thanks to the eviction moratorium in place until June 30 – there's a significant number of tenants and landlords are under a lot of stress and pressure because tenants are behind on their rent. Watch is Waltham's Community Development Corporation that promotes affordable housing.

"It's a tremendous help," Gere said.

In addition to the assistance provided by the city, Gere said there are two other sources available for rental assistance: the state program administered by Metro Housing Boston and a rental assistance program through Watch CDC.

Previous rental assistance in Waltham included three months of rental payments based on the size of the apartment: one bedroom was $1,200 per month; two bedrooms was $1,500 per month; and three bedrooms was $1,800 per month.