General Housing Topics

• Housing Navigator – Find accessable and affordable home rentals in Massachusetts
• MyMassHome is the official online listing and search tool for accessible home ownership opportunities in Massachusetts.
• Common Housing Application for Massachusetts Programs (Champ) – Using this site, you will be able to apply for state-aided public housing and the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP), and you will also be able to find any existing applications you may have. Moving forward, as your address changes or other information on your application changes, you will only need to update information at this site. All of your changes will be recorded at the housing authorities where you have applied.
• CHAPA – Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (MA based)
  • CHAPA Housing Search Guide for People with Disabilities
• Metrowest Legal Services – Housing
  • In addition to representation, MWLS offers weekly Pro se Housing Clinics for tenants living in the MWLS service area who are facing eviction. At each clinic, a housing attorney outlines the eviction process and timeline, discusses relevant defenses and counterclaims, and explains what to expect at the court appearance. The attorney also presents a general overview of settlement options and resources that may be available. All necessary court forms are provided along with assistance in filling them out.
• The Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Act – Protects people with disabilities from discrimination when renting, buying or financing housing. From HUD – U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• MassHousing – MassHousing is an independent, quasi-public agency created in 1966 and charged with providing financing for affordable housing in Massachusetts. The website has lists of the properties financed and/or overseen by MassHousing.
• Massachusetts Housing Authorities – a list of Housing Authorities in each town in MA
• SMOC – South Middlesex Opportunity Council – Alphabetic list of programs and services, including low-income housing.
• Mass Options – MassOptions connects elders, individuals with disabilities and their caregivers with agencies and organizations that can best meet their needs. Includes Housing and Services Support
• MA Coalition for the Homeless – Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
• MA Homeless Shelters – a Homeless shelter directory
• Tenancy Preservation Program – Homelessness prevention program, TPP works with tenants, property owner and the Housing Court.
• Homestead Protection Act
• National Fair Housing Alliance – Goals: to end housing discrimination and to promote diverse, inclusive communities
• MA Housing Consumer Education Centers – Housing Consumer Education Centers offer answers to a wide range of questions about all types of housing problems. Tenants, landlords, prospective buyers, and homeowers can access information designed to maximize housing stability, strengthen investments, and minimize disputes.
• Disability Info Housing Resources Fact Sheets
• Autism Housing Pathways – Supportive Housing for Adult Children with Disabilities
• Specialized Housing, Inc. uses a condominium model to create housing for individuals who can function somewhat independently and whose behaviors can be managed with the level of staffing agreed upon by the family.
• MA Congregate Housing and Eligibility – Congregate Housing is a shared living arrangement that combines housing and services for older adults and people with disabilities.
  • Application for Congregate (Shared Living) State-Aided Elderly/Handicapped Public Housing – Send application to your Local Housing Authority
  • List of Congregate Housing Sites
  • List of Local Housing Authorities

Section 8

• Section 8 Vouchers – Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Centralized Waiting List
• Section 8 Made Simple – Using the Housing Choice Voucher Program to assistpeople with disabilities
• 18? Section 8! – How to Apply for Section 8 when turning 18 (MA)

Assistance

• Rental Assistance Applications and Documentation
• Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT)
• Framingham – Housing Assistance

Home Modifications

• Home Modification Loan Program (HMLP) – provides no interest loans to modify the homes of adults and children with disabilities.
• MRC / MassMATCH Adaptive Housing Program – provides housing evaluations, architectural services, housing modifications, and equipment installation to individuals with disabilities to enable them to achieve an employment outcome by removing barriers to living in their current home.

Universal Design

• Visitability.org – Visitability is a growing trend nationwide. The term refers to single-family or owner-occupied housing designed in such a way that it can be lived in or visited by people who have trouble with steps or who use wheelchairs or walkers.
• The Institute for Human Centered Design – Dedicated to enhancing the experiences of people of all ages, abilities, and cultures through excellence in design. Based in Boston.
• The Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access – at State University of New York (SUNY) Buffalo’s School of Architecture and Planning studies and recommends ways to make environments and products more usable, safer and healthier for the needs of an increasingly diverse population. The IDeA Center’s activities are based on the philosophy of Inclusive Design.

Evictions

• Help with an Eviction or Accessing Financial Assistance in MA – This site began during the pandemic, and continues to help MA residents.