MRVP NOTICE: 2007-2
MEMORANDUM
To:
All Local Housing Agencies and Regional Non-Profits
administering the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP)
From:
Amy Schectman, Associate Director
Subject: MRVP FY08
Initiatives
Date:
October 25, 2007
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I am pleased to inform you that the Department of Housing and Community
Development (DHCD) will be implementing two new initiatives for the MRVP
Program:
1) An across the board rent increase for most MRVP
Project Based (PB) units
2) The availability of 100 Mobile MRVP vouchers in
a centralized pool that your agency can apply to in order to service applicants
on your MRVP and related waiting lists.
In 2002, due to the fiscal crisis facing the Commonwealth, DHCD had to make a
series of painful cuts to the MRVP Program. These cuts included a freezing
of the rents on the “MHFA” and “FmHA” PB components, and a reduction of the
remaining PB contract rents by $30 - $60. In most cases these contract
rents have remained at these reduced levels since 2002. These units
represent a large base of affordable housing, and to insure the retention of
this portfolio, we feel a rent increase is an equitable action after five years
of no increases.
The 2002 cuts also included a freeze on the reissuance of MRVP Mobile vouchers,
a freeze which was partially lifted in 2005 and 2006. In recent months
many agencies have expressed an interest to DHCD in receiving additional MRVP
vouchers if any were to become available. While DHCD is unable to fully
lift the freeze and authorize the issuance of all Mobile vouchers that were
under contract in 2002, we are initiating what we hope is a creative solution to
the requests for more resources: a “pool” of 100 Mobile vouchers that your
agency can apply to DHCD for and draw down from.