Executive Order  No. 285: Establishment of a Housing Assistance Pilot Program

WHEREAS, there has been over the past several years a significant increase in the number of state and federal rental assistance units, particularly the number of units leased by the Executive Office of Communities and Development under the federal housing voucher program, in certain cities of the Commonwealth;

WHEREAS, this increase has played an important part in the effort to assist low income persons, particularly homeless families;

WHEREAS, at the same time, this increase may have had unintended consequences on the private rental market in certain cities;

WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the Commonwealth to develop a pilot program to determine if greater local administration of such programs might reduce the unintended consequences, while remaining consistent with the overall objectives and goals of such programs:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Michael S. Dukakis, Governor of the Commonwealth, by virtue of the authority vested in me as supreme executive magistrate, do hereby order that:

SECTION 1. The Secretary of Communities and Development shall, with due diligence, undertake to contract with the Lynn Housing Authority for the administration of all rental housing assistance programs funded through or administered by the Executive Office of Communities and Development, directly or through a subcontractor, if rental units leased under said rental housing assistance programs are located in Lynn, provided that said rental assistance programs shall include the state rental assistance program, the federal Section 8 Existing Housing Rental Assistance Program and the Federal Housing Voucher Program, so-called.

SECTION 2. The Secretary shall enter into such a contract only upon submission of a plan to the Secretary by the Lynn Housing Authority, which assures that program and policy guidelines and regulations pertaining to rental assistance programs and other relevant regulations of the Executive Office of Communities and Development, and the federal laws and regulations governing those programs, are met and that such a contract protects the programmatic and financial integrity of the existing regional non-profit entity, and with due regard for any existing contracts, and provided that said contract shall permit the Lynn Housing Authority to administer certificates of persons residing in Lynn when the certificates are renewed annually and the holder of the certificate continues to reside in Lynn.

SECTION 3. Any such contract shall be for a specified term, no less than twelve months, and may be revoked, after giving due notice, by the Secretary at any time, upon a written finding that the plan is being implemented in violation of the contract or in a manner inconsistent with the purposes for which the state and federal programs were created, or in a manner otherwise inconsistent with law.

Given at the Executive Chamber in Boston this 8th day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and ninety, and of the Independence of the United States of America two hundred and thirteen.

Michael S. Dukakis, Governor
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Michael Joseph Connolly
Secretary of the Commonwealth