Overview of the Wellesley Housing Authority

Additional information about the Wellesley Housing Authority and its responsibilities.

Overview

The Wellesley Housing Authority is authorized by, and operates under, Chapter 121B of the Massachusetts General Laws, as amended. Its administrative offices are at 109 Barton Road in Wellesley.

The Authority is governed by a five-member board of commissioners; four commissioners are elected by the citizens of Wellesley, and one is appointed by the Department of Housing and Community Development in coordination with the Governor. The Authority currently manages and oversees 133 units of state housing for elderly tenants, 90 units of state housing for low-income families, 12 units of scattered housing for low-income families, 1 unit under the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program, and an additional 11 units of federal family housing that are administered by the Dedham Housing Authority.

During the audit period, the Authority’s board of commissioners appointed the executive director of the Needham Housing Authority to act as executive director to the Wellesley Housing Authority, managing the latter’s day-to-day operations, effective January 1, 2013. Although both housing authorities are managed by the Needham Housing Authority, they still maintain separate administrative and accounting functions, and each has a separate board of commissioners. The Wellesley Housing Authority pays a monthly management fee to the Needham Housing Authority for the daily administration and operation of the Wellesley Housing Authority’s non–Section 8 programs¹.

1. Section 8 housing programs were developed by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to help low-income families obtain affordable housing. Applicants are given vouchers that they can use to rent housing from landlords who agree to participate in this program in the open market. The tenant pays 30% of the monthly rent, and the housing authority pays the remaining rent directly to the landlord.

Date published:	May 30, 2018